Student Life

Cuban Jose Fabio Santo Trigo becomes the first international student to enroll at A&M College.

Nineteen students receive degrees during the first commencement ceremony held at A&M College.

Military science and tactics is first taught at NC State. Students (they are all male at this time) are designated cadets and required to attend drill.

A chapter of Sigma Nu was created, making it the first fraternity established at NC State.

A majority of students chose red and white as colors for the sports teams. The colors changed a couple different times during the early years of the college. The faculty agreed to the adoption of red and white and stated that they could not be changed again without a vote of two-thirds of the student body. The colors have remained the same ever since.

Teisaku Sugishita of Japan graduates with a degree in Civil Engineering, becoming the first Asian student to receive a degree from NC State. Sugishita enrolled in 1894.

The Thalerian German Club had its first dance in old Pullen Hall. Early student organizations such as this also provided social activities for early students.

The bachelor instructors of the college hosted a Halloween Party in the Pullen Hall auditorium.

With the beginning of a fall term, a small number of students became interested in Biology, and desiring to further promote their interests developed the Biological Club.

The first Easter Monday baseball game was played, a tradition that would last until 1947. That first game was against Wake Forest.

Prof. and Mrs. Massey gave a Valentines Party to the agricultural students.

The infirmary at St. Mary's College caught fire, and A & M students rushed over to help put it out.

The A&M College Dramatic Club presents the play "She Stoops to Conquer."

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, then assistant Secretary of the Navy, spoke at commencement exercises. He implored young men to "stay East" because the western expansion of the nation meant abandoned farms in the east.

Freshman are required to wear a red cap with a white "F" while on campus to distinguish their status as underclassmen.

The monogram showing the letter "S" in block style with the letters "N" and "C" nestled within the spaces first appears in the Agromeck.

Football player John Ripple becomes the first All-American athlete at State College.

Fire destroys the third floor of Watauga Residence Hall

The first issue of the Technician, the student newspaper, is published

The Technician is mailed by the Registrar's office to 100 high schools across North Carolina to inform students about the activities at NC State

The Athletics Council makes a decision to award sweaters to athletes who receive monograms ("letters") for their athletic accomplishments; the first letter sweaters appear on campus shortly thereafter.

Enrollment at State College reaches 1,000 for an academic year for the first time.

First Student Body President

The cornerstone is laid for the Memorial Bell Tower, a monument to honor State College alumni who had been killed during World War I.

Student Body President

The Student Council requires all first-year students to wear the caps on campus, citing a need to boost school spirit and reduce hazing. The Court of Customs, a branch of Student Council, can punish students who don’'t comply. Freshmen start a tradition by burning their caps just before their spring final exams.

Student Body President

The Gymnacrobatic Club is founded, hoping to put on "startling exhibitions" such as walking on telephone lines.

Student Body President

The Technician begins a beauty contest to find the prettiest girl in Raleigh and the handsomest boy at State College.

Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company installs the first telephone exchange at State College.

The State College Apple Judging Team wins third place at the Intercollegiate Apple Judging Contest in Atlantic City, NJ.

Student Body President

Class of 1923 alumni Alvin M. Fountain and Bonnie Frank Norris composed the Alma Mater song.

Tuition increases to $60 for in-state students and $80 for out-of-state students.

The new cafeteria opens (in the old Pullen Hall), allowing students to receive a month of meals for $25.

The original D.H. Hill Jr. Library (in what later became Brooks Hall) was designed by Hobart Brown Upjohn and named for Daniel Harvey Hill, Jr., the first faculty member to oversee the library.

The Agriculture Club of State College hosts a "Barn-warming" for visiting farmers at Thompson Gym.

Student Body President

The State College Poultry Judging Team competes for the tenth consecutive year at the National Inter-Collegiate Poultry Judging Contest at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

A professor and six students from the Economic Geology class took a field trip to Carolina Coal Mine, and became trapped in the mine for four hours.

Student Body President

The Athletics Committee decides students must maintain a passing grade in 60% of their classes to play in collegiate athletic events.

Jane S. McKimmon becomes the first female inducted into NC State's chapter of Phi Kappa Phi.

Southern Bell Telephone Company removes the free telephone from the campus YMCA and replaces it with a pay phone, due to abuse of the free phone by students using the phone for "social visits."

Students in the Agronomy 135 course (Farm Terracing) spend the day outside doing lab work, including surveying the land in preparation for planning tile drains.

The first degrees are conferred to women at NC State. Recipients are Jane McKimmon, B.S. in business administration; Charlotte Nelson, B.S. in education; and Mary Elizabeth Yarbrough, M.S. in chemistry. Yarbrough was the first female graduate to have completed all coursework while at NC State, and she went on to become the first woman to earn a master's degree at NC State.

The marching band begins wearing red and white uniforms when performing at athletic events.

An aviator was forced to make an emergency landing in the field just west of Thompson Gymnasium, after being unable to locate the airport. State college offered him the use of the woodshop to make repairs to his airplane.

Student Body President

Twenty-one female students enroll at State College for the 1928-29 academic year, twice as many as the previous year.

