The View from Here: Dorm Rules and the Sexual Revolution

Date
May 13, 1966

In "The View from Here," Tom Fornwalt responds to a New York Times article of April 25, 1966 that addresses the university's role in student life. According to this article, some universities surveyed were reluctant to legislate student conduct "in loco parentis," although they have been slow to adjust to the sexual revolution. University officials expressed more concern with drug use than with students' sexual behavior. Some of the changes the New York Times article mentioned included extended visiting hours for female visitors in male dormitories and an end to the open door policy, which required that room doors be kept slightly open during these visits. Fornwalt argues in favor of Dickinson College's recent change in social policy: it fell in line with what other prestigious colleges were doing and signalled the inception of a plan to make students more self-disciplined.

Location of Document in Archives
Dickinsonian May 13, 1966