1910-1919

The Annual Doll Show Dance, 1915

Date
1915

This photograph depicts students attending the Doll Show Party, an
annual charitiable event on Dickinson's campus. Many of the women in the photo are clad in men's clothing.

Esther Popel Shaw, the First African American Woman to Graduate from Dickinson College

Date
1919

Esther Popel, the first known African American woman to graduate from Dickinson College, was listed in the 1919-1920 yearbook. Described as quiet and "a true scholar," Popel commuted from Harrisburg to Dickinson every day. The Microcosm wrote, "We see her but we seldom hear her." Popel went on to become a poet of the Harlem Renaissance movement.

Boyd Lee Spahr Moves to Limit the Number of Women at Dickinson College, 1919

Date
June 21, 1919

On June 21, 1919, Trustee Boyd Lee Spahr moved that, "beginning with the academic year 1919-1920, the number of women students admitted to each incoming Freshman Class shall not exceed 25% of the total number of Freshman of the preceding year." Trustess L.W. Johnson and E.M. Biddle Jr. moved to amend the motion by waiting until the 1920-1921 school year. James H Morgan and Frank. B. Lynch moved to table the whole matter. After a vote, the resolution was tabled.

The Board of Trustees Endorses the Hiring of Female Faculty

Date
May 11, 1918

On motion of Trustee Frank Lynch in 1918, the president of the College was allowed to hire female faculty members. The president was allowed to do so if, "it seems to the President of the College that better service can be secured by the employment of one or more women as instructors."

The Board of Trustees Sells Lloyd Hall

Date
February 26, 1915

On motion of Frank C. Bolser, the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees was authorized to sell Lloyd Hall, the former women's dormitory. The Trustees wanted at least $5000 for the building.      

Dickinson College Leases Metzger College

Date
January 20, 1914

In 1914, on motion of Issac McCurley, the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees secured the lease of Metzger College. Metzge College was to be the new dormitory for female students. The motion was seconded by Charles K. Zug.

Female Students Petition the Board of Trustees for Better Living Conditions

Date
June 9, 1913

On June 9, 1913, the Board of Trustees received a letter from the "girls of Lloyd Hall," demanding the Trustees acknowledge the poor conditions in which the women lived. In particular, the women mentioned the unsanitary conditions, the crowding, and the poor ventilation. Moreover, the women assert that the, "absence of fire escapes make Lloyd Hall a veritable death trap." The women asked that the building be renovated for the next school year.

Constitution of the Student Self-Government Association

Date
September 1919

The object of "The Student Government Association of the women of Dickinson College" (as refered to in the student handbook of 1919) was to "enact and enforce laws in accordance with the charter granted to the association by the President and Dean of Dickinson; to transact business pertaining to the whole body of women students in so far as it lies within its power." This association was comprised of officers and an executive board that made all final decisions.