During the 1929-1930 academic year, "senior blazers" are worn for the first time, requiring a $2 deposit prior to purchase

Student Body President

The Court of Customs sentenced a freshman football player to wear a dress for every day he didn't wear his freshman cap. The incident sets off a wave of protests from the freshman class and a campus-wide debate over continuance of the freshman cap custom.

Nearly 1,000 students, or —about half the student body—, voted on the retaining the freshman cap custom. By 15 votes they elected to keep the caps. Freshmen accepted the decision and continued to wear the caps throughout the spring 1930 semester.

Ada Curtis Spencer becomes the first female to enroll as a freshman and complete a four-year degree from NC State. She majored in social science.

Phi Epsilon becomes the first local sorority established at State College.

Student Body President

The first telephones are installed in the dormitories. Previously, telephones were only available for student use in the YMCA building.

Quiet Hour goes into effect in all dormitories, beginning at 8pm.

Students returned to campus to learn that the freshman cap custom was abolished by the Board of Trustees at their June 1930 meeting. Though they no longer wore the caps, freshmen were required still to carry matches to light upperclassmen's cigarettes.

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The Order of Thirty and Three is founded by members of the sophomore class; there are eleven charter members.

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Presidential candidate Franklin Delano Roosevelt makes a campaign stop in Raleigh; State College suspends classes for the day so that students may attend the speech, with the band performing at the event.

A system of allowing students to work as janitors in the dorms to cover some of their expenses is tried.

Student Body President

State College ties the University of Florida, 0-0, in the first football game held at Riddick Field with its new concrete stands. The field was named for college president Wallace Carl Riddick.

An announcement is made inviting students to be employed on Civil Works Administration projects to improve the campus.

Student Body President

The senior class passes a resolution requesting that faculty who participate in commencement exercises wear caps and gowns.

A faculty vote officially abolishes the honor system at State College; teachers will now have to remain in the classroom during all quizzes and exams.

After a power outage causes lights in the 1911 Dormitory to go off, students build a fire in front of the building to provide light inside. The Raleigh Fire Department sends two trucks to extinguish the blaze, with organized student cheering sections encouraging the firemen while they work.

The faculty deny a proposal to exempt senior class from all examinations.

Student Body President

Student Body President

A combined army of the Fifth and Sixth Dorms battle South Dormitory to a draw in a snowball fight. The Fifth-Sixth army was particularly efficient at throwing snowballs through open windows in South Dormitory.

Student Body President

Depicted here is part of the 1937 graduating class at the Textile School of NC State College. Dean Thomas Nelson is in the front row, seventh from the left. The 1937 class was the largest the Textile School had up to that time.

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In response to traffic congestion on campus, Chancellor Harrelson appoints a committee of faculty members to study the traffic conditions at NC State.

Jimmy Dorsey's orchestra performs at a dance sponsored by the Interfraternity Council.

Female chemist J.C. Richmond of State College is awarded a grant to study the Vitamin C content in goat's milk and the presence of nicotinic acid in cow's milk.

The Raleigh Junior Chamber of Commerce distributes free tickets to State's Homecoming football game against Furman by releasing balloons with instructions for the finders on how to claim their free tickets.

Chinese delegates address State College students and Raleigh citizens in an event sponsored by the YMCA and YWCA.

Student Body President

Student body gathers in Thompson Gymnasium to protest to proposed tuition fee increases (from $85 to $125 for North Carolina residents, and from $180 to $225 for out-of-state students).

The Student Welfare Committee approves a plan that allows juniors and seniors with a B cumulative grade point average to have ten unexcused absences per term and twenty per year, but no more than sixty during their four-year academic careers.

Freshman and sophomores battle in the annual Pushball contest, consisting of pushing a ball 6 feet in diameter and weighing 75 pounds into the opponent's goal.

"College Days," a film starring Art Rooney and Carolyn Tucker, premiers, portraying typical events in an NC State student's life.

The Technician produces a special 58-page edition to commemorate NC State's 50th anniversary.

The first annual High School Day brings approximately 6,000 seniors to visit NC State's campus; many stay to attend the State-Duquesne football game, as well.

Student Body President

Dr. Campbell completes 20 years of service to NC State as the college doctor.

Fred Waring, prominent national band leader, agrees to write a new fight song for NC State, and to air it during his March 8, 1940 radio program.

State College's first work study program begins for Engineering students, with approximately twenty students employed.

In 1941, only twenty women were enrolled at State College alongside 2,406 men.

Student Body President

Students learn that State College acquired the bell and bronze tablet in the Memorial Bell Tower from the U.S. cruiser Charlotte (a ship that fought for the U.S. Navy in WWI and was retired after 17 years of service on Nov. 11, 1935). The bell was rung once - when a group of students celebrating a basketball defeat over UNC broke into the tower and rang the bell.

Student Body President

The faculty approves a plan to allow seniors who are taking jobs in essential industries or joining the military to graduate early.

Katharine Stinson, a 1941 graduate of State College, is hired by the Civil Aeronautics Administration (forerunner of the Federal Aviation Administration) as a junior engineer, making her the first woman to hold this position.

The faculty approve a plan to hold fall engineering classes in the summer as part of a nationwide war effort to accelerate graduation at technical schools for the benefit of the war effort.

Students hold a blood drive to support the war effort.

