Tlll‘ Scarlet & Black. November ll. l977—pagc 8

 

Three on the floor becomes close the door

We’re the Pioneers of 01’ Grinnell

liy Elaine Asllbaugh

Grinnell's rules and regulations
on student deportment have not
always been as conveniently
to sew. lznre as they appear today.
Not surprismgly, Grinnell's at-
titude has changed with the
prevailing currents of the times,

' albeit frequently with more
liberality.

Although Grinnell’s background
is deeply rcliglous. stressing high
moral standards for all its students
and faculty, actual rules were
loosely defllled In its ”formative
years " A catalogue of 1350-51
simply states that, on the Sabbath.
students must regularly attend
“some place of worship," Rules
also require that students attend
“puncitlally and regularly” all the
exercises for their classes and
make good use of “the hours set
apart" for studying, but they do not
set guidelines or specify penalties
[or either,

l.\' some ways, the student of the
fifties teigliteen. that is) must have
resembled the student of today.
Otherwise rules attempting to
keep him from an even closer
resemblance need not have been
formulated: "Profanity, ob»
scenity, lewdiiess, playing at cards
or billiards. or any unlawful
games, and the use of intoxicating
drinks as a beverage shall not be
tolerated." Stated a rule of tlle
[856$] Catalogue.

THE catalogue of 18560
specified that “candidates for
admission to the freshman class
must be iourteen years of age,
present adequate testimonials at
good moral character" and do
satisfactorily on exams, Once the
students entered the college, the
faculty was to “take the oversight
at their morals and deportment."

Regular inspections of student
rooms apparently encouraged

, compliance to the rules on general
neatness and against marring of
woodwork or pounding nails in the
walls of the rooms. Such in-
spections also were designed to
support the rule that “the use of
alcoholic fluids for light, the

 

keeping of gunpowder, fire arms,
and other dangerous weapons, and
the use of tahacco are strictly
forbidden in the college buildings,”

WHEREAS rules of the 18505!
Catalogue appear quite general,
very specific rules were included
by 1356. Between 9 and 12 in the
morning, 1:15 and 4:15 in the air
lei-noon and7 and 9 o’clock at night
students were required to study-
tpresumabiy only if not attending
Classes).-”During those hours
students shall avoid every thing
which would divert or annoy
others,” a rule states, Morning and
evening prayers in the Chapel were
required, Teachers kept records of
absences and tardinesses to
classes as well as other required
gatherings Five unexcused marks
warranted private reproval by the
presiding faculty officer Tell such
marks met with a public
reprimand before all the other
students at morning prayer,
Suspension for a “proper” period
was in order following fifteen
unexcused absences.

Although the college drafted
strict regulations. ~tudcnt come
pliance must have been quite
general According to a report of
the faculty to the trustees in 1856,
“The moral character and general
deportment oi the students we
think will Compare [a\ orably with
any similar bodies of youth in the
seminaries of our older states.”

A specific rule under the heading
of “College Laws” in the 1861452
catalogue banned numerous types
of entertainment, ”Everything in
the department and habits of
Students which will interfere with
their highest mental and moral
development is prohibitedenot
only profanity, obscenity, the use
of intoxicating drinks as a
beverage, gambling, etc., but also
attendance at balls or dancing
parties, card-playing, and absence
from their rooms during study
hours without permission." In
addition, students were required to
observeSabbath strictly, attending
public worship at least twice on
that day.

Photo by Chris Lower

Modern-[lily Romeo rc-cnacts passionate frustration of past ('3) days.

By 1863, a faculty report
specifically cites cases where
students had overstepped such
artificial boundaries, Expldsion of
one 'or more students was an-
ticipated it the rule against use of
tobacco in college buildings was
enforced The taculty asked that
the trustees either enforce or
rescind the rule, apparently
favoring the latter option theme
selves. while at the same time

liiis qua tot imuis right along

"no scoi Photo by Chris Lower

calling for an enlarged number of
more specific rules in the next
catalogue,

TllE Catalogue of 151964 did
introduce new and stricter rules
for students. According to one,
students could not attend more
than two public meetings during
the secular week. All students had
to be in their rooms by 10 pm
Required study hours were in-
creased oy an hour and a half, with
an extra hour in the morning and
half an hour more in the afternoon.

In the year 1865, when five
Grinnell students 'died fighting
in the Civil War within that year,
there were few cases. of
disciplineenone resulting in
suspension or expulsion.

1886 saw one student expelled
after a conviction for stealing, two
suspended for bad conduct, and
one privately dismissed, Such a
leap in the college “crime rate"
pressed the faculty to advise that
some “certificate of moral
character, so that we may know
that young persons coming here
are possessors of good moral
character," be required for ad-
missionr At the same time, in-
dependent boarding house keepers
were asked to inform the college of
student “improprieties” in their
offrcampus quarters

Admission was closed to four»
teeneyeareolds by 1366-67,
seemingly in an attempt to
decrease discipline problems in
addition, the requested certificate
of morals was required from a
minister or other respectable
person before admission could be
granted.

