Hey everyone, John Heilman here, and if any of you knew me at all, you'd know how much I love my time of college.

I went to Northwestern University. It was a great place, and it's kind of like my idealized conception of what college should be.

You know, you've got the ivy-covered walls. You've got these professors

wandering around their Tweed jackets with the little sway patches on the elbows. Everybody

talking constantly, no matter what major you were, talking constantly about history. You know,

the history of your institution, the history of America, the history of whatever area of study you happen to be engaged in from the sciences to the social sciences, the

humanities, history, history, history. College is a place that kind of embodies a respect for

history. But sometimes college has been a place where history is deliberately hidden. And that's part of why I'm so psyched to be here

to share a preview of a new Odyssey original podcast called Campus Files. Each week on Campus Files,

you can listen in for an exploration of the archives to reveal the complicated and often overlooked reality of life across American

higher education, the colleges and universities that make up our academy. From admissions to sports

to Greek life, each episode of Campus Files tells the origin story of a scandal that's

ingrained in a given institution's legacy.

These are the stories that you won't hear on your typical campus tours.

So enjoy this preview and be sure to check out campus files wherever you get your podcasts.

I draw the line in the dust and toss the gauntlet before the feet of tyranny, and I say segregation now, segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever.

The University of Alabama is the site of one of the most famous moments in the history of the civil rights era.

In 1963, Alabama Governor George Wallace defiantly stood in the doorway of the University Auditorium.

He was symbolically trying to block black students from desegregating the university.

As governor and chief magistrate of the state of Alabama, I deem it to be my solemn obligation and duty to stand before you,

representing the rights and sovereignty of this state and its people.

Despite George Wallace's attempts, the black students ultimately enrolled and made history.

...