St Olaf College - Viking Yearbook (Northfield, MN)

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-.f N. -wr' j f-if ,, If '- ' ' ' 4-f I- ':i Oh -Trl' f J Q...- -erifjk-3 il Q Aw., Qjs- lfL':f- lv!!! gp ' ,tria- ,R W --e Trix? -ffl:-A figs!!-3 -J 1 ber of sections requires additional rooms, and now, as it is, every room that can - A Eg, possibly be used for recitation work is occupied. Wlien we remember that this building was erected in 1874 and that there is absolutely no ventilation in it what- soever, except by means of open windows and doors, it is seen at once that here we have a condition of things that demands immediate attention. To remedy this condition of things, a new building is in great demand-either a science building or a building for the language and historical departments. Another need that has been felt for some years is a gymnasium. When the boys' dormitory was built, a gymnasium was provided for in the basement of one of the wings. The room served a good purpose when the number of students was smallg but the number of men who need physical training has increased very much since then, so that now the gymnasium room has become entirely inadequate and the shower and bath and locker rooms have become altogether unsanitary. At present, furthermore, the girls have no gymnasium and are therefore prevented from get- ting the benefit of this kind of work. All the colleges in Minnesota, I believe, now have well equipped gymnasium buildings. St. Olaf College stands alone with no gymnasium. Some of the colleges even refuse to send teams to compete with our men in this so-called gymnasium of ours. A new gymnasium is needed indeed. A third imperative need at St. Olaf is a building for the Department of Music. Our music department is large and thriving and is doing splendid work-a work that means much for our people and for our church. But no adequate room has been provided at St. Olaf for carrying on this work. Up to this time a number of rooms in each of the dormitories have been occupied by the music department, and the instruction in music and the instrumental and vocal practice work, is taking place here. This arrangement is, however, becoming more and more unsatisfac- tory, as there are now more than' 150 students studying music at St. Olaf. Not only would the work be less annoying if it could be carried on outside of the dor- mitories in a separate building, but it could also be done more efficiently, for a music department such as ours needs rooms which they now do not have, for in- stance, rooms for private rehearsals, recitals, etc. A 19 5 Vc...s , n,,P54 H K 2 -af X . I ,J -if-E y 'i-

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sf -Ii da' .57 :Uk Wil Nr' XJR ' nf- ,..,Q,-- .- -T:,:--N-,,- .. ,, . - .,. . V ...A.f-f' 4:7 - -s-N-Jvv Q W-.- ---M, 5.4 xl!-.img zmj ' 73 za., J 4. ff- I sl 426 ai af Q f hardly be excelled by any college in the west or middle west. The dormitories, chapel, library and central heating plant compare very favorably with buildings for these purposes found on the grounds of other institutions similar to our own. Students coming to St. Olaf College are surely provided with a beautiful home as long as they remain here. Possibly in this respect as much is done at our college as is done at any other college in the state. The need for dormitories here was felt some years ago and ample provision has been made to supply the wants of the institution in this respect. At the present time, the needs of St. Olaf are better equipments for carrying on the real work of the institution. In the buildings which are now found on the campus an attempt is being made to carry on work for which these buildings were not intended. The boys' dormitory for instance serves not only as a dormitory, but also as a gymnasium, a boarding establishment for the entire institution and a music hall. The old Main building was erected when the school was first estab- lished. The boarding department was located in the basement, a part of the first floor was occupied by the families of the faculty, the second floor was used for recitation purposes, while the third floor consisted of dormitory rooms for boys. That was in the days of small beginnings and such an arrangement was possible because the number of students was very small, and few recitation rooms were needed. This building has been somewhat remodeled since that time, and it now serves as our administration and recitation building. In it are now located the administration offices, all of our laboratories, and almost all of our recitation rooms. Although S-t. Olaf College is one of the largest colleges in these western states, it is probably as poorly equipped so far as buildings and equipment for ed- ucational work are concerned as any other college. In the two buildings mentioned above, namely, the men's dormitory and the main building, the college is trying to carry on work which many other colleges are doing in five or more buildings, and we shall briefly call attention to the three buildings which- are lacking here at St. Olaf. Manifestly, our first and greatest need is better provision for recitation work. There are now too few class rooms and most of these which we have are too small. Many are not at all suited for recitation work as they were originally not at all in- tended to serve this purpose. Our largest class room will seat comfortably no more than 40 or 45 students, yet there are many classes in which the enrollment passes the 60 and 70 mark. A class in one of the languages recited all last year with an attendance of over 100. One of our scientific departments is located in a room about the size of an ordinary class room. The entire equipment of this de- partment is found in this room. There are enrolled in one of the classes in this department over 70 students, and these are expected to do efficient laboratory work here where there is hardly room for the class to be properly seated. It is impossi- ble to divide these large classes into sections because obviously an increased num- 18

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