Increased enrollment by women needed in engineering courses; urgent appeals are made as the male students leave to fight in the war.

Students gather over 150,000 pounds of scrap metal in 3 hours for the war effort; a banner over the collection pile reads "To Hitler & Co. from NC State College."

Student Body President

Plans are announced for up to 2,000 military trainees to enroll at State College to take specialized defense classes through the United States War Department; the college will operate as two separate units: one for the military and one civilians.

Enrollment hits the lowest mark in 20 years, due to the number of students leaving to join the military.

Eighteen young women win a fellowship of $1,425 from Pratt & Whitney Aircraft, which will employ them as engineering aides after they complete a 48-week course offered by State College.

Student Body President

The college infirmary moves from Carroll Infirmary to Clark Hall, becoming the largest and most modern such facility among all Southeastern non-medical colleges.

Over 5,000 NC State alumni reported to be serving in the Armed Services, six of whom have obtained the rank of General.

Student Body President

WNCS, the campus radio station, begins broadcasting three nights a week.

Fifty-eight women are enrolled at NC State, many taking advantage of special scholarships to provide engineering training to women so they can work in industry during World War II.

A Comic Strip Banquet, addressing the creation and impact of comic strips, is held in the private dining room of the cafeteria.

The 1945 Agromeck is printed and released late, due to wartime restrictions.

Student Body President

The whistle had indicated class changes and mealtimes, and it was also used to warn students of campus fires.

More than 75 trailers (forming what was known as the "City of Trailers" or "Trailwood") were constructed so that married WWII veterans and their families could attend NC State on the GI Bill. In 1949, Trailwood was relocated, and Williams Hall was built in its place.

A football game against Duke marks the first appearance of the marching band following the conclusion of World War II.

NC State beats Duke in football for the first time since 1932, with a final score of 13-6; the wife of right end and co-captain Al Phillips gives birth to a baby boy only hours after the contest.

Campus radio station WNCS begins broadcasting campus-wide Monday through Friday between the hours of 7:30 PM and 11:30 PM.

State College secures a "victory train" to take 6,000 students to go to the football game against Wake Forest (in Winston-Salem); train tickets are $0.65 and tickets to the game are $1.00.

Lois Madden (on drums) becomes one of the first women to ever join the NC State marching band.

Student Body President

The influx of World War II veterans, who attended NC State on the GI Bill, caused student enrollment to more than double from pre-war levels.

NC State is forced by the Raleigh fire chief to forfeit a basketball game against UNC because Thompson Gymnasium is too crowded and students refuse to leave the building.

Vetville opened as another location to house married veterans attending NC State after World War II. Later, Korean War veterans lived there. At the end of the 1950s Bragaw dormitory was built on the site.

Four new intramural sports to begin NC State: football, volleyball, boxing, and tennis.

The Agromeck announces it is adding a Beauty Section to "offer the average Joe College a chance to show his beauty-getting ability." Men are asked to send in snapshots of their girlfriends to be judged, and the top 10 will appear in the yearbook.

A pyrotechnic display consisting of sparklers spelling out "Beat Wake Forest" is planned for the day's pep rally.

Student Body President

The Raleigh city building inspector condemns Thompson Gymnasium just hours before a Men’s Basketball game against Duke. Only a few reporters and college officials are allowed to attend the next home game, against High Point College. From then until the completion of Reynolds Coliseum in 1949, home games are played in Raleigh’s Memorial Auditorium.

President Truman reviewed techniques of State College ROTC cadets during a parade. Crowds gathered on Hillsborough Street to see the president pass by.

Student Body President

More than 1,000 students graduate from State College for the first time.

A banquet ends the First Annual Greek Week, sponsored by the Inter-Fraternity Council.

The Coca-Cola Company threatens to remove their machines from campus if students don't start returning empty bottles to the racks instead of discarding them around campus.

Student Body President

A State College football game is televised for the first time; the team takes on the University of Maryland in the contest.

Student Body President

The Consolidated University of North Carolina decides that African American students are eligible for admission into graduate programs.

State College Debate Team members all win votes for national individual ranking during a competition at Columbia University.

In Spring 1951, the College Union as an organization was assembled to begin planning for the following academic year. This group was comprised of the Board of Directors (later called Student Centers Board of Directors) and a Board of Chairman (later called the Union Activities Board).

Student Body President

Swimmer Bob Mattson wins the first of four consecutive All-American honors; in 1955 he also becomes State's first NCAA champion, winning the 200-yard breaststroke.

Betty Ann Cline became the first woman editor of the Agromeck.

State College celebrates a second consecutive Cross Country Southern Conference championship (the first in 1951), as well as a Dual Meet championship. Runner Buz Sawyer takes first place in the meet, after finishing ninth overall in the nation during a meet the previous week.

State College admits two African American graduate students into the School of Engineering: Robert Clemons and Hardy Liston. Clemons became the college's first black graduate; Liston later withdrew and didn't complete his degree.

Student Body President

The Board of Trustees agrees to transition the academic calendar from a quarter system to a semester system, by a vote of 46-28. NC State will switch over in the fall semester of 1953.

A game in the 4th annual World Series of Basketball, featuring the 1953 All-Americans versus the Harlem Globetrotters, is played in Reynolds Coliseum.

A popular myth that there is a "high academic mortality rate" for School of Design students is debunked. Of the 629 students enrolled in the School of Design, only 12 received flunking grades, a 2% mortality rate - much less than the rumored rate of 10%.

Student Body President

The North Carolina State College Union building was officially opened and dedicated. The building later became the Erdahl-Cloyd Wing of the D.H. Hill Jr. Library in the 1970s. It was built by T.A. Loving and Co.

When the College Union opened, it had a Hobby Shop on the second floor that offered workshops and demonstrations on ceramics, woodworking, metalworking, poster-making, and other crafts. The Hobby Shop later became the Craft Shop.

Hurricane Hazel destroys the cupola on Becton Hall and the roof of the press box at Riddick Stadium.

First non-senior Student Body President

In Frazier v. the Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina, the court determines that undergraduate colleges and universities should be open to African Americans.

Student Body President

Dr. Arthur Kelman, professor of Plant Pathology, receives an award for being voted the most outstanding professor in the School of Agriculture at the first annual Agronomy Club Banquet.

Students working on spinner rocket project with a Goodyear Electronic Differential analyzer, a type of electronic analog computer, August 1956.

Jim Stewart, former president of the YMCA, becomes the first person to get married in State College's Danforth Chapel.

The first four African American undergraduates enrolled at North Carolina State College: Ed Carson, Manuel Crockett, Irwin Holmes, and Walter Holmes.

The Technician begins printing multiple issues each week for the first time.

Student Body President

Robert Clemons received a professional degree in Electrical Engineering (PREE), becoming the first African American to graduate from NC State.

Jazz pioneer Louis Armstrong performs at Reynolds Coliseum.

African American student Irwin Holmes joins the tennis team, making it the first integrated athletic team at State College.

The 1957 president-elect for Student Government failed to meet academic requirements to return to campus and take office, thus vice-president elect, Jim Hunt, became Student Body President for the year. Hunt would serve as president again the following year. He later became governor of North Carolina.

A newly-established scholarship and student award will honor the first student enrolled at State, W.J. Matthews, and be henceforth known as the Matthews Medal.

Student Body President

The campus radio station changes its call letters from WVWP to WKNC.

Construction of Bragaw Hall begins to draw attention. The "new modernistic dormitory" is a "familiar landmark on the campus." It was named for Henry C. Bragaw, an alumnus who was killed in World War II and awarded the Silver and Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts.

According to data collected by the College Traffic Committee, there are approximately 5600 cars on campus and only 4070 parking spaces. The committee conducted a study of the parking problem and suggested that new parking areas be constructed and special zones be created for personnel.

The April Fool's Day edition of the Technician proclaims that the College Union building has been destroyed by fire. The front page also includes headlines about dropping the ROTC program and introducing Home Economics courses into the curriculum.

In an unprecedented landslide, Jim Hunt is elected to a second term as Student Body President. Hunt would go on to be a four-term governor of North Carolina.

The Hobby Shop in the College Union became known as the Craft Shop. Because of space constraints, it offered some programs at other facilities on campus.

Student Body President

Bragaw Hall is dedicated to the late Henry Churchill Bragaw, a well-known NC State alumnus who died during WWII. Bragaw was awarded two Purple Hearts and a Silver Star for his heroic actions during the war.

Fire damages a half-block of buildings across from the NC State campus along Hillsborough and Horne Streets.

Gamma Phi chapter of the Sigma Kappa sorority was established. This was the first active chapter of a national sorority at NC State. They held their first pledge dance at the Carolina Hotel on 14 March 1960.

Student Body President

Irwin Holmes became co-captain of the tennis team, making him the first African American athletics team captain at NC State.

Student Government passes a resolution calling for racial integration of public facilities in Raleigh. This is followed by a similar resolution from the Faculty Senate. Student Government forms the Human Relations Committee to write letters to area merchants.

The Kingston Trio performs at Reynolds Coliseum.

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Named for former chancellor John William Harrelson, Harrelson Hall opened to the public for the first time as part of the School of Agriculture's Open House. At the time the building seated 3,429 people.

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A Mercury space capsule, on loan from NASA, is one of the exhibits displayed at the annual Engineers' Fair.

171 students wait in line in front of the Student Housing Office to get rooms in Bragaw Hall for the following year.

Students discover that the correct pronunciation of "Syme" Dormitory, is "sim," and that is named after George Frederick Syme, a civil engineer who served as the first president of the Raleigh Engineers Club. Over half of the students surveyed thought the pronunciation was "sime."

Governor Sanford gets booed after an NC State-Wake Forest basketball game in Reynolds Coliseum by students protesting the possible name change of the University from North Carolina State College to the University of North Carolina at Raleigh.

Student Body President

Two NC State students challenge UNC students to a 55-mile walk-a-thon. If accepted, the students plan to leave at 2 pm on March 2nd, and hike throughout the night to the agreed location, where the winning team will be determined by the most walkers present throughout the race and completing it in under 20 hours. State students believe they will win.

A group of NC State students join with students from Shaw University to protest racial segregation policies in effect at the State Theater on Salisbury Street.

The Craft Shop outgrew its facilities in the College Union and moved all of its operation to the Frank Thompson Gym (which shortly thereafter became Frank Thompson Theatre).

