Month: March 2019

What you said in February about Tech

All comments from our Michigan Tech Alumni Network on Facebook

Michigan College of Mining & Technology sweatshirt

“I almost threw this away recently since it is in such poor condition, but just could not do it. I got it soon after arriving in my first year. I think the shirts were sold at the Union or book store. I was pleased to be enrolled in ‘The Michigan College of Mining and Technology.’ The name was changed to Michigan Technological University soon after I graduated. It could still be called ‘Michigan Tech,’ however.”  –Brian K.

“I was part of the Dec. 2, 1985 snowbound students trying to make it to MTU through the storm. I had to wait it out in Marquette.”  –Don G.

“Being really intimidated going into a really bad job market in 05-09… the job market today gives graduates all the leverage… these companies should be eating out of your little hand! Be confident and make us Huskies that came before you proud! My MTU degree put me ahead of my counterparts and you have a lot to bargain with amongst companies!”  –Matthew D.

“It is fun and interesting to talk with new prospects. Most young people seem so much better prepared than I was at that age. Love the energy and the vibe.” –Michael D.

“I was there — section 207. Go, Huskies! Go, Red Wings!!” –Todd H.

“Standing outside the Admin building early in the frigid weather waiting to get in and sign up for interviews in 1981!! Well worth it in the end!!” –Jeff N.

This is Huskies helping Huskies! From Jonathan A., who received 18 replies. “Are there any folks that work in automotive casting processes? Would you know what simulation software is used in that industry and why? I’m writing a report for some grad school work and knew that a number of Tech grads probably work in this area.”


Cynthia H. posted this question and got 112 comments  …

“On the MTU Parent fb group, parents are concerned because their students are unhappy with the dorm food. What were some of your favorites from your MTU era? Also, what was awful?”

A sampling of responses…

“Fish bites were the epitome of disgusting dorm food. Tomato soup and grilled cheese were the best.” –Monica H.

“The ‘vat’ of peanut butter with the oil congealed on top (1980 Wads hall).” –Tina S.

“BLT day was the absolute BOMB. You can choose as much bacon as you desire.” –Brittany H.

“Loved the pasties & liver & onions were a fast gone item on the days they were served.” –Ellie C.

“We’d pile cheese sandwiches on top of the ceiling lights (hot, incandescents) in the Wadsworth elevator. What a smell! 😋” –Stan S. ’65 ’69

“Slimy hot dog day boiled in green water day.” –Jeff R.

“Beef tips were so bad (2008-2012) there was a students against beef tips Facebook group.” –Emma Z.

“They did not get better in 2013 😄” –Maggie S.

“Maybe not everything was amazing, but there was no lacking for options. I remember making my own paninis and frequenting the salad and pasta stations. Just wait till they graduate and have to cook for themselves.” –Amy D. Wads 07-08.

“Students complaining about food is a timeless tradition. When they move out into apartments, they BEG for dorm food. I’d always have an extra swipe or two and would bring a friend once or twice a week.” –Ward R.

“I didn’t eat the hot food in Wads ever. But the sandwich, salad, and stir fry/omelet area were fine. And the staff did great accommodating my food intolerances.” –Rachel S.

“Just had a mini reunion with friends from Tech and we were talking about the food in the dorms. The Egg McTech was the crowd favorite.  Alumni from circa 1990-1994.” –Roberta W.

“I appreciated the salad bar, but the free Nutella and pb toast with hot chocolate definitely contributed to my freshman 15.” –Taylor F.  

“I remember telling my mom how great the dorm food was (DHH 1980-81). She made it clear that she considered that news insulting which surprised me since I thought she’d be happy for me. I tend to be naturally optimistic and thought it was pretty cool that you could show up, take whatever you wanted, finish every meal with ice cream, eat with friends, and you didn’t even have to do any clean up. Honestly, I don’t remember thinking there was any problem with dorm food.” –Kathy H.

“My son is very happy with the food (guess that tells you how good a cook I am …or as the case might be…am NOT!). I was in Wadsworth 1980 – 1981. They had a suggestion box on the wall. I remember someone stuffed a “tuna surprise” in the suggestion box. Tuna surprise was basically a tuna fish sandwich but on a hot dog bun.” –Molly B.

“I don’t know, I just graduated last year and to be honest the food in McNair was really really good. High quality food, prepared well, and there were a great variety of options for any diet. I’ll admit though that the food is noticeably less quality in the other dining halls, especially Wads.” –Hal H.

“Keweenaw Bowl, tacos, homemade pizza all great. Whatever “Greek food” they tried to make (gyros) were completely awful.” –Brittany K.

Dorm pizza in the 1970s.

“With proper installation, the Pizza we had in the 70s would double as a 10 year residential roof shingle. But…it was pizza and we always looked forward to it!! 😄😄” –Jim R.

“DHH’s greasy rotisserie hotdogs couldn’t hold a candle to Wads’ boiled doggies. Just like mom used to make…” –Matthew C.

When I was student cook in Co-Ed in early 70’s everything was Wonderful, 😄” –Randy S.