THE Trustees of Grinnell
College apparently avoided written
regulation of maleefemale student
relations as long as possible. Not
until 1866767 was the question
addressed in the laws listed in the
catalogue. The rule stated'
“Young gentlemen will be allowed
to visit young ladies connected
with the college only during the
vacation of study hours on
Saturday afternoon, except by
special permission oi the faculty."
Such Visitation never included
Visits to individuals’ rooms, but
only to central living spaces such
as boarding house “parlors ”

 

Due to limited collegeowned
housing, both males and females

were permitted to find off»campus
acccmodations “with special
permission of the faculty." College
rules dictated that Such Students,
like those living encampus or with
their parents, must abide by
college rules at all times. The same
rules supposedly restricted
students during their vacation
periods as well.

TO the rule thatstudents must be
in their rooms by 10 pm, the

a

. deiuoiisti ting that three fet-

Trustees added another restriction
in '67»68: students must not leave
town without special permission.

Although expanding Visiting
hours, the Trustees defined other
restrictions on maleefemale
relations in 188078], According to
the catalogue of that year, “Young
gentlemen will be allowed to visit
young ladies connected with the
Institution only on Friday evening,
and during the vacation of study
hours on Saturday afternoon,
except by special permission of the
faculty. Lady students shall not
ride or walk in company with
young gentlemen. nor accept
escort to or from public places, nor
attend private meetings of
societies in their company, without
the previous permission of the
Lady Principal,"

FINALLY, rules in this same
Catalogue reduced study hours,
Morning hours continued as o to 12,
but afternoon hours were cut to
between 2 and 4 pm. Evening
study hours, except between 0c
tober 1 and the end of the winter
term, started one hour lateriat 8
o’clock, By the next year, Friday
evening and Saturday morning and
afternoon required study time was
suspended.

Apparently a sign of the
changing times, the Catalogues at
the mid and late 80’s headed the
regulations with “Address to
Students" rather than the ”Laws”
or “Extracts: Laws Approved
June. 1871” of previous years, No
longer numbered, but instead put
in more informal, less didactic'
paragraph style, these “ad
dresses” asked “that the faculty
should be regarded as the friends
and counsellors of the students. . ”

IN this vein, the ’84'85 Catalogue
formulated a lunch less restrictive
rule on relations between the
sexes. “As both sexes are admitted
to Iowa College on equal terms,
careful attention should be given
to the rules of propriety by both,
and the known wishes of parents
and the faculty should be cone
sidered binding upon all and
regarded by them," the rule states.

By 189495, the heading for the
student regulations had changed to
“College Government " The rules
still required daily halt hour
prayer meetings in addition to
regular morning exercises in the

 

chapel. Under this section it was
stated, “The College has not lost
sight of the design of the founders
that it should be a thoroughly
Christian college 1'

COMING into the present cen-
tury, Grinnell's student rules
changed slowly, but, by today's
standards, were inordinately
harsh Daily chapel continued as a
requirement. Male-female
relations remained very much

'iiy mean

restricted, with women’s hours for
being out of the dorms steadily
increasing, but usually lagging
behind those of the men.

In the early 1960’s housemotheis
remained, but reportedly steered
clear of and ignored, die action
around them. Although visitation
between the men (all living on
North Campus) and the women ton
South) was still limited to a few
hours on weekends, imaginative
students reportedly found parks
and gull courses to their liking in
unrestricted, late-night hours.

WITH three outside doors and
numerous windows near ground
level, Langan Hall was a favorite
with many Grinnell men—and
their female friends,

Although the twostory spiked
tup iron fences between the
women’s dorms were installed for
prevention of visitation violations,
at least one male of the early
sixties regularly scaled them,
dressed in raincoat and scarf, and
walked undetected down the loggia
to his girlfriend’s room. Such “alle
nighters” apparently proved in
jurious to his academics: he
ultimately left school.

MALE-FEMALE visitation.
even by the late sixties, was
limited to Sunday afternoon, open
door sessions. with the door open
and three out of [our of a couple‘s
feet required to be on the floor,
possibilities were thought to be
limited,

The end of the sixties brought
with it unlimited visitation rights.
initially, response to student
complaint decreed that every hall
could have only a limited number
of Visitation hours, but the hours
could be scheduled at any time.
According to veterans of the
period, each hall proceeded to
choose ditterent visitations times.
Such irregularity in the hours of
each hall led to an anticipated
chaos in which students ultimately
gained full rights to viSltation

Although alternate coed dor-
mitories came in nearly a decade
ago. with “Coed by floor”
following close behind, “Man on
the floor!” remained a common
call until the very early seventies,
when the college decided to iorego
its in locus pareiitus attempts and
assume a relative maturity 'un the
part of wch individual student.

 

