The San Francisco call. [volume], October 20, 1907, Page 11, Image 11

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
The San Francisco- Sunday Call
HOW BERKELEY CO-EDS
ARE BUILDING THEMSELVES
A HOME
Ruth Berg
*'Here'« to Berkelty Ck>lles«;
Driok It down, drink It down;
Here's to Berkeley CoK<-?e,
It's our founUla head of knorrledge,
Drlnx It flown — In tea or lemonade."
OVER at the university in Berke-,
ley town the women students
are bestirring themselves. After
much deliberation they have de
cided that their college life is not
euch as it should be, and with all the
energy and enthusiasm of which the
modern American girl Is capable they
have set about altering conditions
\u25a0which have existed since the Institution
was founded. They have long realized
that, the higher education means not
only the knowledge gained from con
tact with many books, but also from
contact with many personalities; that
the association with thousands of fel
low students Elgnlfies quite as much
in the four years' course as do the
lecture rooms or laboratories. Appre
ciating all this, and knowing that the
ideal college life could never exist as
long as they were compelled during the
four years* attendance at the university
to live either In the private homes of
the town or in the scattered club or
boarding houses, the girls have gone
vigorously .to work to supply the long
felt need of the university— a, campus
dormitory.
As a college site the one at Berkeley
is perfect, with the sheltering hills, the
sloping campus, the town with its ar
tistic homes and convenient shops, and
best of all the equable climate which'
makes diligent study possible at all
seasons. Air this has the University of
California, and yet, from the very
founding of the institution in the time
of the early sixties, when the - old
college was removed from Oakland,
its students have felt the lack of
that something which would hold
and unify the many interests that
go to make up college life. "All the
large colleges in the/ east have dor
mitory buildings, and most of the
state universities of the south and
middle west have 'i now adopted them.
At all of these institutions it has been
found that the ; dormitory Is an ele
ment In the democratic training of the
students which cannot be well spared,
and that these dormitories make the
campus the center of college existence
and serve to bring, the students closer
together in open, natural and harmless
relations, while the private housing
system breaks up the common student
life, or at least leaves little of it. but
the classroom.
In the early days at the Univer
sity of "California conditions were
vastly different from those which now
prevail. Then, the whole. student body
numbered but half a hundred, and it
was not until 1574 that the, first "coed"
saw fit to grace the c*n>py« *>The class
of 1901 established -a' precedent when
It graduated 11 more women than, men
among the 283 who received " degrees
from academic colleges.
During the first • years the majority
of students came' from places about the
bay and most of these' when each day's
classroom . work was ended returned . to
their respective - homes. . Except on
special occasions such as the Infrequent
dances. Charter dayi or commencement
exercises, the collegians did .not ! know
what it meant "to get together.'*. The
spirit that dominated the young ! uni
versity^ was very unlike , that of today.
The austere . character and serious ln
tentness of those pioneers had little In
common with the joyous \u25a0 freedom ; and
divers student interests of the . present
day. Then higher education was only
for the chosen * few. and •_ the three
four women who were • enrolled ; were
mature and earnest .workers who gave
small heed to the lighter things of life.
Thirty-eight years ago, when the col
lege of California* was 'removed from
Oakland and the 'university of Cali
fornia establish ed,t the town of Berke
|ey,was a village; numbering but a tew
hundred inhabitants. The fact. that the
state university was situated there at- .
traded people of culture and; gradually
the town ' took ; on an academic ': tone. I
Then as Its advantages as a place *of
residence became more 1 prominent va
rious car , lines connecting -.with ;. Oak
land were installed,. thus giving, it easy
access to that city, and * San \ Francisco.
In> the meantime the university gained
wider, reputation and, with its increased
enrollment, of students, .came .many
from distant parts of the state, as well
as from other sections of the \ country.
The private homes*of . the
and those of a few of .the; faculty mem
bers accommodated I many icf . the < stu
dents, but lby i degrees ; , larger ? boarding
houses sprang up, i until > today.' there ils j
hardlyja neighborhood JnUheicollege
town which does "not possess ? one . of
these institutions. .While the town was
purely an, academic one,' and things re
lating \u0084to "\ the; university: were v of : the
foremost i Importance, •. these '
houses were * the center ;Of i much" col-,
tege life; and! they ' were>the! next' beat
. thing to '"'•; the - campus But .
