1917
In April, President Wilson signed a joint resolution of Congress declaring a state of war with
Germany. George M. Cohan wrote the song Over There the day war was declared. Wilson
signed the Selective Draft Act requiring all men between 22 and 30 to register for possible
service in the armed forces, and 10 million men registered. The War Department announced
that it cost $156.30 to provide an infantryman with arms, clothes, and eating utensils: the rifle
cost $19.50. The French executed Mata Hari for espionage. In November, the Bolshevik
Revolution broke out in Russia. Hell Gate Bridge was constructed in New York for railroad
traffic. Forty-one US suffragettes were arrested outside the White House. T. S. Eliot won the
Pulitzer for Prufrock and Other Observations. Movie actor Charlie Chaplin got a yearly
contract for $1 million.
• Workshop Equipment • Seminar
• Theses • Fraternity Dissolved
• Three-term Schedule
Workshop Equipment.
Required of all students, the workshops were well equipped. The
woodworking shop contained 25 benches; 24 10-inch lathes; one 16-inch lathe with a 10-foot
bed and overhanging face plate, capable of turning work of up to 80 inches in diameter; 24-inch
surfacing planer; 18-inch buzz planer; a universal rip and crosscut saw, and a band saw.
The forge shop had 22 forges and anvils, and necessary small tools, shears, blacksmiths'
drill, bolt-header, vises, swage-block, etc. A few forges were equipped with hand-blowers in
addition to motor-driven power blast. The foundry equipment consisted of a brass furnace, a
gas-melting furnace, a core oven, and the usual small tools and flasks for molding.
Theses.
In lieu of the equivalent of five semester hours of practical instruction and work in
laboratory, workshop, field or drafting room, singly or combined, candidates for graduation
could present a thesis. This work had to embody the results of scientific work, experiment, and
investigation along the lines represented by their respective courses, and deal in a competent
manner with problems similar to those arising in professional work. The title and subject were
approved by the department head of the student's course before the investigation was
undertaken. After its completion, the thesis had to be submitted in a typed copy prepared
according to the same specifications as those for faculty theses.
Three-term Schedule.
Following graduation in June when Clarkson awarded 33 B.S. degrees
and one M.S. degree, it made some changes in its academic program. Beginning with summer
term, it inaugurated a three-term schedule for each academic year with the first five terms being
common to all programs. In the fall of 1916, the academic year was divided into three terms of
12 weeks each with the hope of improving instructional efficiency. These terms were scheduled
as follows:
