Southwestern Louisiana Institute - Lacadien Yearbook (Lafayette, LA)

Page 8 text:

1904 — The Interscholastic Athletic and Oratorical Associ- ation was organized, and held its first contest on the cam- pus in 1906. The events were primarily track events. 1905 — Added faculty in Latin, Art, Geography, Drawing and Telegraphy. Graduated 62 students. 1907 — Requirements for admission raised to 8th grade level. Enrollment was up to 265. Completed second resi- dence hall which was later named De Clouet. 1908 — Began participating with area schools in football events. 1911-1912 — The first student annual, L ' Acadien, was published. Track team organized. 1914-1915 — Organized baseball team. Built Brown Ayres, the Arts Building, which cost $14,593. The building was destroyed by fire in 1972. TRANSITIONAL YEARS 1916-1917 — The school ' s curricula con- sisted of: four two-year teacher training courses; a four-year academic industrial course; a one-year commercial course, and stenographic course. Enrollment was 322, with 24 faculty members. Operational budget $45,000. The total cost for room, board, laundry, medical .services, books and supplies, lab fees and matriculation was $160 per session.

Page 7 text:

1898 — Southwestern Louisiana Industrial Institute was established by Act 162 of the Louisiana Legislature. The bill ' s author, Robert Martin, was a State Senator, whose intention was to provide Southwest Louisiana with a vocational educa- tional institute similar to one that had been provided in 1894 for North Louisiana in Ruston. 1900 — At the first Board of Trustees meeting. Dr. Edwin L. Stephens was elected president. Lafayette was chosen as the site, partly due to a donation of land for the school by Mrs. Maxim Girard and her son. Crow Girard, Pres. of the Bank of Lafayette. Also included was a donation of $8,000. 1901 — Mai Building was dedicated and later it was renamed Martin Hall in the 1920 ' s in honor of the Senator. September: School opened with its first enrollment of 145; 95 boys, 50 girls. Admission required candidates to be over 14 years of age and able to do 7th grade work. Salaries of first teachers: $1,000 for men and $600 for women. Curricula: English, French, Mathematics, Science, Music, Drawing, Gymnastics, Manual Training, Domestic Economy, Bookkeeping and Ste- nography. The library occupied one room in the Main Build- ing, and contained 675 volumes. Constructed first residence hall, which was later named Foster. 1903-1904 — Graduated first class of 10. President ' s residence erected. Students organized and published a newspaper. The Vermillion. The Southwest Alumni Association formed and is still active today.

Page 9 text:

1917-1918 — Southwestern became a junior col- lege, providing the last year of high school and the first two years of college. Teacher training summer sessions attracted 313 students. 1919 — Acquired a 125-acre farm and barn for agriculture instruction; gymnasium was converted to dining hall by student labor. 1920-1921 — The Constitutional Convention of 1921 designated Southwestern one of the institu- tions of- higher learning in Louisiana. Southwest- ern was composed of four separate colleges, each having its dean and faculty. Each college offered degrees in areas of Liberal Arts, Education, Agri- culture, and Engineering. High school courses were phased out. -A Lo«d of ln«fit-utc H»q Q Name changed to Southwestern Louisiana Institute of Liberal and Technical Learning, to reflect new status. Enrollment was 280. and granted first Bachelors ' degrees to 86 candi- dates. 1921 — Twentieth Anniversary was marked by the renaming of buildings in honor of the school ' s supporters: Main Building became Martin Hall; the oldest dorm, Foster Hall after a former Louisiana governor; the newer dorm, DeClouet Hall, honoring a member of the legis- lature who helped obtain funds; and Brown Ayres Hall after one of the original Board of Trustees members. 1922-1923 — Girard Hall completed. Total costs per session were $265.40. 1923 — Library, containing 5,800 volumes, moved to Girard Hall which was also used for classrooms. Main campus consisted of 50 acres, and a college farm of 125 acres. There were five permanent brick buildings and eight frame structures. The catalog added the following courses: Art. Biology. Chem- istry. Commerce. Business Administration. Eco- nomics, Sociology. History. Foreign Languages, Political Science, Physics, Mathematics, Public Speaking. Physical Education. Music, and Veteran Rehabilitation. The only purely administrative offices were the Registrar, Business Manager, and Superintendent of Grounds and Buildings.