Access: Progress and Pushbacks
The fight for access was defined by its ebb and flow. At UT, dramatic progress, or often any progress at all, was met with intense resistance. These resistance groups, ranging from members of the university administration to members of the Klu Klux Klan, had varying levels of success in their fight. Ultimately, however, the drive for progress was successful. On this page, you can discover different elements of the pushback and progress in the fight for housing. From threat letters written by the KKK to memos crafted by the Dean of Women, this page displays the methods used to fight both for and against access to housing.
Financial Barriers
Co-Op housing is, by organization, a self sufficient, self funding endeavor. This flyer illustrates the methods by which organizations, like the Student Cooperative League shown here, would fundraise. Groups like this worked to bridge the funding gap co-ops experienced due to low rents, insufficient university funding, and rising costs.
Racial Barriers
One of the most prolific, and most violent, barriers encountered in the fight for housing access were racial ones. Groups like the Klu Klux Klan worked to stifle any attempts at integration. In this letter, the KKK threatened a Black co-op for holding events on the premises. These intimidation tactics proved ineffective, and failed to stop the progression of integration.
Proponents of Progress
Access to housing was not a project that was supported by all those in university leadership throughout the 20th century. In fact, it was a project that was propelled by the dedication of a small group of faculty and staff. This letter written by Dean Gebauer details her discontent with the progress made by the University in terms of low-cost housing. Here, she is making a case for its necessity and encouraging its quick implementation
Above you can find the details of women's housing that was projected to be placed on UT's campus. Throughout the pamphlet there are blueprints, details and cost projections for this project. Today, these buildings still stand at 2610 Whitis Avenue, and provide housing for students attending the Univeristy.