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
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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.”
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Off Campus Student Services and Off Campus Aggies would like to recognize our
1999 Off Campus Housing Fair
FREE Rent, Grocery and Booth WINNERS!
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Janet Genzer
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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.
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Classes begin March 22
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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. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to
4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. If you
did not order last year's yearbook, you
may purchase one for $35 plus tax in
room 015 (basement) Reed McDonald.
Cash, checks, VISA, MasterCard, Dis
cover and American Express accepted.
GET YOUR COPY TODAY!