University of Virginia - Corks and Curls Yearbook (Charlottesville, VA)

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CORKS AND CLIB..S OF NINETEEN HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FOUR players should be genuine students and should receive no money for their eHorts. Some suggestions for athletic scholarships were made but were immediately rejected by the faculty. A year later, the foundation of a physical education department was suggested with the idea that gymnastic work be required for a degree. The faculty lost no time in condemning this movement as repugnant to the spirit of the elective system as recognized at the University. Later, they changed their minds, and such a de- partment was founded with the suggested requirements. This idea became so firmly entrenched that subsequently the names of over fifteen hundred students on a petition for its discontinuance were not able to bring about any change. Extra-curricular activities showed the same trend toward organization and ex- pansion during that period. CORKS AND CURLS, the University yearbook, which owed its origin to the social fraternities and whose business has remained in their hands up to the present day, made its first appearance in 1887. It was followed in the next year by College Topics, a student newspaper, still in existence. This publica- tion was shortly taken over by the G. A. A. and, in spite of frequent attempts to gain freedom, has been its unofiicial organ ever since. Student organizations came in vogue in the late eighties with the formation of Eli Banana, a society which gained great power and led all forms of student activities for a number of years. T. I. L. K. A. and Zeta soon followed and reached an ascendancy when Eli was disbanded by the faculty for repeated misdemeanors, most of them having to do with much wine and some song. All of these societies were supposed to include the most outstanding students in the University, but there were and are many criticisms directed at them for basing their selections more on qstylishness than any real ability. In 1894, a new development in the Honor System arose which directed it along the course it has followed up to the present. At that time, the question came up as to whether or not the system should apply to student conduct other than that during examinations.- Apparently, the point was immediately decided in favor of all conduct, for the next year, we find College Topics expressing extreme indignation over the fact that a student who had been caught cheating had had the effrontery to remain at the University over twenty-four hours. By that time, the Honor System had gained in strength and was entirely in the hands of the student body. It was in 1862 that a question was raised before the faculty which was to be fought over for the next thirty years. Before this time, the Univearsity had been solely a mans school with no one considering the possibility that a member of the other sex might have the desire, least of all the eHrontery, to request admittance. I211

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CORKS AND CLIFLS OF NINETEEN HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FOUR was authorized. The authorization of new degrees indicates that the faculty had at last realized that Jefferson's idea of a purely graduate school could never be fulfilled, mainly because of a lack of funds and a subsequent dependence on the legislature. In 187 5, however, entrance requirements and examinations became authorized, apparently in an attempt to keep the standards of the University from being lowered too greatly. The reiistablishment of student activities was not slow in starting and by 1867 we find the JeHerson and Washington Societies reviving the literary magazine. Sadly enough, the attitude of the students in those days was not very diHerent from that which is held to-day: The project could gain almost no subscribers and never became self-supporting. The first sport to become popular was baseball, which was played among the students as early as 1865. The sport was on a purely intramural basis until 1871, when one of the local clubs journeyed to Washington and Lee and won the first contest ever played between the two schools. Virginia continued winning until 1878, when they were defeated by an overwhelming score. This last, it is said, was the first game in which the Virginians had ever seen a curve ball, let alone tried to hit one. By 1891 a real Virginia team had been formed and was playing with no small degree of success against teams from all over the East. The Cavaliers enjoyed a national reputation for their victories for some years. In 1876, the Rives Boat Club was formed. This organization paid its expenses from its own pocket and from contributions by students and had considerable success in competition with other schools. Interest soon waned, however, and Virginia has had no crew since. Football was played among the students as early as 1870 but it was not until nineteen years later that we find a game played by a recognized Virginia team against another school. The game was with Johns Hopkins and the Virginia team won by the overwhelming score of 78-0. In 1894., the Virginians were playing teams from many other schools and ended the season with 414 points to their opponents 30. All athletics before 1881 were disorganized and without any oHicial sanction from the University. In that year, however, an athletic association was formed among the students which functioned, if poorly, until 1892, when the General Athletic Association was started. This organization claimed football, baseball, track, and tennis as its own and took new sports under its wing as they became popular. By 1901, athleticshad become so well recognized at the University that a field and grandstand were constructed and were named for Dr. William A. Lambeth, who had done much for the furtherance of college sports. It was about this same time that the G. A. A. first recognized the evils of professionalism and insisted that all I201

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CORKS l- ND CLIFLS OF NINETEEPQ HUPQDREEDPWQD THIRTY-FOUR Nevertheless, a young woman made application to the faculty for permission to take a course of study and attempt examinations in some schools. At that time, the faculty met and passed a regulation to the effect that women could take examinations in the various courses and some private instructions, but would not be allowed to attend classes. N 0 degree was given to a woman but she was allowed to receive certificates of proficiency in individual courses. In the next year, however, the faculty began to worry about the matter and finally passed a new regulation restricting admission entirely to males. They gave as a reason for their action the fear that women, if admitted, would be certain to grow boisterous, familiar, and bold in manners, and perhaps even rudely aggressive. Nothing daunted, the women carried the battle to the legislature and after a long siege in which they demanded a co-educational or at the least a co-ordinate system at the University, they succeeded in gaining admission in 1920. At the present time, there are over one hundred of these co-eds at the University and opinions vary as to whether or not the prophecy of the faculty has been fulfilled. In the past few years, with the advent of younger and more attractive co-eds, student objections have become less and less audible. In 1895, a catastrophe occurred, which, like so many catastrophes, was destined to be a great influence for the Universityls progress. Early one Sunday morning a thin wreath of smoke was observed to come from the Rotunda and, upon examination, it was found that a serious Fire had started. Although nothing could be done to stop the conllagration, students and professors laid to with a will and began to carry out the books, statues, and other valuables. Many of the important and priceless articles were saved, but the entire building was burned down and with it were destroyed innumerable books, periodicals, and journals which were irreplaceable. Again it was the faculty who stepped into the breach and made what might have been a serious detriment, a chance for expansion. Stanford White, a noted architect from New York, was engaged, and he submitted a plan for reconstruction which included not only the re-building of the Rotunda-fortunately without the abortive Northern Annex which had been erected in 1853-but the adding of three new buildings which are now Cabell Hall, the Physical Laboratory, and the Mechanical Laboratory. These plans were approved and the buildings were completed by 1899 at a cost of approximately four hundred thousand dollars. The construction of new buildings gave a decided impetus to registration which jumped from 504 in 1896 to 613 in 1903. During all of the first seventy-nine years of the University's history, the authority of administration remained in the hands of the faculty, subject of course, to the I221