TheBi Battalion Aggielife Page 3 • Monday, March 8, 1999 ies Jirsi istory of first women attending exasA&M reveals mixed emotions BY BETH FOCHT The Battalion April 1960, enrollment at Texas A&M was slightly more than 8,000, ^■taking it the fifth largest public college in the state. Handed down ;ERS7wiM. orn t j ie board of directors was the solution to this enrollment prob- :EdCoc<;nj _ the official admittance of women to the University for the fall se- on St 1 iester of 1963. IBiccording to the University archives, 183 women began the school BB-in 1963. These women faced hardships and hurdles to integrate A&M nd brought many “firsts” to the University, iorps; MVomen can be included in the University’s history before this mo- ace, : lei tous occasion, dating back to 1893, when the first woman attended Heal' lasaes. .MarupJjfcthel Hutson, the daughter of a faculty member, was a lecture student ■fla 1893 to 1895 and the first woman recorded to have taken classes at a raeit: (fit K-li aid the amm 'son neec ight years later, Ethel Hutson’s twin sisters, Sophie and Mary, corn- died the course work required for civil engineering. They were given grtificates of completion but not diplomas. Bn 1925, 30 women were enrolled at the University. This was also the ear Mary Evelyn Crawford received the first degree awarded to a woman, get tie;Bas also the last year until the Depression that women were allowed Be enrolled. Bhe Depression forced the financially strapped A&M to once again ipln its doors to women. Bt this time, the board of directors allowed daughters of faculty and tall members to enroll but not any other women. This lead to the first flrt case in 1933 to let any woman into the University who wished to tttnd. r. Fran Kimbrough, class of ’69 and one of the first women to receive . —n her bachelors and masters degrees at A&M, said there were con- eDUlB Bing opinions by many people, including herself, about letting women . ato the University. °taKeB 1 definitel y h ad m i xe d emotions about Texas A&M letting women in,” “L TMabrough said. “I have lived in Bryan all my life and at first 1 did not 1 .1 lint the change because I thought it would spoil the traditions that I had also sB n ma ^ e A&M great, but when I was making the decision to go to col- pstliarl 6 ’ 1 ^ new is where I wanted to go.” >ol(sa/M^ ven women were being admitted to the University, the first ■ Mrs had certain requirements that made women eligible to attend. Only liise whose fathers were connected to the University in some way or 0 rented a specific major only found at A&M, like pre-veterinary or cer- tii engineering degrees, were allowed in. ■ Kimbrough said the reason she was able to attend was her father’s ounection with the University. ‘My father worked at the Agriculture Extension Service and I wanted to renrl Jk; tebunkim 1 to major in pre-vet,” she said. “Most women on campus were professors’ daughters or wanted to pursue a certain de gree that could only be found at A&M.” Women had many hurdles to overcome during the first years at A&M. Many had to deal with mixed emotions about them attending the college and all dealt with the inconvenience of the minimal facilities for women on campus. Kimbrough said a big problem for many was the lack of women’s restrooms on campus. “The main facilities for us were in the Academic Build ing and we were always complaining that there need ed to be more,” she said. “We were not required to take P.E.s because the Uni versity did not have the fa cilities for us.” On-campus housing was not made available for women until the 1972-73 Dua/N Will Be All MEN/ n£xt VeAR; Girl'S Will Uv/e IN Fowled, HCJ£jHS «+ VEAlHLBy DAHM IT (' PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JP BEATO AND GUY ROGERS Pictures from the ’68 and '72 Aggieland depict the first women to live in on campus and the reactions of fellow students. school year, when the Krueger and Dunn residence halls were opened to women. Kimbrough said when she was at A&M, there were no on-campus res idences for women. “Most women lived at home or lived in apartments,” she said. “If you were married to an Aggie you could live in married-students housing, but these were the only options women had.” The emotions felt by many students about women attending A&M was also a challenge faced in the first years of their admittance. Women en countered derogatory nicknames, nasty looks and being singled out in many classes because they were the only women present in class. Kimbrough said she was leery about coming to A&M at first but know ing people made her experience less difficult. “I had a lot of male friends at A&M, so that made it easier,” she said. “Many guys were really great, but some of the looks you got, you knew the feelings were mixed about you being there. ” Kimbrough said she felt like she stood out because she was a woman. “I was the only woman in a chemistry class in the big lecture hall in the old Chemistry Building,” she said. “Sometimes being the only woman in a class was kind of neat, but it was also uncomfortable.” Kimbrough said the term “Maggie” was used to refer to the women at A&M. “People called us Maggies, and we weren’t — we were Aggies,” she said. “This was a derogatory term and it was not a happy term. Some guys meant it mean and some did not, but we did not like it at all.” Not everything was difficult for these first women at A&M. Kimbrough said they enjoyed participating in the traditions, in committees and get ting their Aggie rings. “I participated in various MSC committees including the Host and Fashion committee, along with others,” she said. “I had a lot of dates where I went to football games, basketball games and dances.” P Ecuador & ominican Republic Have you ever wondered? wcomp^ best. Catherine Malone “Dominican Republic’ John Janovec “Ecuador” Tuesday, March 9, 1999 8:30 p.m. Rudder 308 MSC L.T. Jordan Institute for International Awareness Ploasft call 848 8770 ♦;> inform u.n of your sjx*c.iai Texas Aaaie Athletics This Weekl Track Thursday and Friday College Station Multi-Competition Tennis (M) Thursday 6:00 vs. North Carolina Tennis (W) Thursday 6:00 vs. Wake Forest Track Saturday College Station Relays The Zone 1-888-TAM-12TH its Where The Action Is! Tickets off campus Kroger in College Station NORWEST A Proud Corporate Sponsor! 7 Eciito' or EdW ditor 5 EdiW t News 3 pro#' itor Off Campus Student Services and Off Campus Aggies would like to recognize our 1999 Off Campus Housing Fair FREE Rent, Grocery and Booth WINNERS! 013^ Janet Genzer ^eysha Mayes Jesl Ramirez ^Manna Mullen rt^^BChad Lehrmann dnertisinf!' c $200 towards rent $200 towards rent $200 towards rent $100 Walmart Gift Certificate $100 Walmart Gift Certificate Best Overall Booth: Pepper T ree Apartments Most Creative Booth: The Grove Apartments Best Costume, Props & Special Effects: College Park Communities Let's Talk For information call or visit 1:00 to 5:00 Monday-F r iday 707 Texas Ave. Suite 210 Bldg. D NOW SiiOWI,Seethe 1999 Off Campus Survival Manual If you missed the Housing Fair, don’t worry, you can stili pick one up Just stop by Adult, Graduate & Off Campus Student Services in Koldus, Room 112 The manual showcases information about local off campus housing such as prices and menities as well as information about roommates, leases, utilities and a whole lot more. Fnglish Qecond language 696-6583 as a www2.cy-net.net/~letstalk Conversational English Classes r !l A* *«wriviRv'* A«i« For student, staff, family • Beginning? inter mediate, advanced • Small group lessons Classes begin March 22 707 Texas Ave Campus THE ONLY THING HEAVIER IS YOUR COURSE LOAD. The 1998 AGGIELAND The nation's largest college yearbook 768 pages • 2-1/4 inches thick • Weighs more than 10 pounds Picking up your 1998 Aggieland is easy. If you ordered a book, go to the Reed McDonald Building basement (use west doors), look for the tables, and show us your Student ID. 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