A Technician article cites the recent discontinuation of cigarette ads placed in university publications, a result of efforts to reduce exposure of young persons to cigarettes.

All Chemistry lab students must now wear protective eyewear, as voted on by the Chemistry Department, regardless of whether that student otherwise wears glasses.

The new head of the Physics Department, Dr. Dudley Williams, is glad to have joined NC State. He warns his students that sleeping in class merits a piece of chalk thrown directly at them.

Jazz saxophonist Stan Getz performs at Reynolds Coliseum.

For the first time ever, an NC State football game is shown in Reynolds Coliseum via closed-circuit television.

Campus Pride Week is created in an effort to urge students to walk on the sidewalks through campus and not on the grass. Some students, however, are caught ignoring these efforts put forth by the Student Government.

Fraternity court opens with new buildings to house Greek organizations on campus.

Student Body President

Mary Ann Weathers became first female student elected to the Honor Code Board.

The inaugural issue of The Windhover, NC State's annual literary and art magazine, is released.

"Dorm '62" is dedicated and opened to residents for the first time. The building would be renamed Lee Dormitory the following year.

Two female engineering students from NC State attend a conference at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that discusses the opportunities and difficulties facing women in the fields of science and engineering.

The Faculty Senate votes to abolish compulsory ROTC. Prior to this date, all male students were required to take military training.

Student Body President

The original Pullen Hall is destroyed by a fire, which a former student later admitted to setting. Pullen Hall was built in 1902, and was the center of campus activities in the early twentieth century. It was located on the site of the present-day Peele Hall parking lot. A few years later, another building on campus was built and named Pullen Hall.

The Rolling Stones perform at Reynolds Coliseum. The Stones are joined by Patti LaBelle for the show.

The final football game is played in Riddick Stadium. Members of the football team mob Harold Deters after he kicks the winning field goal against Florida State, resulting in a final score of 3-0.

Norma Wright Garcia becomes the first African American woman to receive an undergraduate degree, earning a BA in history.

Student Body President

Men's basketball coach Everett Case passed away on this date. His record at NC State was 378-133, and he led the team in numerous Southern Conference and ACC championships. At his funeral, his last recruiting class of players served as pallbearers. In 2012 he was inducted into the NC State Athletics Hall of Fame.

Student Body President

NC State student Wayne Mayfield is chosen as the most outstanding cadet of the AFROTC Field Training Unit at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

The 1967 Freshman Football team finishes the season with a perfect 5-0 record.

70 NC State students take 70 children from the Governor Morehead School and Garner Road School (both schools for the blind) trick-or-treating, and then to the YMCA for hot chocolate afterward. For many of these children, this is their first-ever chance to participate in Halloween traditions.

Heartley was one of the first African Americans on the basketball team. In 1969 he became the first African-American to be awarded a basketball scholarship at NC State. He later became the first African-American captain of the team (1970-1971), and the first African-American to win the Alumni Athletics trophy (1971).

Rules are established by the Campus Welfare Committee concerning the painting of the Free Expression Tunnel. Any use of obscenity or vulgarity "will be considered a Campus Code offense" and untasteful remarks will be removed.

D.H. Hill Jr. Library extends the closing hour from 11PM to 1AM.

After thefts of valuable volumes, a security system is installed in the D. H. Hill Jr. Library, and all doors are locked after service hours.

Student Body President

Students from NC State compete in the General Electric Academic College Bowl.

Leftwich was recruited to the basketball team. He was the first African American freshman to receive a basketball scholarship.

The Apollo VIII spacecraft launches, becoming the first human spaceflight mission to escape Earth's gravitational field; many NC State alumni and faculty play a role in both the development and launch of the spacecraft.

Eric Moore became the first African American Student Senate President.

Twenty-six NC State alumni, all employees of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), play a key role in the voyage of the Apollo 11 space mission, which is successful in placing the first men on the moon.

Student Body President

Clyde Chesney becomes the first African American to receive a football scholarship.

A group of students hold a rally to support better wages and working conditions for non-academic Physical Plant workers on campus. The protest is organized by the Society of Afro-American Culture and an offshoot of Students for a Democratic Society calling themselves "The Group."

NC State responds to a call for campus protests nationwide, as a "moratorium" against the Vietnam War. A faculty-student committee organizes a Vietnam Symposium, with Chancellor John Caldwell as keynote speaker and several faculty members talking on the impact of the war.

The 5th Dimension perform at Reynolds Coliseum.

David Mark Brown becomes one of 22 semi-finalists competing for the position of Homecoming Queen. Sponsored by Kappa Alpha Fraternity, Brown ran to promote higher campus interest in Homecoming.

Student Government passes a bill stating that students may place referendums on Student Senate election ballots by collecting signatures of at least 5% of the student body in favor of the referendum.

First female Student Body President

Willie Burden and Charley Young become the first African Americans to receive football scholarships as incoming freshmen.

Students form NC State's first African American Cultural Center, which was given space in the YMCA building.

7'3" high school All-American basketball player Tommy Burleson announced his decision to accept a scholarship offer to play for NC State. Burleson would go on to be a key member of NC State's 1974 National Championship team. He was also a member of the 1972 U.S. Olympic basketball team. In 2013 he was inducted into the NC State Athletics Hall of Fame.

