Social Life on Campus during the 1920s

This Ursinus Weekly article talk about the school spirit and pep that encompassed the whole campus. A man by the name of Mr. Ebert offered to pay students $25 for a new yell before the Penn game. A new yell is similar to a cheer, and was common for all football teams to have during the 1920's.

Performed by the Junior Class, "The Intimate Stranger" portrays what social life was like during the 1920's. Set  at a train station, this play included views held toward women as well as a flapper. 

An advertisement in the Ursinus Weekly about different hairstyles that were trending during the 1920's.

An advertisement in the Ursinus Weekly about Camel cigarettes. This was the first time cigarette ads started to appear in the Weekly, thus becoming a popular product in the 1920's. 

Pictures of Ursinus students from the 1929 Ruby. These pictures show evidence of trends such as hairstyles, scarves, and trains. 

Poem in the 1929 Ruby about how women are "coy, fickle, and haughty". Although the author remains anonymous, it is evident that there was a stereotype about women.

Article from the Ursinus Weekly about the Inaugural Dance and dances that were peformed such as the Waltz, Fox Trot, and Radios. 

Social life in the United States during the 1920’s was drastically transformed. Known as the Roaring Twenties, social life on Ursinus’ campus dramatically changed. The United States total wealth doubled between 1920 and 1929. Young people all across the United States conformed to the new age. As a whole, younger generations adopted the trend of this era, listening to the same music, performing dances like the waltz, and adopting common slang. The mass movement taking place across the United States was also prevalent on Ursinus’ campus. Evidence of this Golden Age are seen on campus by our school’s pride, Ursinus Weekly advertisements, extravagant dances and galas, and fashion trends.

Sporting events were not only attended by students, but also the whole Collegeville community. At one pep meeting, a man named Mr. Ebert went so far as to offer to pay students $25 for a new yell[1]. School spirit and morale were high, and plans for a “huge stadium on the athletic field” were being drawn up[2]. Aside from school pride, there were also many Ursinus traditions. A common tradition of the Junior class was a spring play. In 1924, the Junior class put on a play called “The Intimate Strangers”, which is set at a train station and involves a flapper[3]. This play was a portrayal of the social trends during this time, which is ironic because plays are not often wrote and performed during the same time period in which they are set. The fluty characteristic of a flapper can be compared to a poem written in the 1929 Ruby, where is describes women as being fickle, coy, and haughty[4].

Towards the end of the 1920’s, advertisements in the Ursinus weekly started to change. The Campus Barber Shop advertised shingling, boy-bobbing and plain bobbing for co-ed[5]. Cigarette ads also started to appear, taking up a majority of advertising space in the Weekly. Brands such as Camel cigarettes promised great flavor and a useful tool for stress reduction[6]. The Waltz, Fox Trots, and Radios were common dances performed among Ursinus Students[7]. There were dances every week, along with extravagant themes such as a Pirates Ball and Valentine Fete. Parties were mainly sponsored by different organizations across the student body and held at the Field Cage.

Hints of the massive social movement taking place in the United States were evident on campus; however, information on this topic was limited. The ultimate source used to find out about social life was the Weekly; however, the Weekly was very formal and contained little information about what Ursinus students were actually like during the 1920’s.