Like the University’s administration, Carolina’s students initially were opposed to entering the war.  At first the European conflict was limited to academic discussions and debates, but as America’s entry into the conflict grew closer, patriotic fervor swept through the students. They filled campus publications with articles, artwork and poetry espousing duty, honor, and service to God and country, embracing a romanticized view of war as a great and glorious adventure.

Among the short stories that appeared in the Carolinian magazine were tragic romances including a soldier who hastily married his sweetheart before shipping out, only to find true love with a French girl he could not have; a soldier who died in a trench clutching the photograph of “a beautifully sad French girl;” and a courtship that led to a wedding, only to have German bombs destroy the church during the ceremony, killing everyone inside.

The Garnet and Black yearbook also reflected the students’ patriotism, with red, white and blue artwork, images of the ROTC, SATC, and wartime activities, and articles on the ways in which faculty and alumni were supporting the war effort.  The 1918 edition was dedicated to “Men who exalt honor above security, liberty above life, humanity above self.”  Students also demonstrated their patriotism by decorating for social events, such as dances, with the colors of the American flag.

Female students were not allowed in the ROTC, but they did serve at home and overseas in the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and the Young Women’s Christian Association.  The University offered Red Cross classes during the war to help meet the demand for medical training, and Carolina’s coeds joined local Red Cross units to help make bandages and aid kits to send to American troops.