Student Issue, 1934—Denial of FERA Jobs to Fraternity and Sorority Members

In 1933, as part of the New Deal, President Franklin Roosevelt created the Federal Employment Relief Administration to help combat national unemployment, which stood at more than 20 percent. One part of the program sought to bring into colleges and universities students who otherwise would be on the labor rolls. UT participated in the program, which provided part-time jobs for 12 percent of the students enrolled (about 190 jobs), distributed equally between men and women, based on percent of enrollment. In October 1934 the UT FERA Board (Dean F. G. Massey, chair; Victor Davis, alumni secretary; Dean Harriet Greve; J. L. Raulston, Alumni Placement Bureau; and R. F. Thomason, registrar) issued a ruling that no student who had pledged or was a member of a fraternity or sorority could have one of the jobs. The Interfraternity Council, supported by the sororities’ Panhellenic Council, vocally advocated for a change in the policy, taking action to notify the Tennessee FERA head in Nashville and asserting appeals at the federal level if necessary. In November it was reported that the Interfraternity Council and Dean Massey had reached a compromise of undisclosed terms resolving the public debate, but that was disputed in an official statement by Chairman Massey, who indicated that the discussion had resulted in establishment of a method of procedure. In November the Tennessee FERA administrator, Col. Walter Simpson, issued a statement upholding the decision of the UT FERA Board. FERA jobs required that work performed be “socially desirable” and included, at UT, research, clerical duties, and manual labor that improved the university’s properties. FERA was replaced by the WPA and the National Youth Administration.