 

 

 

A Brief History of Women at Tech

By Emily Riippa | University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections

Photo from the 1980s of a Michigan Tech mining engineering student.

Huskies of yesterday and today will often mention “the ratio,” referring to the disproportionate number of male students compared to their female counterparts. According to the most recent statistics published by Undergraduate Admissions, women constitute some 28.2 percent of the Michigan Tech student body. This number may seem small, but it disguises a mighty tradition of accomplishment, innovation, and trailblazing. In honor of Women’s History Month, let’s take a whirlwind tour through how the lives of women at Tech have looked and changed over the years. Unfortunately, in such a small space as this, we can never do true justice to their stories!

Michigan Mining School admission record for Mary Louise Bunce dated Oct. 15, 1889.

Just four years after the Michigan Mining School was founded, at a time when coeducation was uncommon, the first women enrolled. Both Margaret McElhinney and Mary Louise Bunce taught in the public schools of Houghton, and in 1889 they became students themselves again, taking classes in chemistry and geology on a part-time basis. The number of women enrolled  remained small for many years, but their presence, once established, persisted. In 1933, Margaret Holley broke new ground for female Huskies by becoming the first woman to earn a bachelor’s degree from what was then called the Michigan College of Mining and Technology. Just a year later, she followed up her degree in general science with one in chemistry, then proceeded to a master’s program in general science again. So significant were Holley’s steps at Tech that she later served as a trustee and, under her married name of Margaret H. Chapman, helped to start a long-running scholarship fund in her name to support women’s education at Tech.

Women in a Michigan Tech lab.

The year that Margaret Holley finished her first bachelor’s degree, Tech enrolled a record-breaking number of fourteen “co-eds,” the nickname given to female students at the time. World War II changed not only the number of women at Tech but also the nature of what the college permitted them to study. Historically, women had been admitted to programs in science and some facets of engineering; Ilmi Watia, for example, received a civil engineering degree in 1938. Tech discouraged women from enrolling in certain mining engineering courses and highly technical programs. With young men away at war in vast numbers, however, the United States and Tech both found a need for women to step into roles that they had not otherwise filled. In 1943, the college promoted a new war training program for women that started to break down some of these barriers. The courses were intended for “all young women who wish to serve their country in this emergency by training themselves for essential jobs that carry pay commensurate with their vital importance,” according to a marketing brochure. Women completing the program–whose length varied from eight weeks to a year, depending on the course of study chosen–could immediately enter government or industrial work in roles ranging from the more traditional secretary to engineering technician, full professional practitioner (if they already had degrees in other subjects), and airplane ferry pilot. All courses carried college credit, and women who did not find the curricula of the war training programs to their fancy were encouraged to pursue the full range of coursework at MCMT, including technical fields.

The Smith House, which was used by female students.

From there, slowly and steadily, the population of Tech women continued to grow and blaze trails. In 1945, a women’s dorm opened in the house formerly occupied by Kappa Delta Psi. In the years that followed, the former residence of the Fred Smith family was converted to women’s housing, and, at various times, female students also resided in houses known by the names of Pryor and Robinson. The first woman to earn a degree from Tech in metallurgical and materials engineering graduated in 1947; the first female mechanical engineer at the college finished her program in 1948. By 1952, the college had begun efforts to recruit women in earnest, publishing pamphlets explaining the scientific and mathematical careers open to them with a degree from Tech. Women answered the call and enrolled in many courses of study, including forestry, biological sciences, and all varieties of engineering. By 1968, 8.5 percent of Michigan Tech students were female, rendering the college officially coeducational by the metrics of the time. That year, Co-Ed Hall (now known as McNair) opened to alleviate a shortage of on-campus housing for women. A few years prior, Wadsworth Hall had begun to offer a few spaces to female students. Douglass Houghton Hall, on the other hand, remained all-male until 1973.

Women at 2009 commencement.

Women’s involvement and visibility on campus continued to grow through the remainder of the 20th century. In the 1970s, for example, the first female cadets joined the Air Force ROTC program, and the first national sorority and women’s teams in nordic and alpine skiing came to campus. From 1975 to 1982, Michigan Tech’s nursing program graduated nearly 300 hundred women, representing a larger proportion of female enrollment than perhaps any other degree program on campus. Groups like Woman Sphere and Tech Women’s Connection formed to advocate for women’s issues and initiated important dialogues in the Michigan Tech community. Meanwhile, in 1993, a team of Michigan Tech women won the Intercollegiate Mining Competition, demonstrating both their prowess at mining techniques and the college’s historic roots. How appropriate for Michigan Tech women to literally break ground.

Michigan Tech student climbing.

In 1969, Dean Harold Meese wrote to the women of Tech that, in spite of being vastly outnumbered by men on campus, “you traditionally have more than overcome these odds academically by earning better grade point averages. This, I feel, is due to your above average intelligence and your strong desire to become a well educated person and to find a meaningful way of life.” Whether they joined the Husky family in 1889, 1959, 1999, or 2019, women at Michigan Tech have always exemplified a passion for knowledge and a dedication to leaving their mark on the world. They are making history, one day at a time.