The ideas of creating dorms was up for debate nationwide, and the consensus of several college presidents came back with a thumbs down on dorms. Graves pushed ahead, all the while hoping local church organizations would provide housing. So he decided to have two buildings constructed, one for men and one for women. He made student housing his top priority as he went to the Legislature for funding. If these dormitories are not established, the University can hope for little more than to hold its ground for the next years, he said.
Real growth is impossible.
The Legislature listened to the pitch, and came through. The UW s first dorms, Lewis and Clark Halls, were on the drawing board. As far as students were concerned, the UW was home free.