Holly Mead

Through various letters Mary Elizabeth Browning describes Mount Holyoke as a sheltered, tight knit, traditional community in the 1950’s. The archives similarly reflect that life in the college at this time included strict curfews, plenty of formal dances, a feeling of unity, and high academic expectations among an essentially homogenous group of white women. Once they were accepted and arrived here, it was assumed they would become and remain a certain type of student that paralleled these principles. I argue that the kind of students attending Mount Holyoke College today, in comparison, are not expected to follow these guidelines, allowing them much more freedom and expression. This independence comes at a price though, because the structure brought on by the college creates feelings of “togetherness” lost in present times.

The archives and special collections reveal that in the past the college held up many important traditions and promoted a variety of events for the students to attend. Hazing Day, as described in Mary Browning’s letter (Nov. 9, 1947), was a recurring tradition in which all the first years and seniors bonded. Mary names her group of friends that made their costumes together and states that she “really didn’t mind Hazing Day at all”. This ritual no longer exists at Mount Holyoke, and even more surprising is the fact that a student would even tell her parents about it. I do not think hazing is held in such a positive light, and also as a mode of bonding as it was in the 1950’s.

Another important tradition was the “big sisters” program, (where juniors assigned to particular freshmen). According to the Freshmen Handbook in 1947, (which was written by the juniors), the big sisters would pick them up at the train station and basically become their mentors from then on. The sisters gave advice, rules, and estimations of what college life would be like for them- a seemingly comforting and even critical part of bonding with other classes. From my own experience I have seen the big sister program severely declining in importance. Many students last year didn’t even meet their big sisters and this doesn’t seem to be out of the ordinary. The current Student Handbook for 2003-2004 briefly mentions big sisters as a “well established tradition” (p. 61), which I feel is a definite overstatement.

A subsequent Mary Browning letter (1948) discusses a formal dance called the Snowball. Mary clearly wishes to attend the dance, but does not yet have a date. It is concluded from the letter that it is unusual to not have a date from one of the prestigious schools of Amherst, Williams, or Princeton. She goes on to provide explanations of why she does not have a date and lists the other girls who are also single (p.1). This seems to be a justification on Mary’s part, because she writes the whole first paragraph solely on this topic. I contend that she is anxious about the dance because it is implied that without a date, a student was not expected to attend the dance at all. She writes, “I wish I could go, but I won’t get upset if I do have to stay home, as I know I will have plenty of company” (p. 1). The dances at Mount Holyoke today are not nearly this rigid. It is very common for students to go alone or just with friends. A new “tradition” in the area of dances is the increasingly popular Drag Ball, where female students dress up as males, and rarely have a date from a neighboring school. With the perception towards female roles and attitudes in the 50’s, I argue that Mount Holyoke would not have tolerated such an event, much less sponsor it.

The college also went to great lengths to strictly enforce its rules in Mary’s time. Curfews were significant to students’ social lives because by breaking them, they acquired a “loss of regs” (p.40) according to the SGA Handbook. These “regs” meant students could not register to extend their 11:00pm curfew to attend other events, go on dates, etc. Other rules which have been dismissed in present times include: no baths or showers after 11:00pm (p.34), students were only allowed to drive their family’s car when they were visiting (p.40), walking in groups after dark (p.41), and the requirement to wear a knee length coat over shorts if she is not participating in sports (p.41). It was also common knowledge that students were required to attend Chapel regularly, and needed permission to go elsewhere. All students needed to take a instruction in personal hygiene, body mechanics, and posture, and were constantly reminded to be body conscious by having their weight recorded. As I flip through the pages of the 1948 Llamarada Yearbook, it appears to be a collection of white women being social, yet studious. Little accompanying comments are written under their pictures, Some say, “food for thought”, where the students are only drinking tea and eating small portions, or “Babe Ruth”, showing a student playing softball in a skirt while wearing makeup.

I argue that collectively these conditions of conformity, perpetuated mainly by rules, tradition, and the expected social conduct, led to an overall homogeneity among the student population. Aside from the admissions process, once a woman came to Mount Holyoke College she was expected to adapt to this sort of generic student prototype that adheres to the rules and fits in. On the opposite end of the spectrum, present day Mount Holyoke students are not pushed in any one direction, which has created positive and negative results. They are given freedom of curfews, dress, and sexuality but at the same time I feel this independence and loss of many traditions has left students without a common bond.

Bibliography

South Hadley, Massachusetts. Archives and Special Collections, Mount Holyoke

The Mount Holyoke College Freshman Handbook, 1947-1948

Student Handbook for 2003-2004

SGA Handbook

1948 Llamarada Yearbook