1910-1920 - Northern Magazine

This decade was dominated by the first "total war" —World War I. It also saw other huge changes during the Russian Revolution and the beginning of Prohibition in the United States. Tragedy struck when a fire rampaged through New York City's Triangle Shirtwaist Factory (1911); the "unsinkable" Titanic hit an iceberg and sank (1912), taking the lives of more than 1,500; and the Flu Pandemic of 1918 killed millions around the world.

On a more positive note, the Armory show of 1913 rocked the art world with its shocking innovations climaxing in the Dada movement. People in the 1910s also got their first taste of an Oreo cookie and could fill out their first crossword. After World War I begins, in 1915 Kaye Hall hosts various performances reflecting the spirit of the times. In The Contest of Nations, students perform different national characters in stories, songs and dance. Fundraising events are held with proceeds donated to war relief organizations, such as a performance of "Hiawatha" and a “To Arms for Victory” Glee Club concert . The Junior Red Cross organization and Student Army Training Corps are established on campus. A number of students enlist and faculty serve in capacities such as at the U.S. Army School of Nursing, doing reconstruction work in France and working for the Red Cross.

The student newspaper Northern Normal News is first published in 1919. The first issue contains obituaries of four students who were serving the country, Thure Windoft ’10, Earl Gustafson ’18, Andrew Walton ’18 and Alanson Bartlett King ’13, for whom a memorial still stands at the top of Sugarloaf. 

When Michigan women’s suffrage is defeated by voters in 1912, the Women’s Welfare League forms in Marquette, led by Abby Longyear Roberts and includes numerous women from Northern who lead civic projects. President Kaye’s wife, Ina, and Roberts become delegates to the 1914 and 1915 Equal Suffrage Conventions and Elizabeth Byers ’09 is appointed legislative secretary of the Michigan Women’s Suffrage Association. When Michigan women win the right to vote in 1918, many alumni are the first to register.

For the first 25 years, most Normal students are women from the Upper Peninsula. Relatively few women enroll until after World War I, when Northern’s low tuition induces young veterans togo to school where they can get the most from their educational allowances. In 1919, nearly one-third, 128, of the 487 students are male. 

The Students Girls’ League serves as informal concierges to students new to Northern. They meet all incoming freshmen, take them to their rooming and boarding places, host parties, and help them “to get into the best life of the school and to avoid anything that might be harmful to them.” By 1932, every female student is a member.