Students in the early years lived a very simple life on campus.  They payed around seven dollars for tuition and then three to five dollars per week for boarding. Student housing was off campus, but keep in mind that the size of campus at the time was very small. Almost everyone attending the university was extremely poor, and most spent all of their earnings to attend.  There were clubs to be a part of but for the most part the school was small enough that everyone interacted with each other without a need for school-run activities.

The Hesperian was started in the mid 1880s and The Sombrero around the same time. These were both run by students and displayed their feelings aobut how the university was progressing. The students seemed to be in very high spirits and felt a real sence of community within the University at this time.