Today's Y-gear for university's 50th far cry from student attire at that inception

YOUNGSTOWN

Students showed off their campus pride for the 50th anniversary of Youngstown State University joining the Ohio System of Higher Education on Sept. 1, 1967.

President Jim Tressel said seeing a majority of students sport their “Y-gear” gave him a sense of pride.

Many students sported T-shirts, sweatshirts and sweatpants Friday, but the dress code was much different 50 years ago.

YSU officials found this information in their archives:

Men could not wear T-shirts as outer garments, and women were prohibited from wearing slacks or shorts.

For formal events, men wore tuxedos; women dressed in formal gowns. For semiformal events, men wore conservative business suits with thin coat lapels and thin ties. Women wore dresses (for tea parties, hats and gloves were included in the ensemble).

Male students tended to wear their hair short and off the ears. Women wore their hair short, but styled with a great deal of hair spray, yet the shorter “pixie” cut was starting to become popular.

But Tressel appreciates the current Y-gear.

“It’s a reminder of the great tradition we have here at YSU and the spirit of this university,” he said. “It’s truly a wonderful thing.”

Read more about the day's events in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.