Plant House Common room in 1915. Photo by Mildred White '19, courtesy of the Conn College Archives.
The Voice has been an establishment under many other names: from the College News in the early 1900s to Conn Census through the 1950s, to Sadyagraha, or “truth force,” for a short stint in the 1970s, settling into our familiar College Voice in 1977. We feel an alliance with all previous writers and editors of the newspaper at Connecticut College, and to declare solidarity with our previous entities have proclaimed ourselves Established in 1916, when the first class of women began writing their articles – longhand – and typsetting each issue.
For our last ten issues, we will spotlight the past ten decades at Connecticut College, through clippings from our newspapers and photos from our Archives. We hope you enjoy this look into our first decade: 1911-1919.
L.R.
March 4, 1916: “A plea for more dignified and less conspicuous conduct of students on street cars”
“Attention has been called not alone by the presence of numbers of girls on the cars, but, unfortunately, too often, by the shrill and rather boisterous manner in which students call out to one another from separated parts of the cars…”
March 17, 1916
Letter: “I would advocate a change or partial change of the name ‘Connecticut College for Women.’…[It] is obviously a long, cumbersome name and to my mind not very artistic. The college has more than once been confused with the Connecticut Agricultural College, and also with the Connecticut Business College…The ending ‘for Women’ is especially unnecessary. One does not speak of ‘Vassar College for Women’ or ‘Wellesley College for Women.’…I fully understand that this term serves to impress on people the fact that this is the first college for women in this state…as for the Connecticut part, one can see how it would lead to the belief that this is a state and not a privately endowed institution.” Esther Wimovsky
December 1917
“Students and Faculty of Connecticut College are urged to help to prepare Surgical Dressings in the Plant Basement.”
April 12, 1918: “When Petticoats vote”
“Our fourth term has come – and on Friday elections begin – student government president followed by other major officers…it is the privilege and duty of EVERY student to vote – carefully and conscientiously…Our mothers have fought for our political equality. Some of us have already reaped the fruits of their labors: most of us still await them. But one and all, we should be ready to use them when they come. Let us summon all our powers of discussion, discretion and judgment, in the coming elections, and give the world a sample of what we shall do in our State, when petticoats vote.”
May 8, 1918
“To the Editor: No one is blind to the fact that there has been a tremendous lack of college pep and spirit among the girls this year. The Freshmen can not even appreciate what C. C. Spirit means from the demonstrations they have thus far been able to see…the war, instead of unifying us with a bond of closer and more intimate friendship, as it should according to all theories, has produced the very opposite effect here… We no longer can amuse ourselves without aid from the outside…If a stranger were to walk around campus or look into the various dormitory living rooms on week-end nights, he would be at a loss to know whether or not this was a co-ed institution. Everywhere one looks there are men, men, men. There is almost a spirit of competition among the dormitories as to which can entertain the most men…For instance, the telephone rings. A wild scuffling of feet, doors thrown madly open and quiet hours fade into oblivion as the common cry goes forth ‘Who’s it for?’…Aren’t you tired of being asked ‘Are you going to the dance? With whom?’ After we have left college there will always be the chance of being with men, while here is our chance of playing and making merry with girls…Why do we lack college pep and interest in student activities? Because we are no longer strictly a girls’ college since the army and navy have invaded our campus.” Leah Nora Pick ’20
November 21, 1919
“Don’ts for men: DON’T come expecting a quiet peaceful time. One never gets it at C. C. DON’T tell a girl with lovely eyes that the view is lovely. She knows it.”
December 4, 1919
“Connecticut College spirit, it seems to be, is the thing that makes the College go ‘round…it is up to us to uphold our government. It is not enough to praise our Student Government and our honor system. Words are empty unless we have conviction and faith behind them. Why have an honor system if we do not observe it? The honor system is the most important element in the spirit of Connecticut College, and, therefore, should be guarded and adhered to carefully. Let us not hark back to high school days of the teachers’ rule. Let us show ourselves that we have outgrown that stage and are ready to judge ourselves…” B.F. ‘22.