Berkeley: real estate Increased in\value
; and people who had -i interests f otherj,
than those .of t the university * took up'
\u25a0 their abodes In \ the boarding houses.
Withthe disaster of .1906 the popula
tion increased from 26,283, t0 38,000 and
every i available \u25a0 place; of :, shelter was "
; utilized. The town has a;city f ;
end a . .very -wideawike- and jjprogres-j
sive vone at ': that.; ~. {WHenjf before vthe^
university was the main factor, and the
real cause of ; the -town's j existence,'- to- J
day there ; are ; a ~ multitude \u25a0of \ outside \
Influences and interests. ' : v j
Vln -the^olds days , the close of ./com
mencement -' weekv marked the £ ( begin-, :
: ning : of : the; town's^ summer; sleep, and ,
It i was ., not s until s the ' autumn i entrance |
. examination that the -fpla.ee 3 lost * r its
huehed and I uncanny | quiet: >;i With the
first loads of . Incoming trunks \ and suit
cases t the • town awoke from *, Its k three 1
months' slumber/ (the . little | shops | put
fresh wares /Into % their .windows "and
boarding ' house ;. mistresses x h jug 11 out §
hewly^printed 'signs. 'This r, baa ," •* all ?,
changed,* for, though \ the | regular I stu- i
dents,' go; ln;, the springy and '? return^ in '£
the fall, the summer ' session '. people ' f ol^f
low closely on their heels, and ' tbe
greatly.^ Increased! number j; of
nent [ residents J demands the shops* -' fre
quent :* replenishing/ilwhne % the | sign %ot
the boarding •[house, shines >on •unceas
ingly through -all' seasons: ;, ; ; ;/ : ;.;
- ;And ?soSlt|is,| ; what^.withathe^ many,
changes [ that i have) taken; place bo th Jin
', the] town !©ff Berkeley/ and |inS the |uni
versltylitself,^the|wholejcharacterjand
atmosphere Shavef altered,^' and,^w,here
before i!the)idealof|a]campusTdormltory;
was often discussed, "present conditions
have i intentlQed fthe j great I heed:^ ;^': '\u25a0'\u0084-,
Before the; close; of the; past: semester
the 1 women ; students) held : a meeting lin
orderi,toj{investlgate^allf sides >• of > the
dormltory;questlon7SiThey & already^knew
that though the regents approved of dor
mltorieain general,' the particular ones
: desirf*,Li to* 1 •' RerkeUvJ* ;' would - ; not -i' be
forthcoming, from i tne j university "funds,
! for,taccordlng < toi^theipowerslthat|be,'J
every, cent iof j the 1 Income on hand • and
>f * that f- of JthelfnearV future* mustUbe
; utilized in , the ; running, of the academio
: part iof I the : institution.^ So^thoughlthe
I good fjWork J.was | commenced \ and % sanc
• tioned 'i by^" the no| help |In
Uhelerectionjof ;the; buildings was toTba
\u25a0 hoped If orj from that ; quarter.^ But s this
( muoh|thel regents J could f do,'* and '.wlll
, ingly-i-theyj would^grant^a \u25a0 slteTon* unl
tversltyi property ,\elther i directly/ on \ iix*
campusor^djacent'tOilt.: ''\u25a0'.':>.:/'. .^V
wi^WithJthls^as^ai foundation , the girls
started Uha'}ball| rolling/:; College ; girls,'
although\very* much ? like all i other) girls,'
are f just| a| little |dlff erent.*?AThe | years
of j routine! and | methodical i training I had
not s been , wasted,ilorAwitbJall lof i their.
Intense < enthusiasm ).. they cieai-1 y com>
prehended |that only.l by^ well ; organized
and \u25a0 sy iteiaalioj work 'could! they : accdm
; pllsh thedesired results.' 7 . So, plans lw ere
formed 1 and committees were appointed.
