Post Author: minksc
The Ladies’ Regulations
The rules and regulations of Madison College in the 1950s and 1960s stated that the college was acting as guardian over the students while they were away from home. Unless female students were in the company of their parent they were under the jurisdiction of Madison College. The activities of Madison College’s female students were set forth by the Parental Approval Card and enforced by the college. It specified which activities a female student was allowed to participate in, and which activities were forbidden. The card was sent to a female student’s parents and was to be returned to the college before the start of fall semester. Each woman student was responsible for knowing the privileges awarded and restrictions placed upon her by her parent. The cards were kept on file in the student’s dormitory and could be checked at any time by the student. In addition to the rules set forth by their parents each woman student was subject to the dating and other off campus activity rules. The 1969-1970 Madison College Student Handbook dedicated six pages of text to the regulations for female students.
Some of the Dating rules and Regulations for the Women Students of Madison College.
- Sign out of her dormitory if she leaves campus at any time.
- Sign out of her dormitory if she intends to entertain her date in one of the campus dating centers past 11pm.
- At NO time, except for registered parties with six or more person in attendence were students to go into a hotel, motel, or trailer bedroom with their dates.
- All campus organizations wishing to hold an event had to register it and satisfy requirements of an approved chaperone.
- Students were not to ride with more that seven people in a sedan.
- All students without dates had to return to their dorms no later than 11:15pm.
- Freshman students with dates could remain out until 12am Sunday-Thursday, and until 1am Friday-Saturday.
- Upperclassman were allowed to stay out until 1am Sunday-Thursday, and until 2am Friday-Saturday.
- When students attended late movies they were required to return to their dorms within 20 minutes of the end of the movie, and their late cards had to specifiy what late movie they were going to see.
The addition of dormitory regulations regarding all students was added to the Student Handbook in 1966 with the arrival of men full time on campus. Rules were implimented that limited the amount of time female students could spend in male dorms, and dictated where their presence was appropriate. It was the presence of men that prompted dissatisfaction with the rules. While it is likely that complaints concerning the dating policy had been brought up before men were present on campus, the fact is that they were always there.
The Guys’ Regulations
Male students were still a relatively new addition to the campus of Madison College during the 1970s. Even with numbers increasing, female students greatly outnumbered their male counterparts. The men of Madison College were not as highly regulated as the women. Like the female students, male students fell under “in loco parentis” while attending Madison College, but their parent’s were not given the option to sign a Parental Approval Card to regulate social activities. In the 1969-1970 Student Handbook most of the rules imposed upon women students were omitted in regards to men, Madison College’s policies on drugs, alcohol, violence, automobiles and smoking covered both male and female students. The rules that remained are only slight alterations of basic women’s rules. MEN could only be in the public areas of WOMEN’S dormitories, the opposite rule was in effect for female students. The dress code for men required appropriate attire for their sex, the same dress code applied to the ladies. The handbook for the 1969-1970 school year only had two pages of rules listed for men.
Noticeable Difference
The regulations at Madison College seem to force higher standards upon the female students over the men. They were expected to act that reflected the grace, poise, and knowledge that had gained. The goal was to get them through college with their virtue in tact, and “in loco parentis” made Madison College responsible for seeing that this happened. Perhaps the college did not feel the need to publish the same regulations for male students, because ladies abiding by their rules would force men to do so too. Female students had a dating curfew, and while men did not, who would they have gone out with once curfew was in effect?
Madison College Student Handbooks 1965-1970, “Women’s Student Government.” Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.
Featured Image. Control# Aervh016. JMU Historic Photos Online, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.