NC State students hold a convocation on the Brickyard in the aftermath of U.S. expansion of the Vietnam War into Cambodia, and the death of four Kent State University students in Ohio. The following day, nearly 6,000 students from NC State and other colleges protest by marching on the State Capitol.

Jane Carol Pickard becomes the first female valedictorian.

Student Body President

Augustus M. Witherspoon becomes the second African American to earn a Ph.D. (in Botany) from NC State, and the first African American to receive a doctoral degree and go on to join the faculty.

Seven students found a local chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, making it NC State's first African American fraternity.

The Division of Student Affairs hires an African American counselor, makes financial aid available to African American students, and encourages African American cultural programs.

A group of students donate over 3000 books to Raleigh Central Prison, completing a drive to collect books to provide prisoners with study materials for high school equivalency tests.

Harris Cafeteria offers new $.99 dinners and $.89 breakfasts, each of which includes 1 entree, 2 vegetables, 2 rolls, 2 pieces of oleo, and a beverage.

Consolidated University of North Carolina President William C. Friday announces that the NC State may need to put a ceiling on enrollment, unless more funding can be appropriated.

The Technician receives its third consecutive "All-American" rating from the Associated Collegiate Press.

The first Pan-Afrikan Festival began and continued until April 2 that year. The festival featured lectures by C. T. Vivian and other speakers, as well as musical performances. This has been an annual event since then.

A snowstorm hits NC State, burying the campus in snow drifts.

Jim Wilkins of NC State sets a new time record of 4:01 in the individual mile run in Gainesville, Florida.

Technician editors finally explain what nematodes are, ending a 2-month series of nematode jokes which had run in the paper.

The Inter-Residence Council approves the construction of cooking spaces in all dorms, hoping to alleviate problems with students cooking illegally in their dorm rooms.

Free beer is offered during the first annual Student Government Coffee House Party, with no reported incidents.

NC State publishes "In a Black Perspective." This pamphlet tallies the university's black community at nine professors and 222 students (out of a total 13,809), and lists courses focusing on black history and culture: two in Political Science and one on race relations in Sociology.

The UNC System is created, with NC State as one of the constituent campuses. A Board of Governors is established at the system level, but a new Board of Trustees is instituted at NC State to oversee matters specific to the university.

Student Body President

Dean of Student Affairs Banks Talley has been issued parking sticker A0007. When asked if he had any connection to James Bond, who is Agent 007, Talley replied that he is not a spy - though many students believe his office has spies everywhere.

The Technician is named the best newspaper in the Southeast during the 8th annual Southeastern College Newspaper Competition.

NC State student Jim Wilkins sets another record in the individual mile run in a meet against Wake Forest, breaking his own previous record from the year before.

The NC State Forestry Team take home the championship at the annual Conclave, an event based around forestry skills such as logging, timer estimation, sawing, log rolling, etc.

NC State students join an anti-war protest on the steps of the State Capitol in response to the U.S. bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong in North Vietnam.

The college radio station WKNC announces it will go off the air for the remainder of the school year, due to an air conditioner failure in the studio.

Over 1000 students march down Hillsborough Street from campus to the State Capitol to protest the Vietnam War, staging a rally on the capitol steps.

The Talley Student Center opened in June 1972 (shown here before the installation of the fountain and courtyard). It replaced the Erdahl-Cloyd building (now the west wing of D.H. Hill Jr. Library) as the campus student center.

Interior of D. H. Hill Jr. Library, showing the documents card catalog. A few years after this photo was taken, in 1975, the NC State University Libraries commenced “computerized” cataloging of the book collection, which led to the development of the online catalog.

A fire originating form a fan causes $2500 in damage to Suite 602 in Bowen Residence Hall, making the room unusable for the rest of the semester.

Comedian David Frye puts on a show at the Student Center Theatre.

A massive student housing shortage leaves 260 students without housing as classes begin.

NC State enrollment for the fall term hits a new record of 13,800.

An auction is held on campus selling off men to the service of women for one day, and raising $175 for the Morehead School of the Blind.

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Nannette Smith Henderson becomes the first African American woman to be awarded a Ph.D. at NC State, with a degree in Plant Pathology.

Kathy Bounds, Deb Webb, and Genie Jordan organize a basketball club for women.

David Thompson was named NC State's first African American All-American winner in basketball. In 2012 he was inducted into the NC State Athletics Hall of Fame.

The two buildings were dedicated during a ceremony at which the North Carolina State University Symphony Orchestra and Choir presented a concert. The 816-seat theater had opened during the Fall 1972 semester. It was named for James Jackson Stewart, Jr., Dean of Student Affairs from 1954 to 1969.

The controversial film "Birth of a Nation" is shown in Stewart Theatre.

An International Fair was held in the Student Center, exposing students to cultures and customs from around the world.

Student body presidents from NC State, Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill and UNC-Greensboro publish a joint statement urging the impeachment of President Nixon, complete with 12 reasons why the proceedings should begin.

An announcement is made that Alexander Hall will become a dorm for international students.

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A Women's Basketball team is established for the first time. The team included two African American women, Gwen Jenkins and Cynthia Steele.

