Northeastern University - Cauldron Yearbook (Boston, MA)

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Charles W. Havice The Students celebrated the grant- ing of degree powers with a Degree Jubilee. This was one of the efforts of Professor Joseph Spear, the prime mover in the establishment of a regu- lar program of student activities for Northeastern College. In his position as the head of the Department of Stu- dent Activities between 1921 and 1926, Spear was responsible for the establishment of Field Day, a long- standing tradition; and for the direc- tion of the musical activities of the school, including a band and an orchestra. In 1921, the Department of Student Activities was officially established, including the following divisions: publications, athletics, and miscella- neous. Under Spear ' s administration, the activities were funded through a $10 Student Activities Fee which was later increased with student approval to $15. The publications division included the newspaper, the yearbook, and the newly devised student handbook. The newspaper, established in 1916 and called The Co-op, published slug- gishly until Spear took over and changed its name to The Northeastern Tech, after which its circulation in- creased from 600 to 1800. The Cauld- ron, which made its initial appearance in 1917 with pictures of 20 seniors and 19 faculty, was re-established in 1921 and has been published annually since then. The Student Handbook, called the Freshman Bible, was pub- lished by the students at this time. Later the task of compiling a guide for freshmen was taken over by the Dean of Students Office. Under the Activities Department, athletics were established on a univer- sity level in 1924, with letter awards and eligibility requirements. Track competition had begun in 1919, fol- lowed the next year by established baseball and basketball teams. Teams in wrestling and swimming estab- lished during the 20 ' s died out and were later resurrected . In 1922 soccer was started as a minor sport, the team winning its first game against MIT. Through the ef- forts of George Frost ' 24, captain of the first soccer team, the sport was made a major facet of the athletic pro- gram until 1933 when football was initiated at the university. The Miscellaneous Activities in- cluded mass meetings. Field Day, the Rush, Student Council, and other minor activities. Initiated in 1910, Field Day was developed to major proportions by Spear in 1920, and continued on into the late 30 ' s. It was essentially a family picnic, so when the university grew too large the event became unfeasible. But for the many years it survived. Field Day was held at the Riverside Recreation Grounds, in Weston, and was attended by stu- dents and faculty. The day featured Joseph Spear sporting events, races, eating and dancing. The loss of events such as Field Day is perhaps among the more expensive costs of becoming a larger university. In those days there was a real feeling between faculty and stu- dents that sharing in Northeastern made them all one family. It is this warm and personal touch which is most clearly absent from the universi- ty today. The Freshman-Sophomore Rush was started in 1919 by the Class of 1922. It continued until 1932 when the Student Council abandoned it as having outlived its usefulness. That it was ever useful is question- able, nevertheless, the Rush was one of the non-academic highpoints each year. I ME, ? - ' — ' - ffmm Huntington Building — by the ' 20 ' s, entire top floor was used for classrooms.

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Electronic Measure Lab — c. 1927. The School of Liberal Arts, its es- tablishment being announced in the 1916 Trustees staten ent, opened in September of that year. The purpose of the school was to offer the advan- tages of a bachelor ' s degree in a re- duced number of years. Requir ing Your good deed for today that refreshes No matter how busy you are — bow bard you work or play — don ' t forget you owe your- self that refresbing pause with Coca-Cola. You can always find a minute, here and -E.ISTC?! ! -.— r. there, and you don ' t have to look far or lonct Kice-«-- Fomou. wait loiis for Coca-Cola. A pure drink of chnmp-.ona -.- CocH-cain nstural flavors — always ready for you — I ' ll p. m-tTs-T -rr ice-cold — around the corner from any- o coa.1 NBC NMwork wbcrc. AloD vlth miUious of people every day, you ' ll find in Coca-Cola ' s wholesome refreshment a delightful way to well-being. only two years of study to obtain a certificate of advanced standing quali- fying the student for day study at a regular liberal arts school, the plan allowed the student to work during the day while studying at night at Northeastern. Non-paying day stud- ies at liberal arts college would then only require two years from a person ' s productive life instead of four. At this stage, the co-op plan operat- ed in bi-weekly segments, with A students working two weeks while B students studied, the roles being reversed the following two weeks. The school year went from the second week in September to the second week in June. The wages detailed in the 1916 Catalog of the Co-operative Engineer- ing School ranged from $5 per week for first year students, to $10 per week for seniors. In March, 1920, Northeastern Col- lege, consisting mainly of the Co-op- erative Engineering School, was em- powered by the Massachusetts Gener- al Court to grant bachelors degrees in civil, mechanical, chemical, and elec- trical engineering. A fifth degree in administrative engineering was added in 1921, and its name was changed to industrial engineering in 1928.

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The Lobby in the YMC A — not exactly the student lounge, is it ? On the day designated Rush Day, Division A freshmen and sophomores met in combat in the Fenway; Divi- sion B, being in school in the winter months, had to hold a more sedate Rush Day in the YMCA gym. In the Fenway debacle the activity always climaxed by a Pole Rush, with one class gathered around a twelve-foot greased pole on top of which flew class colors, while the oth- er class stormed the phalanx of stu- dents in an attempt to reach the top of the pole and seize the colors. The other main event of Rush Day was the tug-of-war with each class on either side of the Muddy River. Today the losing side would probably be instant- ly dissolved with the pollution level being what it is. The increasing size of both classes involved, and the increasing number of abrasions, contusions and other mishaps, and the increasing tendency of both classes to relieve at least a few of their opponents of their clothing in the Pole Rush led to the prohibitive action by the Student Council. In 1921, the Senate was created by Professor Spear and Philip Nash as an honor society for engineers. The Sen- The Pole Rush - October, 1931. ate later was accepted as a chapter of Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honor society. Later, other chapters were added: Eta Kappa Nu, for electri- cal engineers; and Pi Tau Sigma, for mechanical engineers . Two fraternities were founded in 1919, Alpha Kappa Sigma and Beta Gamma Epsilon. These were aug- mented in 1921 by Nu Epsilon Zeta, Sigma Kappa Psi, and Eta Tau Nu (now defunct). At this point Spear began to encourage an interfraternity council to promote coordinated efforts between the groups. By 1925, the Music Division in- cluded a Band, Concert Orchestra, Glee Club, Banjo Club, Dance Orches- tra, and Dramatic Club. Spear himself was involved in the direction of and procurement of instruments for the musical organizations.