Records of the Department of Women's Physical Education

As early as the 1907-1908 school year, Colorado Agricultural College (now Colorado State University) female students were expected to participate in gymnasium during their freshman and sophomore years. Physical training was established during the 1910-1911 school year. Mrs. Agnes Upson was the instructor in physical culture for women. All female students were required to complete a course in physical culture during their freshman through junior years; seniors and students in the Musical Department were exempt. Exercises included marching, calisthenics, apparatic games, tennis, quoits, basketball, walking, and the use of dumb bells. Elizabeth Forbes was hired to teach physical training for women in 1920. In 1921, the Women's Club Building opened, for the first time giving women on campus their own locker room, gymnasium, and swimming pool.

To encourage women to participate in intramurals such as field hockey, tennis, volleyball, archery, and soccer, Forbes established the Women's Athletic Association (WAA) in May 1922. The Department of Physical Education was established for the 1925-1926 school year, with separate courses for men and women. The Physical Education Majors (PEM) Club was a group open to all women students majoring or minoring in physical education. The club's purpose was to promote good fellowship among women in physical education and extend professional opportunities and knowledge to its members.