Miami University - Recensio Yearbook (Oxford, OH)

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TEN DOLLARS PER SESSION - In 1903, President Benton orga- building tit is known to present nlzed 3 P019 RUSh to replace Its Miamians as Elliott HalD. The cost more dangerous predecessor, the . . . Tower Rush. The date of thls of constructmg thlS dormitory was event coincided with the Wom- en'sMay Pole Dance $7,000. Since the rooms were heated by wood-burning stoves, the students were faced with the problem of acquiring fuel. Because the dorm faced into the forest, the men could gather logs if time per- The style was different than to- mitted. Some of the wealthier stu- day, but the mood was the same: dents bought wood in the Village. a typlcal dormltory room In 1907 ' Kindling was often obtained by was informally decorated. . chipping away the woodwork of the building. A twin dormitory, Southeast Hall, was built in 1835 for $9,500. This dorm is now known as Stoddard Hall. For junior and senior men, Southeast provided the lux- ury of private rooms, whereas Northeast Hall necessitated the housing of two or three men per room. Furniture costs for a single room usually averaged near $3.50. For this price, the student could obtain two Chairs, a table, a bed, a washstand and a quilt. The first Miami students were called to a study period at 5:00 am. Except for meals and two exercise Dorm life at Old Miami bore lit- tle resemblance to present resi- dence living. After many problems were finally resolved, the first clas- ses at Miami University met in November of 1824. There were two sessions in the academic year, with a total expense of $93. The fees in- cluded $10 per session for tuition, $1 per week for board and $5 ses- sional fee for servant's hire. The rooms were let to the students at no extra expense, but all the fur- nishings were provided by the students. In 1829, another building sepa- rate from Old Main was built. Offi- cially named Washington and Clin- ton Hall, the dormitory was more commonly known as the N ortheast

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APPROACH national trend. In 1920, President Hughes appointed Percy MacKaye as working poet to be supported entirely by the university. The position had no obligations or teaching duties; its sole purpose was to support the creation of art. Alfred Upham became president in 1929, bringing with him the desire to keep Miami unified and personal. He established the adviser system to give students a personal relationship with the faculty. Separate schools were created for Fine Arts and Business Administration in order to keep their organization small and personal. During World War 11, Miami prepared enlisted personnel by providing. programs in radio training and flight training. War emergency courses, including map-reading and first aid, were offered to all students. In the summer of 1953, Miami University Abroad scheduled its first European tour, a season of travel and study which could be used for credit. The idea caught on, and in 1968 Miami opened its branch in Luxembourg. President Millett felt the need to insure all Miami's students a broad base of knowledge. In 1953, he established the Common Curriculum, Which laid down With the turn of the century Miami became CO-educational. Here, two of the original coeds study for an exam. Miami used to have a 27 member board of trustees which controlled the school's affairs. Between 1965 and 1968 state laws gradually re- duced the number of members to nine. general requirements for all divisions to keep students from specializing too narrowly. Later, the CC was modified to become the University Requirement. The most welcome change in requirements in Miami's history was the removal of the phys-ed requirement in 1969. Surprisingly, the result was an increase in this department's enrollment. To keep from losing students, the department had added new courses in bicycling, hiking, and self-defense. The university soon had to place a limit on phys-ed credits. In the last 20 years, Miami has experimented with new teaching methods, has developed the innovative Graduate and Undergraduate Fellowship Programs, has experimented with trimester and quarter calendars, and has set up the interdisciplinary Western Program. Last year Miami was accredited full status as a mature university, responsible only to itself in insuring the quality of the university program, - Janice Gott

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periods, the men continued their studies through the day until even- ing prayers. Classes were sum- moned by trumpet, since a bell was thought to be an extravagance at this early stage in Miami's histo- ry. Meals could either be bought at the University Inn -- a dining room within Southeast Hall - or the students could buy food and prepare it in their rooms. Some- times the men bought supplies col- lectively; corn meal and potatoes could be had for 12V2QE per bushel, and meat was priced at 11kg: per pound. Rules for living became much stricter during the 1840's. George Junkin, an unpopular president at this time, initiated several regula- tions for the Miami men: written evidence of good moral character was made mandatory at the time of application; a pledge to obey all the rules of the university was taken by all enrolled students; the faculty designated the amount of time to be spent in study and reci- tation; all students were forbidden to attend any ball, dancing school, theatrical exhibition, or horse race. The 1850's saw a relaxation of these regulations, and as a result, the students became more careless with their living areas. The condi- tion of the rooms became so bad that a dorm ledger was kept, de- The May Pole Dance was a tradi- tionally festive event held in front of Hepburn Hall. The program was discontinued in the late 1930's. scribing the initial appearance of the room. Rent for the rooms was charged - $5 a semester. In Old Main, one student was given free room in exchange for ringing the newly acquired college bell. Besides serving as sleeping quar- ters, the dormitory rooms were used as meeting places for campus organizations - including early Greek societies. Several fraternities were founded in dorm rooms, and then met regularly to discuss plans. In addition, the powerful literary societies of Old Miami often used dorm rooms for impromptu gather- ings. Dorm life expanded beyond the limits of prayer meetings and Sun- day worship to include new ac- tivities. As the age of Old Miami came to a close, team sports such as cricket and baseball broadened the social atmosphere of dorm life, and served as a prophesy 0f resi- dential life of the New Miami to- day. - Brad McConnell At the turn of the century, Miami men relaxed by playing cards be- tween study periods. On the roof of a home on Spring Street, two co-eds frolicked in the first snow of 1922.