In November 1972 Circle K and the Student Senate sponsored the Free Service Bookstore, a nonprofit organization of volunteer students. Suggested prices for sale of books were 75 percent of retail, but students could sell their books at any price. The entity was initially located on the bottom floor of Melrose Hall. In 1974 the … Continued

Planning for an Alpha Delta Pi Fountain began in the mid-1960s as the sorority began to plan for the 50th anniversary of establishment of its chapter on the UT campus in 1920. A fund was started for a gift from the chapter to UT, and when leaders suggested a fountain, UT proposed that a fountain … Continued

The Free University, offering courses moderated by students or volunteer faculty, began in March 1969. Among the first courses offered were Free Poems Among Friends; Women’s Liberation, or Like Hell You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby; and Graffiti. The Free University’s catalog indicated that the Graffiti course would feature “guided tours through many of UT’s … Continued

In 1923 an annual foxhunt was established and wound its way through campus and the surrounding area. One student was designated as the “fox” and could go anywhere he pleased, as long as he left a mark every time he turned and that mark denoted the direction he went. Other students (hounds) were loosed 10 … Continued

Chattanoogan S. David Freemen earned the bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Georgia Tech and the LLB from UT. He served in various high-level government positions, including energy advisor to President Jimmy Carter. He previously had been an energy consultant to the US Senate Commerce Committee, head of the energy policy staff in the White … Continued

Frank’s Place was the student nickname for Clement Hall, named for Governor Frank Clement. Residents referred to themselves as “Frank’s Folks.”

UT pioneered in freezing technology, beginning studies with a contract from TVA to the Engineering Experiment Station to develop means of freezing strawberries. In the late 1930s, frozen strawberries and blackberries were shipped from the Agricultural Experiment Station in Knoxville across the country. In 1941 the Engineering Experiment Station published UT researcher Harry Carlton’s manual … Continued

In 1935 Sigma Chi employed the first housemother. In early 1936 Lambda Chi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and Kappa Alpha followed suit, and by the end of the academic year, housemothers were in place in all houses.

Male Freshmen at UT had worn green “caps” prior to World War I, and in 1921 a debate was held by the literary societies concerning whether the tradition should continue. By student referendum in December 1921, the 1921-22 “Freshman Cap” was established to be a green felt cap, jockey fashion, with a “UT” monogram, below … Continued

In 1954 the UT Board of Trustees was working on a Master Site Plan with its architect, and one element was to be a “fraternity row” concept, which would avoid having to have fraternities move because their houses were in the way of a university project. Kappa Sigma Fraternity was planning to build a new … Continued