Emerson College - Emersonian Yearbook (Boston, MA)

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Monster Dash 27 K

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c t o b e r O c t o b e r O c t o b e r O c t o b e r O c t o b r O c t o b e r O c t o Union Day Union Day is a fun-filled, jam- packed event which occurs once each semester. It ' s de- signed to heighten students ' awareness about their Union. Games, contests and displays get students involved with the goings on. Union Director Sue Locklin originated this festivity this year in an effort to spread a greater sense that the Union is indeed a place for the students. Union Day I was held on October 22 and Union Day II on March 18. With the recent additions of the College Store and the Un- kommon Bostonian, more and more Emersonians are discover- ing the various functions of the Union. In a recent Berkeley Beacon poll, 9 out of 10 Emersonians chose our union over unions that don ' t chew gum. Honestly! Monster Dash The Monster Dash is an annual short distance race to benefit the United Way. On October 27, entrants sponsored by friends and local businesses dressed up in funky Halloween costumes and com- peted not only for first place fin- ish, but for best costume(s) of the year, in the different categories. Many Emersonians ran in the 1985 race, but the closest we came to a victory was the first place finish by Bridget Stafford, mother of SGA President Robert Stafford. For the second year in a row, the First Mother turned in the best time for her age group. Last year ' s race was spon- sored by V-66. 26 Union Day

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For Emerson, New Move Is Old Hat BY JOHN NICHOLSON Emerson College ' s anticipated move to Lawrence before the turn of the century, 1989, won ' t be the first relocation in the institution ' s history as a similar plan was carried out by other school administrators just six years af- ter it was established. The school, which was designed to teach the essentials of public reading and speaking was originally called the Boston Conservatory of Elocution and Dramatic Art. It was founded by Charles Wesley Emerson in 1880. Emer- son, a man of some wealth, decided to institute a college based on the things in life he found to be important, such as the power of thought and faith in the infinite possibilities of hu- man soul. The college ' s first home was on Bea- con Hill, on the Pemberton Square area where the Suffolk County Court is now. The building was as simple as Emerson ' s founding ideology. It attracted dedi- cated faculty as well as students, all women at the time. Courses covered such topics as articulation, Bible and Hymm reading, gesture, drama and defects os speech. Classes were origi- nally taught by six teachers including Emerson himself. The two-year pro- gram consisted of 18 subjects. Upon completion, a diploma was awarded. Tuition was $100.00 per year, with room and board between $2.50-7 a week. A total of 62 students were enrolled. Unique School On The Move The college is a unique school for it has been involved in a series of reloca- tions throughout its existence. Its cam- pus was moved for the first time in 1886. The new site was Wesleyan Hall, 36 Bromfield Street, which still stands today. The Bromfield Street campus was larger, with adjoining rooms, which offered greater classroom space. The larger campus and greater dimensions provoked Emerson to take on addi- tional faculty. Ninety-seven students were enrolled at the time of this move. Along with a new location came a new name. As of September 1886, the Boston Conservatory of Elocution and Dramatic Art became known as the Emerson College of Oratory. As stated in A Century of Eloquence, a book de- tailing the first 100 years of Emerson College ' s history written by Associate Professor of History Rev. John Coffee, under the public Statutes 1882, Chap- Emerson College’s original location in Boston’s Pemberton Square. ter 115, the name change was For the purposes of giving a general edu- cation to both sexes such as is ob- tained in colleges with special refer- ence to the perfection in oratory . . . with the powers, rights and priveleges . . . which by law apper tain thereto. The foundations of greatness were set. In 1901, Dean of the college, Henry Lawrence Southwick, who was named president of the school when Emerson retired moved the college to a new location in Boston. The school ' s previ- ous location had been the Odd Fel- low ' s Building in the South End, where it had been since 1881 . The new campus was Chickering Hall, located about eight minutes from Copley Square, near the Christian Science Mother Church. A high crime rate in the area was one of the reasons for the institution ' s relocation. Southwick claimed the move was In the best interest of the students, adding the college in gen- eral was in favor of the change. In A Century of Eloquence, Southwick said the institution at that time was in, An undesirable quarter of Boston. He added even though the school ' s loca- tion (South End) was held dear by the students, a new and more desirable campus was needed. Chickering Hall was rented by the college as were its previous locations. Emerson occupied the first two floors. The second floor housed nine class- rooms, two of them lecture halls. On the first floor were a spacious hall, a library and administrative offices. Chickering Hall illustrated a sence of elegance, giving the new location a regal look. Unfortunately, the elegance of Chickering Hall was short lived. The high rent, coupled with Southwick ' s ambitious and expensive plans for the Institution caused Emerson to relo- cate 10 years later. The reasons for the move in 1901 were basically financial. The school had raised the standards for admission, therefore, many prospective students sought their education elsewhere. At this time, the school was also prohibit- ed by law from granting degrees. Graduates were not getting jobs. There was no cash flow. The rent at Chickering Hall was $3,000 more than the institution had been paying at the Odd Fellow ' s Building. A new home was greatly needed and the plush walls of Chickering Hall were left behind. When Emerson was forced to move from Chickering Hall in 1911, adminis- trators were forced to find a new loca- tion as well. This time the school was tie ! Ml (. ncl . line Chickering Hall near the Christian Science Mother Church. 28 On The Move