Spangenburg, Doris

The Microcosm's page on the Debate Squad referenced the effect of World War II on the size of the team. As a result of the lack of male "veterans," three women tried out for the team during the first semester and were the first women "in recent history" to represent Dickinson in forensic contests. According to the Microcosm, President Corson approved their participation in the debate squad and hoped that more women would become involved every year.

In the 1944 Microcosm, the Dickinsonian is staffed mostly by female students with Kathleen Briner as the editor-in-chief. The 1943 Microcosm reveals that the Dickinsonian had mostly male students on its staff as well as a male editor-in-chief. In 1944, the description for the Dickinsonian cites the difficulties the staff faced due to wartime shortages and their efforts to send copies of the newspaper to Dickinson's servicemen.