The main : comm 11 Itee1 tee was ° composed of
. three ; : girls/i'one \t torn \ the ; northern,^ one
. from * the southern, and one from * the
central 4 part t of »|the^state.V; Then < the
state was % divided I geographically .; into
three sections S with ( : one 3of % the s three
girls and | a subcommittee f for each sect
tioH.~fe s The ; girls : j on I the'; head committee
', were 'i to ibe;? responsible * for I; those -;of
their I division^, while \u25a0 each and
one ;v"; v " of jithe > girls 4, the i Associated
women I students was I given to under
stand I that 1 she, individually, was f eup
posed to * leave mo stone unturned In
aiding the cause. The long lonuner va
cation was before them. Each one was
about to return to her home city or
town. Dormitories were needed and
funds to ; build ( these . dormitories, so,
"make use of the brain that your. alma
mater has helped develop, get to work.'*
The girls of the southern part of the
state employed various methods to
arouse" the Interest of the people of
their section. In Los Angeles a vaude
ville .performance. was given at the
University clubhouse. Prominent alum
ni members were 1 the - performers . and
the Berkeley girls sold the tickets for
the affair. : The rooms. Were filled, .and
when the evening was over ana eager
girlish hands counted the proceeds. the
waiting relatives and friends knew
from Joyous exclamations that the try
ing hours of preparation and unceasing
thought' had won out against the city's
hot weather apathy. In Santa M£ria
a dance was given, and that the girls
had I done their work .well was attested I
by .-the crowded hall" and general dis
comfort of those who tried to keep both
r>et on the floor at the same time. That
Bakersfleld has a proper appreciation -
of its' U. C. girls is a fact beyond all
dispute, ; for without an entertainment
>:of?any variety. without : any "value for,
money- received,", two lone coed 3 raised *
nearly $300. . Simply fby subscriptions
from -their friends they added their
contribution to the fund..
t Santa Barbara did good work. Agar
*den; fete which will live long :in the
.memory of the southern city was given
In, June by the college girls. • For fully
two .weeks before the great dat» set no
tices; appeared dally In the society,col
umn -lof- all the i papers, -and in Santa
Barbara," as elsewhere," when the masses
are-; convinced that the classes have
: shown a preference for any particular *
thing, that's the thing for alL,' The big
: lawn at Oakwood, the same lawn Where '*
'Ben'Oreet staged "As You Like It,'* Was
the beautiful setting for the booths and
, numerous attractions. , The best | artists •
of the south did \u25a0 posters to help along
the advertising, i and many of the 3 fore
most-people r in 7 the county assisted in -
the ; ? arrangement*. ' Everything thit •
\u25a0 could be was ' donated, the , musio was :
furnished by the orchestra of the^Pbtter *
hotel? and v the talent contributed -was
the* 1 best obtainable. Things went so
smoothly thatthe girls could hardly be- .
lleve;their good fortune, ißuti ßut the $400 »
In hard cash i convinced s them that their
dreams were realities. - And so it went,' .>
. from; place ; ; to • place all- through the
,= southern Cities ; N no town too tiny, no
city, too .big, to ' hold out hopes of :
stray 'dollars that would help along
"the cause." '\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0'*£&ol£&SMßms*mß
. .In .the central ? section of -the state
rnostof -the. money/secured was by let
ter/to ivarious well known university
r graduates, > _whom : the girls ; felt Would
be.in close sympathy withUhelrTpur
; pose.-' Other amounts ,'were realized "by
r demands— oh; most 7 ladylike in \u25a0 tone,' of '
.course,* * but; demands » nevertheless— on *•-
I rich\ relatives whose, hoarded gold could
J not^be > put ; to a* be tteri Use.- t^'For ' what
\. else" werei rich ; relatives created?".
contribu
| tlona . came in small , amounts and more
f slowly,% for ;" the f counties - s are more
|: sparsely, settled V and there ar« ; fewer'
capitalists." But the girls were .
Tnot s discouraged, forV.lt: was not as If
\ we were asking, for; charity. . ; This ; year '
'.weVare ' at 'college ; next " yeatv it I may be
;\u25a0 their . daughters ? who are " there." Per-^"
.! haps -the scheme^jwhich a netted; : the
1 most ; profit ; In ' the north i,was . a ; series *
hof t three \u25a0 dances \u2666 which swas given £ in
Etna Mills, Sisklyeu county. The girls
to; divide 'the proceeds with the \u25a0
high school of -the town; but even so,
their share!. was [of /a f good « size, -; for; ail .
the young people within 50 miles drove .
- in* to attend " J the « dances. V. To .one \u25a0 w£o :
has always ltred In a city a dance
such as thoi* held in that Isolated
mountain town is beyond comprehen
sion. The stift formality of a freshie
glee or a Junior prom has little to do
with the whole hearted enjoyment of a
community where the people have had
life long acquaintance.
