Female Faculty

In a letter dated March 20, 1920, F. Louise Nardin of the Association of Collegiate Alumnae informs President Morgan that Dickinson request for admission into the organization would likley be declined. She explains that "I find several points on which yur institutions does not satisfy the requirements of our Association. There are no women with professorial rank in the faculty; there is only one woman as an instructor." Moreover, women at Dickinson did not receive and equal salary and are not given equal opportunities. 

In response to Gertrud Martin's letter dated October 27, 1921, President Morgan sent Martin a brief letter explaining what was enclosed as well as a questionnaire addenda. The addenda contains information regarding female faculty members at Dickinson College in the 1920s. According to Morgan, at this point there were three female faculty members: Louise d. Vilaine (Associate Professor of Romance Languages), Josephine Brunyate Meredith (Dean of Women and Associate Professor of English), and Hazel J. Bullock (Associate Professor of Romance Languages).

In a letter dated October 27, 1921, Gertrude Martin, the Executive Secretary of the American Association of University Women, wrote to President Morgan regarding Dickinson College's membership application to the AAUW. Martin apologizes for the delay and asks President Morgan to fill out and return a survey she enclosed. The application will then go before committee. ..

This document describes S. Louise de Vilain's educational training. According to the document, de Vilaine studied in France and Germany. In 1882, she received her A. M. at Karlsruhe, State of Baden, Germany. 

In his letter dated September 29, 1920, President Morgan responded to a complaint mad by S. Louise de Vilaine, instructor of French and House Mother at Metzger Hall. According to the letter, de Vilaine believed President Morgan's decision to not promote her to a a full professor was unfair. President Morgan took offense to this and told de Vilaine to remain calm and explained his stance.

After accepting the position as both house mother and instructor at Dickinson College, S. Louise de Vilaine wrote to President Morgan and expressed her disappointment. She wrote, "I accept your offer although it is not as generous as I had expected. My work is worth more and still count on your raising it to $1400 before the year is over."

In a letter dated June 28, 1919, S. Louise de Vilaine, a French instructor at Dickinson College, accepts the house mother position at Metzger Hall. She wrote President Morgan requesting more information regarding the position, house rules, her teaching agenda, and whether or not she will recieve room and board.

In a previous letter (dated January 13, 1921) to President Morgan, Helen Witmer asked for information pertaining to Dickinson College's relationship with the Association of Collegiate Alumnae (ACA). Witmer was told that Dickinson College was not a member of the ACA due to the lack of women within its faculty. On January 15, 1921, President Morgan responded to Witmer's letter and explained that he had applied for membership and found that "its first interest the securing of faculty positions for women in colleges.

On January 13, 1921, Dickinson alumna Helen L. Witmer wrote to President Henry Morgan requesting information pertaining to Dickinson's relationship with the Association for Collegiate Alumnae (ACA). According to Witmer, a women's college club was recently formed in Lancaster, PA. However, only women who attended institutions affiliated with the ACA were permitted to join the association. Witmer was told the Dickinson College was not allowed to to join the ACA because the school does not hire female faculty members.

The introductory part of her report is entitled "Historical." In it she briefly accounts for the reasons women had not been admitted into Dickinson College up until 1884 and outlines the various developments that arose from that year on. Developments addressed include: additions to faculty and trends in enrollment.

Trustees deemed admission of women prior to 1884 inadvisable due to the saturation of recitation rooms, but co-education for Dickinson had been discussed for some time before housing conditions allowed women to
be admitted.