|
"Certainly, if America is to have any military force, there is no virtue in inefficiency. If we are to have guns, they should be the best guns. If we are to have any soldiers, they should be the best soldiers.”
Silas Evans
College President 1910 -1917
“The Educated Citizen and National Defense”
Above: S.A.T.C. photo from the 1920 Crimson
|
Ripon’s S.A.T.C. unit (Student Army Training Corps) was established at the same time as S.A.T.C. units all across the United States on October 1, 1918. The picture above is of Ripon’s unit during the 1918-1919 school year. The cartoon at left appeared in the 1920 Crimson. |
How did the war affect campus life?
S.A.T.C. filled classes with Uniforms,
- Bugles sounded throughout the day, first at 6:30 AM and ended with Taps at 10 PM
- Men with real rifles drilled in the streets and stood guard duty
- Classes were still co-ed but steps were taken “to assure a decent separation of the sexes after hours.”
- Military Drill was made compulsory for all young men at Ripon College shortly after the U.S. entered the war. It was formally begun on April 18, 1918.
Service Flag
By December of 1917 over 75 former and present students at Ripon College had responded to the call of patriotism. Because of this the faculty, with the support of the students, felt it would be an appropriate tribute to hang a service flag from the entrance of Ingram Hall. (No photo available)
“Our loyalty to our boys is unquestioned, but let us show it not as individuals but as a student body that loves and cherishes each of them.”
College Days
December 4, 1917 p.1
Sources:
1917-1918 Course Catalogue, p.22
1919 Crimson, p.112
December 4, 1917 College Days, p.1
By Calah Goehring and Jennifer Baker
|
