 Gradually , as the university grew , more buildings were constructed on campus and a trolley system was built to connect the growing university to downtown Grand Forks . However , there were several major interruptions in the life of the university . In 1918 , UND was the hardest @-@ hit single institution in the country by the flu epidemic which killed 1 @,@ 400 people in North Dakota alone . Later that year , classes were suspended so the campus could become an army base for soldiers during World War I. During the Great Depression , UND provided free housing to students willing to do manual labor on campus . " Camp Depression , " as it was called , consisted of railroad cabooses that housed eight male students each . " Camp Depression " students did not get regular meals from the cafeteria and had to be satisfied with only free leftovers . However , a number of Grand Forks citizens often opened their homes and kitchen tables to many of these young men . 
