Fjelstad Hall
Fjelstad held about 134 women. Fjelstad Hall was also where Dean of Women Theresa Holt’s office was located. Holt was determined to help women contribute to the war effort. She trained and educated women for new jobs that were offered in the U.S. The men were shipped overseas to fight, so the women had to take over their jobs at home (11). It was estimated that 5 million women were placed in war industries by December 1943. Holt offered training programs for life and social sciences to prepare young women at Concordia for industry jobs (12). By 1945, the female presence in the workforce had increased from 27% to 37%. The U.S. government ran propaganda ads to encourage women working in industries. The famous “Rosie the Riveter” posters came into circulation during this time. Rosie represented the hard-working industry woman who supported her country (13).
Many women served in military positions during the war. Women had the option of enlisting in the U.S. Armed Forces. An estimated 350,000 women joined. Women joined either the Women’s Army Corps (WACs) or the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES). These two groups did not send women into combat, but gave them other jobs in the States. There were seventy-nine women at Concordia who joined these types of groups. They usually worked in auxiliary series as clerks or typists. Jean Ahlness Stebinger is one example. Stebinger graduated from Concordia in ’43 and was then accepted to work for the Department of State. She was trained and then sent to Cairo, Egypt to work in the American Embassy (14). She assisted in organizing meetings between political leaders such as President Franklin Roosevelt and the King of Saudi Arabia.