Columbia University - Columbian Yearbook (New York, NY)

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THE COLLEGE YEAR BY BERTON J. DELMHoRsT I-IORTLY after the 1928 Varsity Show had turned its back on the grand ballroom of the Waldorf, Kings Crown broke all precedent and awarded over four hundred King's Crowns, together with recognition certificates, to men who had earned them from 1875 to 1917. Although Kings Crown was reorganized in 1913, the present custom of giving gold and silver crowns for non-athletic Work was not inaugurated until 1917. Many prominent Alumni were included in the list of those who received the awards. President Nicholas Murray Butler '82 received recognition of his work during his undergraduate days on the staffs of Acta Columbiana and Columbian, while Secretary Frank D. Fackenthal '06 was similarly honored for his efforts with Varsity Show, Spectator and various musical clubs. Others included in the list were Marcellus Hartley Dodge '03, .lose Capablanca '10, John Erskine '00, William P. S. Earle '04, Father Frederick Sill '94 and V. K. Wellington Koo '08, The usual plans for the Class of 1928 Senior Banquet were made, and the project received columns and columns of space on the front pages of Spectator. After several postponements, the idea was quietly dropped, and 1928 graduated without a Class Day, a Senior Banquet or a Senior Prom. ln the middle of March definite signs of Spring could readily be seen. Out- door baseball practice was started, first on South Field and later on the Baker Field diamond: the crew moved into its training quarters at the Manor House, although the new Eastchester Bay course was to be used for practice: led by Stu- dent Board, the distinctive Columbia College jacket made its first appearance and was taken up with considerable fervor. Jester held its elections, with Robert E. Farlow '29 and Bryan Lawrence '30 heading the new staff, and the improvement which was noticed in the suc- ceeding issues of the comic resulted in a peace pact between Spectator and the Laughing Lion. After the mediocre showing of the football and basketball games, the Campus was able to rejoice with the simultaneous victories of the fencing and rifle teams. The riflemen won the Eastern States Championship at Boston while the fencers came out first at the Annapolis tourney. The swimming champion- ships were held at Philadelphia at the same time, but Columbia was forced to content itself with third place. Spectator experimented in the literary supplement field with a separate Literary Review, but after several issues which appeared at fortnightly intervals the idea was dropped. Throughout the Spring the daily had been pursuing its campaign for a stadium. Countless editorials discussed all aspects of the situa- tion, While front page space was given to letters of commendation from Campus leaders and prominent Alumni. At the end of March Spectator startled its readers by the flashing headline. Stadium Given to Grateful Undergraduates by Lenient Trustees in Generous Gesture , but it was soon discovered that the newspaper was only playing its annual April Fool joke several days ahead of time. Because the issue was dated April 1, 1978 and came out on March 29th, l23l .L 4'L9JmC?s-C ag

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in THE COLLEGE mg

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.P H I2 ,QAQJWSQ3 g T Ag circulation managers had difficulties with advertisers, and the New York Public Library is still asking embarassing questions. Just before the Easter recess Spectator announced its elections, Berton J. Delmhorst '29 and lan F. Fraser '29 were to head the daily's staff, and the old managing board received the customary black border on the masthead. Commander Byrd and Sir Grenfell fuliilled speaking engagements in the McMi1lin Theatre under the auspices of the Institute of Arts and Sciences: Dean Russell was installed at Teachers College to succeed his fatherg the dormitory plans were shifted so that the law students were placed in Furnald where they could discuss torts by themselves: St. Stephen's College at Annandale-on- Hudson was added to the University as the third undergraduate unit on a parity with Columbia and Barnard College, and the time passed all too swiftly. Toward the end of April two big changes provided ample material for midnight bull sessions. Changes in the College Curriculum, described as the most radical changes in twenty years , were adopted unanimously by the Faculty. Contemporary Civilization was to be made into a two-year course and prescribed for all Freshmen and Sophomores, achievement tests were to be administered by the Faculty Committee, and the course in General Honors was to be dropped. Other innovations called for the installation of lecture courses, requiring attendance but no prerequisite or examination, but carrying credit for the degree in the same manner as laboratory work: installation of Junior and Senior read- ing courses to be conducted jointly by two or more instructors of different but allied departments, and a new type of Departmental Honors to be awarded jointly by the Committee on Instruction and the various departments. Finally the hopes of many undergraduates and Alumni were realized when on April 27th plans were released whereby the wooden stands at Baker Field would be enlarged to accommodate forty thousand persons. Spectator went completely crazy over the success of its campaign, and celebrated with a front page editorial, congratulatory messages from other college publications and let- ters from University officers and prominent undergraduates. The Spring elections to Student Board, the King's Crown Board of Gov- ernors, the Athletic Association Committee and the various class ofiices brought forth an exceedingly large number of nominations. Student Board decided to allow students to vote upon presentation of the Bursar's receipt instead of the former system of class dues card, and a record number of votes was recorded in the three-day poll. Along in the middle of May the Department of Buildings and Grounds decided that the stands on South Field needed some attention after the Syracuse football rally of the previous Fall. The result was that the West stand was demolished entirely and the lumber was used to patch up the South stand so that it could be used. Spectator continued to print its series of articles on professional guidance, the annual Pulitzer awards were announced, Varsity elected its new staff, the Freshman and Sophomore Classes gave dances in John Jay, and Commencement plans were formulated. After losing to Yale at Philadelphia, the Varsity crew, winners at Poughkeepsie the previous Spring, succeeded in capturing the historic Childs Cup in the regatta at Lake Carnegie. A Thirty-two King's Crowns were awarded in the end of May, while the Columbia and Syracuse crews became lost in the fog of Eastchester Bay. Presi- dent Butler recovered from an illness that very nearly proved fatal just in time f24l