In 1974, African American students called for a new cultural center. Student Body President Terry Carroll presented a “four point” request to Chancellor Caldwell, which included a request for the first floor of the Print Shop to be turned over to the Society of Afro-American Culture for an African American Cultural Center. Banks C. Talley, dean of student affairs, complied with this request.

NC State's campus is plunged into a complete power failure for an hour and forty minutes, starting at 11:10pm. The failure was caused by faulty equipment.

An anti-death penalty rally is held on campus, lasting two days.

University administration reverse their stance on streaking, banning the "sport" on campus due to the very high number of streakers running around campus causing havoc.

En route to topping Marquette for NC State's first NCAA Men's Basketball championship, State beats UCLA 80-77, sparking a huge riot on Hillsborough Street.

NC State defeats Marquette, 76-64, in the finals of the NCAA Basketball Tournament in Greensboro, NC, to win the 1974 National Championship. Junior forward David Thompson is named the Tournament MVP. The Wolfpack also receive key contributions from Tom Burleson, Monte Towe, Tim Stoddard, and Mo Rivers during the championship run.

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Men's Gymnastics and Women's Softball and Volleyball begin varsity play.

A chapter of Delta Sigma Theta is established, becoming the first African American sorority chapter on campus.

The Craft Shop in the basement of the Frank Thompson Theatre began to be listed as the Craft Center in university directories.

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Susan Yow becomes the first NC State female to be named an All-American athlete.

A group of students formed the New Horizons Choir to sing gospel music. Eleania B. Ward was the group's original director. For a number of years New Horizons sang services for the Black Student Fellowship.

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Ted Brown becomes the first African American named an All-American in football. In 2012 he was inducted into the NC State Athletics Hall of Fame.

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Laundry detergent is dumped into the Student Center fountain, causing a mass of bubbles and a great deal of work for the maintenance crew.

Student Government's "The Day" and the Inter-Residence Council's "Zoo Day" are combined (retaining the latter name), as a day for students to relax and take a break from the pressures of the end of the academic year. Zoo Day was held along Cates Avenue, offering a day of free beer, field games, and concerts.

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Worth T. Blackwood retires after twenty years as Security Chief at NC State. During Blackwood's tenure, the security force grew from seven to twenty-two officers.

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Julie Shea wins the first of two consecutive ACC Athlete of the Year awards, and becomes the first woman to receive the Alumni Athletics trophy at NC State.

A ceremony marks the beginning of the new Wolfline bus service on campus. The service initially has only one route, intended to serve students who live off-campus.

First-year head football coach Monte Kiffin arrives at the first pep rally of the season in a helicopter.

A van called the "Meal Mobile" begins dispensing food around campus. The mobile snackbar is run by Food Services.

WKNC broadcasts silence for ten minutes as a tribute to John Lennon, who was murdered the previous week.

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Mr. Wuf and Ms. Wuf were married in a mock wedding ceremony by the Wake Forest Demon Deacon mascot during halftime of a Men's Basketball game at Reynolds Coliseum. The two were joined in "canis matrimonium," and Chancellor Joab Thomas gave the bride away.

NC State's new School of Veterinary Medicine holds classes for the first time; initial enrollment is 40 students, selected from 126 applicants.

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Iranian students protest the execution of 50 people by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. The students ask to remain anonymous for fear of losing their rights in Iran.

Chancellor Bruce Poulton instituted the annual Brotherhood Dinner to honor African Americans who have made important contributions to the nation and the world. The annual dinner continued for more than 25 years, and honorees included John Hope Franklin, Gwendolyn Brooks, C. T. Vivian, Julian Bond, and John Lewis. In 1978, there may have been an earlier brotherhood dinner honoring Samual Nesbritt.

Approximately 8,000 women students are enrolled in a student body of 22,632. More than one third of the undergraduates are women, the highest percentage of women to be enrolled at NC State to that date.

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The air conditioning system in Harrelson Hall breaks down, sending temperatures in some classrooms into the 90s.

All three seniors from NC State's 1983 national championship Men's Basketball team are selected in the NBA draft. Thurl Bailey is chosen 7th overall by the Utah Jazz, Sidney Lowe is chosen by the Chicago Bulls with the first pick of the second round, and Dereck Whittenburg is picked in the third round by the Phoenix Suns.

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Student Body President

The Union Activities Board begins offering a class on windsurfing.

Technician entertainment writer Lee Johnson is unable to interview rock band Hüsker Dü following their show at The Brewery because his tape recorder was damaged during the show.

In the fall of 1986, women make up thirty-eight percent of the student body, the highest percentage of women enrolled to that time.

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Howell was the first African-American to serve as Student Body President. He was a political science major. After graduation, he eventually became the university's primary liaison with state and local governments. In 2016 he became the senior vice president for external affairs of the UNC System.

Black student leaders gathered at the Student Center to discuss campus issues. The low graduation rate for black students, the lack of African American faculty members and athletic administrators, and the discriminatory discipline practices within the athletics department were problems cited by black leaders during this meeting.

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The first FOL booksale was held in 1988.

The NCSU College Bowl Team competes in the "Varsity Sport of the Mind," and wins the national championship.

