There is a small cemetery atop Foss Hill right smack dab in the middle of the Wesleyan campus. The school’s first president is buried in it, among others. There is a lot of traffic that walks around this little plot. The kids either respect it or they get so used to it that they forget it’s there. Either way, given the location and age, it’s remarkable how undisturbed and intact it remains.
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Likewise at Williams: https://faculty.williams.edu/faculty-support-and-resources/resources-for-faculty-academic-staff/college-cemetery/
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James McGill is buried in the middle of the McGill campus at the most visible point.
And I am always surprised when someone visits a Catholic college and is surprised that it is “Catholic”.
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I would expect students at top colleges (McGill, Georgetown, HC, Williams, UNC, Wes etc etc) to respect a final resting place. Golly. The bar can’t be much lower.
Not for priests, but Dartmouth has a graveyard on one of the main thoroughfares, I think some dorms have a view of it (could be wrong on that though).
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Your post piqued my interest since my daughter’s dorm was next to the cemetery. I found this article from the student newspaper. Community members rest in peace in College cemetery – The Williams Record
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John Purdue is buried on the Memorial Mall near the center of the Purdue campus.
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Vassar has a cemetery that adjoins campus; it is directly across from Cushing Residence Hall, and visible from many dorm rooms. Most interestingly, it was the site of a 1908 suffrage meeting led by Vassar alum and suffrage hero Inez Milholland. The campus president had forbidden them to meet on campus, so they met in the graveyard - there’s a historic marker there now. 1908 "Suffrage in the Cemetery” Historic Marker Dedication
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A friend is PC faculty, and went on a tour of a different school with her niece, and as it so often happens for those of us that work in higher ed - she said it was so interesting to see the difference! The SLAC they toured was much more casual and quirky, and apparently PC tour guides have official blazers and must be dressed a specific way.
Not exactly the same but Oliver Cromwell’s head is buried in Sidney Sussex college in Cambridge.
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William and Mary has tombs under the Wren Building.
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Yes, they are all part pf the Friars Club. It’s quite an honor at PC to become a member and at least back in my day they were not paid to be tour guides, it was just considered part of being in the club. They also work at commencement, parents weekend, admitted student days etc.
I was very surprised when I started touring schools with my kids and realized being a tour guide is an on-campus job.
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Well, kids do dumb things on campuses all the time. I agree that disturbing a grave site is in very poor taste, but young, impulsive, bored and drunk people make poor decisions.
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Just curious but would you expect kids at lower ranking schools to be less respectful to a final resting place?
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No. I was responding to another poster.
I didn’t mean to insinuate anything about any other schools than those being discussed. Sorry for my poor wording.
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I went to a Catholic school with a cemetery. Prior to the winter, maintenance dug out several gravesites and covered them with tarps. This was in anticipation of a few priests dying during the cold winters. Otherwise the ground would be frozen solid until sometime in the spring.
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Maybe my first instinct was right: respect.
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Edgar Allen Poe’s grave was part of my law school. The graves were behind an iron gate and you had to go through the law school to get to them (the church was purchase by the school - a public school- and was an events center). On his birthday a mystery person would always leave a bottle of liquor (brandy?) and a rose on the headstone.
I found the cemetery beautiful and interesting.
But yes, don’t go to a Catholic school if you don’t want to see Religious (clergy, nuns, brothers) around the school. Some are assigned to the schools like BC, Georgetown, Regis, Incarnate World as profs or administrators, and many more attend classes. Summers can have more Religious than during term time. The Dominicans who taught at my daughters’ grade school all went to Franciscan in Steubensville Ohio every summer - in their full habits (they always wore their full habits, even when playing basketball).
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Yes, it was wishful thinking on my part that my son could overlook the religious aspects of Providence College—because I do think it could have been a great school for him. But it’s so important to do these tours, and ultimately let our kids decide for themselves.
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My husband’s cousin had her wedding reception there, in Westminster Hall.
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