Faculty and students together joined to set the first traditions at the new school and decided to call themselves the Javelinas with their colors being blue and gold. All the people working together literally built the school because the legislature so underfunded a South Texas school where the large Spanish speaking population did not command much political respect, that maintenance and construction were chores that the faculty and students performed. Entertainment, in the small community was something that the entire group also had to find or produce through their own initiative. Religion was a strong component and all students attended chapel daily and participated in the community’s church activities. The main social activity of those early days was the celebration of the May Day Fete.  But, in 1929 the student body decided to make the Lantana Horida their school flower and thus for the next forty years each spring they would elect a Lantana Queen and her court and have a week long celebration that grew to include a parade and a ball, with the Queen, her court and a multitude of returning alumni. 

But, the people of South Texas wanted more education for their children and by 1927 there was a move to expand the mission of the school to include more preparation for jobs in science, industry and technology. Again the people of South Texas organized and fought to have the name of the school changed and the mission expanded.

In 1929, the Governor finally agreed to the growth in the school because he feared that if he did not the people of the Valley would insist on having another school opened in Edinburg. So he allowed the legislature to expand the offerings at the Kingsville school and in so doing to change the name to reflect that expanded mission. On September 22, 1929 the South Texas State Teachers College became Texas College of Arts and Industries, but, no additional funding was awarded to implement the new programs. Southern Association withdrew its accreditation because it said the school could not produce the necessary program with the funds it was awarded.  The faculty, students, and community came together to fight back and prove that they could produce the programs. This name change must have caused some consternation among the Javelina population in the area since there was a major problem on the last day that the school was South Texas State Teachers College.

1925-1929 continued