University of Georgia - Pandora Yearbook (Athens, GA)

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1 In The Name Of Academia We Strive Saidee Hodgson and Robert Schnautz collapse in exhaustion after participating in a psychology ex- periment in which they remained awake for one hundred hours. (RIGHT. Photo courtesy of Special Collections Division, the University of Georgia Li- braries.) Hugh Dorsey, who became a Georgia governor, studies in his boardinghouse retreat while being photographed by his roommate, Telamon Cuyler Smith. (BELOW. Photo Courtesy of Special Collec- tions Division, the University of Georgia Librar- ies.) he University of Georgia held its first classes in 1801 under the presidency and instruction of Josiah Meigs. The original four year play was based on a curriculum that focused on Latin, Greek, mathematics, logic, and philosophy. No student was admitted unless he could read and translate Cicero and Virgil, as well as the Greek Testament. He had to be able to write true Latin prose, know the rules of vulgar arithmetic, and produce satisfactory evidence of a blameless life. He also had to have some suffi- cient person give bond of payment of the quar- ter ' s bills to the president or the board of trustees. Yet, the first University class contained thirty men. Four years later, the first commencement took place. The ten men being graduated were protected from Indians on the way to the exercises by a sheriff brandishing a sword. What began as a practical necessity has continued as a traditional ritual of graduation. Initially, a student could be admitted at the age of thirteen, and within five years of opening, UGA ' s student body had grown to seventy. Along with more students came the need for more books. Throughout the 1820s the number of books pub- lished increased, and at the same time their prices fell. This enabled UGA to purchase more volumes. These publications along with the personal library donated by George Gilmer combined to give UGA 13,000 volumes by 1860. Originally, no library existed. However, library expenses were paid through charging students a small fee when bor- rowing books. During the early years, only juniors and seniors were allowed to check out books from the library, and then only three at a time. Originally, more science than theology oriented, the University remained without a chapel until 1807 when Hope Hull, a Methodist preacher and trustee, showed enough concern to raise money for « M 26 Bic. — Campus Life

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' ■Hsr. ' OBpiisl C ' ■ ' ill The female pioneers at the University entered both to get an education and to pave the way for others. In 1914 Mary Lyndon had the distinction of being the first woman to receive her Master ' s Degree from the University, and Cussie Brooks and Edith House became the first women to gra- duate from Georgia ' s Law School in 1925. Another milestone in the women ' s movement on campus was the admission of Charlayne Hunt- er. On January 9, 1961 she and Hamilton Holmes became the first black students to enter the Uni- versity of Georgia. Her arrival and integration into the University was for the most part peaceful. An ugly riot on January 11 temporarily married the peace, but Hunter remained in school and graduat- ed two years later. She currently holds a position as reporter for the MacNeil-Lehrer Report broadcast- ed on PBS. The arrival of women at the University ' s campus caused somewhat of an uproar initially. However, their presence was soon accepted and quickly ap- preciated by the male population. Today women constitute a larger percentage of the student population than men, and they add a great 1 ' i 1 deal of leadership and life to the present I University. ' ' ' Cbjrhyne Hunler-Galt shows her joy of gradu- ating from the university as the first black female !.tudent. (BELOW. Photo courtesy of Special Col- lections Division, the University of Georgia Librar- ies.) Enjoying a night out with her friends is Ellen Austin Sawyer (right), a descendant of the Univer- sity ' s first president, Josiah Meigs. (LEFT. Photo courtesy of Special Collections Division, the Uni- versity of Georgia Libraries.) The Baum Festival in the late 1920 ' s provided an extra-curricular activity for women who enjoyed acting. (BELOW. Photo courtesy of Special Collec- tions Division, the University of Georgia Librar- ies.) t Bic. — Campus Life 25

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. -,i 1,1 gilt 1 . .,-, »a( H ' , .■.rlvju ' i ' ' Students mill about the chapel in 1893 after a compulsory service. Most of the fistfights on cam- pus erupted after such meetings. (LEFT. Photo courtesy of the University of Georgia Department of Public Relations.) Law students descend the spiral stairway after morning classes. (ABOVE. Photo courtesy of Sep- cial Collections Division, the University of Georgia Libraries.) Graduates gather outside the Academic Building, originally the Ivy Building and the Old Library, to form the first Honors Day Processional. (LEFT. Photo courtesy of Special Collections Division, the University of George Libraries.) its construction. Patterning itself after Yale, the University ' s students began and ended each day in prayer. These twice daily sessions were at 6:00 a.m. (sunrise) and 5:00 p.m. (sunset). During prayer sessions, students could be charged for inappropri- ate conduct; for any incident involving talking or kicking, a student could be fined a dollar. The original chapel was quickly outgrown, and a new structure costing $15,000 was completed in 1832. This is the chapel as we know it today. Despite its original scientific leanings, the Uni- versity had many religious influences. Among the most evident was the fact that every president of the school (except one) from the University ' s founding to the twentieth century, was an or- dained minister. In studying both science and religion, students continuously found answers to their many ques- tions; yet always, more questions arose. The stu- dents of old sought answers to issues of their day, just as the students of today seek to resolve current world situations. North campus has for 200 years been the center of this academic activity, for with- in its boundaries are the University ' s Law School, chapel, and main library. At the far end of north campus is the Academic building, containing the Registrars Office, Admis- sions Office, and the offices of those affiliated with the University ' s Honors Program. These buildings remain as hallmarks of learning and achievement. Though students have changed from year year, the focus of their being in Athens, education characterized by excellence, er will change. year to i- A. Bns, an e, nev- I I I Bic. — Campus Life 27