Post Author: dollinca
Belle Meade Motel. http://www.bonanza.com/listings/Linen-Postcard-BELLE-MEADE-MOTEL-Harrisonburg-VA-1956/37987528
At the dawn of the decade, Madison College had an enrollment of just over 4,000 students with a male to female ratio of twenty-five to seventy-five.(Hilton, 37) President Carrier had big plans for the small teachers college, and immediately catered to men. By the fall of 1974, enrollment was over 6,500 students, forty percent of whom were male. By 1975, enrollment surpassed 7,300 students and finally by 1980 enrollment was nearing 9,000 students.(Hilton, 38) Four new dormatories including Weaver, Ikenberry, White, and Chandler were built between 1971 and 1974 to try to keep up with the growing numbers, however the administration often fell short.
In the fall of 1972, an abnormally high number of accepted students chose to attend Madison College. The Breeze reported that normally only half of accepted students accept to attend a school, however in the case for the incoming class of 1976, over 70% of the accepted applicants chose to attend Madison College.(Chaudet, Breeze) During the fall 1972 semester all dorm rooms were full, many with three students. This forced the administration to quickly look for alternative housing off campus until the housing debacle was aleviated. Thus 210 female students were housed at the Massanetta Springs campground while thirty-two men were housed in the Belle Meade Motel on Route 11 South(Currently the Red Carpet Inn). The Breeze also indicated that 140 students were housed in the Showalter Apartments, these the first students to take up residence in what would become a complex owned by the college.(Ligman, Breeze)
The girls housed at Massanetta Springs developed a love-hate relationship with the campground. These students were faced with many inconveniences such as the lack of heat, hot water, and study facilities. A bus commuted to and from Massanetta Springs from campus every hour. On the other hand, the females were described as enjoying “swimming, canoeing, and picnics,” therefore developing a “camp attitude.”(Ligman,Breeze) The conditions for the males on the south side of town at Bell Meade were described as “plush.” Bell Meade was completed with “wall-to-wall carpeting, color television, a swimming pool, and double beds.”(Ligman, Breeze)
This time serves to be of great importance, as it marks the beginning of a student move into off-campus housing. Before this, those students who lived off-campus were either locals living with parents or what was considered a “day student.” Because of this housing situtation, the administration expanded Showalter Apartments from 140 to 300 students by 1974.(Showalter) As Madison College grew into what would become James Madison University, students began living off-campus more out of desire rather than out of necessity.
Works Cited
Chaudet, Suzanne, “70% Choose to Attend Fall Session,” The Breeze, Sept 15, 1972 page 1.
Hilton, Fred D. Changing from a College to a University: Madison College to James Madison University 1971-1977, Harrisonburg, VA: James Madison University, 1996.
Ligman, Linda, “Massanetta Houses Girls.” The Breeze, Sept. 15, 1972 page 1,3.
“Showalter Expands,” The Breeze, April 13, 1973 page 1.