Now thai the fall semester has
opened. the girls are once more assem
bled Jn Berkeley. The .various com
mittees appointed before the close of
the college year have been called to
gether and the reports from the differ
ent state sections. are coming in. The*
results of the summer's work are most
encouraging, for the Half dollars and
dollars have mounted Into the thou
sands, and. oh. joy! some one, at yet
modestly withholding Ills name, has
donated five thousand. So, hope Is
high In the hearts of the enthusiasts
and already plans are being discussed
for the particular kind of building
wanted on the campus.
The styles of dormitories In us* In
the east and south are as numerous as
are the universities themselves. All of
the women's colleges 'have from their
foundation provided some sort of hous
ing system for their students. At Mount
HolyOke, Mass.. the oldest woman's col
lege In , the United States, there are
seven buildings, with accommodations
In each for from 50 to 120. Every one
of the dormitories has to have a certain
proportion of each of the four classes
and also a matron, who look 3 after the
building and has charge of the house
hold expenses. Though some of the
members of the faculty live In the dif
ferent dormitories, the student govern
ment is in control of - such things as
lights, late hours, orderliness, etc The
freshmen are placed by the registrar,,
but the juniors have first chance once
a year to draw lots for the desirable
rooms In the different halls. Though
the rooms vary in size, there is but one
price for all and the.yearly fee of $300
covers both board and tuition. Though )
the food is wholesome, the girls delight
In trying fancy cooking In their rooms.
The authorities permit this, but have
forbidden the use .of the dangerous
alcohol lamp and have Installed tiny
adjustable gas stoves. It goes without
saying that the girls become experts in
the making of dainty dishes and the
spreads on birthdays and other holi
days are most wonderful to behold.
At Oberlin, a coeducational college In
Ohio, there are three women dorml
-torles, but these are unable to house
more than a third of the girls, the
others living in private homes near the
.campus.' The men students take their:
meals In the same building with the
•women,, thus giving them a common,
meeting ground. All of the boarding
houses of the town are under the su
pervision of the . university authori
ties. The cosmopolitan and demo
cratic spirit Is very noticeable at Ober
lin, and while there are . no national
fraternities, there.; are local chapters
Of literary societies. , The social life
which centers around the dormitories
is broader than that of tha women's
colleges, and yet the faculty regula
\u25a0 tions: pertaining to late hours, chap
erons, etc., are very much stricter
1 than are those of the coeducational
universities of the south. and west.
The University of Missouri Is a co
educational Institution, with, an attend
ance of over 2.ooo.' students. Being &
state university < if is more like the one
"at Berkeley, and though it is almost
; twice as ) old it has many new and
. modern t buildings, as, the earlier struc
tures . were destroyed by lire In 1332.
The great white pillars which line the
"center ! campus are all that remain of
; the* old southern university.
*Th'e v dormltory plan of Smith college'
is the" one ; which :Is most favored at
Berkeley. There there are more -ouna-
Ings, i but each i one is smaller, having
room 4 for from 30 to 60 girls in ea^
hall. The material used Is red brlcW
-as at Wellesley.'VVassar and^ Mount
Holyoke. The Idea for the University
of California U to have permanent cot
tages, each with accommodations for
20 or 30, with a common dining hall
connecting the several buildings.
Freshman hall is to be erected first.
for the Women Students* ; association
.realizes that the, members of the baby
: class are .in greatest need of suitable
homes.
In the 'girls', dormitories of the vari
ous universities \ and colleges the dif
ferent - rooms ; are ' always a source of
great interest and curiosity to th« vts
, King 'stranger*.-, The .Individuality and
taste of theowner.ls, clearly expressed.
In' the odd decorations. The class sym
bols,'the" flags, the posters, the sporting
souvenirs, the men's pictures on desks'
\u25a0 and dressing table, . appear most won
derful to the sight seer. To the unlai
i tlated • beholder •.: the i rooms ; might i well
belong to college boys, for the breezy
air of ; comfort and the spirit in the
•whole . assemblage , seem almost .beyond
the usual feminine love of exactness.
The proceeds Vof > the play "Samson"
given ' In 1 the Greek theater last } Bight
win be 48rote6t9 fh* dormitory fttad.