NC State's first Take Back the Night march and rally was held to protest violence against women. This has been an annual event since.

The Women's Studies Program is established, with Barbara Risman as its first director.

The Women's Resource Coalition is formed as an outgrowth of the Women Students Advisory Board, organized in the fall of 1988.

Nixon was the second African American to become student body president at NC State.

June became the first African American to serve as editor of the student newspaper.

The Information Technologies Teaching Center (ITTC) is established in the D. H. Hill Jr. Library, initially funded through a gift from the Class of 1990.

A new addition to the D. H. Hill Jr. Library (South Tower) opened. Besides bookstack space, this addition featured a special facilities room and the Class of 1989 Reading Room.

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The first campus-wide newsletter on women's issues, The Newsstand, is published.

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African American Cultural Center opened in the new Student Center Annex (later renamed Witherspoon Student Center). In 1992, following months of student and faculty protests, NCSU administrators granted the African American Cultural Center an operating budget.

The Women's Center opened with Jan Rogers as its coordinator. Rogers began the Women's Leadership Education and Action Program (LEAP), which aimed to enhance the experience of women in nontraditional fields such as math, science, and engineering.

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The new Student Center Annex included meeting space, a library, and a multipurpose room. It was later renamed the Witherspoon Student Center.

The Public Safety office unveils a new bicycle patrol. Officers feel that the bicycles have advantages over patrol cars, including "mobility, stealth, and speed."

The Sista 2 Sistuh Network is established to support African-American women at NC State.

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NC State basketball player Tom Gugliotta is selected by the Washington Bullets as the sixth overall pick in the NBA draft.

Students welcome the addition of Taco Bell and Li'l Dino Subs to the University Student Commons.

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Johnson was the third African American to become student body president at NC State.

Several student groups organized an anti-hate rally in Harris Field in response to recent rapes on campus, sexual harassment in classrooms, racist remarks from professors, and anti-gay messages in the Free Expression Tunnel.

African American students were elected to six top leadership positions. They were Bobby Johnson, Student Body President; Tasha Youngblood, Student Body Treasurer; Kanton Reynolds, Student Body Chief Justice; Tracy Avery, Student Center/UAB President; Christine Verleger, Senior Class President; and Tiffany Price, Senior Class Vice-President;

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Self-service circulation began in the D. H. Hill Jr. Library.

The NCSU Libraries begins twenty-four hour service (Sunday through Thursday), funded by university tuition-increase revenue that faculty advocated be allocated to the Libraries.

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Student Body President

A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena, located next to Carter-Finley Stadium, which was being built as the new home of NC State Men's Basketball and the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes. This became the RBC Center and, later, the PNC Arena.

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Jenny Chang was elected as Student Body President from 1998-1999.

Chancellor Marye Anne Fox issued a statement on "Supporting Diversity and Building the Campus Community through Tolerance of Difference." The statement included sexual orientation as one of several factors in making NC State a diverse student body.

Fraternity Court was renamed Greek Village.

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Raj Mirchandani was elected as Student Body President from 1999-2000.

The NC State Men's Basketball team beats Georgia, 67-63, in their first game at the PNC Arena (formerly the RBC Center).

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The Technician becomes a daily publication during the academic semesters for the first time.

After an overtime football victory over Georgia Tech at Carter-Finley Stadium, NC State students tear down a goalpost and carry it down Hillsborough Street towards campus, making it as far the Waffle House; the goalpost costs $5,000 to replace.

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134 NC State athletes are named to the ACC's 50th Anniversary Teams in twenty-one sports.

The African American Student Advisory Council begins issuing report cards grading the university on enrollment, retention, and graduation of African American students. The report card gave NCSU an F for recruiting black students.

The Hill of Beans coffee bar opened in the D. H. Hill Jr. Library.

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Student Body President

The Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) program is established with 56 freshman women with majors in PAMS and the College of Engineering. As of 2009, this "living and learning village" has a full complement of 256 women majoring in five colleges across campus, and a high school chapter has been established at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics.

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African American students participated in a sit-in at a Student Senate meeting to express concern for the lack of funding for African American organizations. Out of $40,000 of appropriations, African American organizations received a mere $755. The Student Senate agreed to send the bill back to committee for re-evaluation.

"The Pirate Captain"

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Enrollment was more that 30,000 students in the fall semester this year.

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Student Body President

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Student Body President

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Greek Village reopened with the newly constructed Kappa Delta house. Redevelopment of Greek Village had begun in 2008 when the aging buildings began to be demolished.

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During Parker's term, Student Government changed the Constitution to create a Vice President to be elected with the President and with direct succession to the later position.

The donation provided additional funding for the Park Scholars program.

With the new construction and remodeling, Phase I of the new Talley Student Union opened with four new dining options and the Talley Market.

Chancellor Randy Woodson announced this scholarship endowment in memory of NC State alumni Deah Barakat and Yusor Abu-Salha and NC State student Razan Abu-Salha, who had been killed on February 10.

The student newspaper also began publishing in a tabloid format.

According to data from the Office of Institutional Research and Planning, in 2018 NC State had a total of 2,282 enrolled students who were identified as Asian, out of a student body of 35,479. The data does not distinguish U.S. nationals or international students within the Asian enrollment data.