This memo outlines the cost of furnishing a female student's room in Drayer Hall. Interesting to note that in addition to a bed, mattress, a chair with desk, female students also had the use of an arm chair, two lamps, a waste basket and a pillow! The total cost is $253.60, which in 1952 had the same (2009) buying power as 2046.56 US dollars.
Drayer Hall, the first major building built by the college on the Benjamin Rush campus, was also the first building to be constructed with the women of the college in mind. An unidentified newspaper clipping anticipates a successful celebration for the dedication of the women's dormitory. The "celebration will be the first in the long history of the college arranged entirely for honoring Dickinson women." The Women's Day festivities include high ranking guest speakers, a luncheon, the distribution of honorary degrees to "eight outstanding women" by co-ed student sponsors, and tours of th
Drayer Hall postcard advertising Dickinson College's all female residence, closer to campus than any prior female housing.
In 1955, the Curriculum Committee sent out an Alumni Questionnaire for the graduates from the years 1885-1957. Out of the 7,000 questionnaires that were sent out, only 1,050 or about 15% were returned. The President of the College, William W. Edel, asked for favorable or unfavorable responses, based on the varied experiences of all the alumni of the college, in order to get the most truthful evidence on what needs to be done for the college's improvement.
Construction finished, Drayer Hall's first residents move in and Drayer becomes Dickinson's first dorm built just for women.
Drayer Hall is planned as Dickinson College's first purpose-built all female dorm on South College St.
This candid photograph shows three female students, Rebecca Simmons (Class of 1954), Ann Barnard (Class of 1954), and Suzanne Ritter (Class of 1954), in the Dean of Women's office, Mary-Margaret Kellogg, circa 1950.
This candid shot of women singing at Metzger Hall was taken in September of 1950. The women in this photograph are as follows, from left to right, Jean McAnally (Class of 1954), Rebecca Simmons (Class of 1954), Ann Barnard (Class of 1954), Suzanne Ritter (Class of 1954), Barbara Winey (Class of 1954), Alice Hamer (Class of 54), Elizabeth Tivney (Class of 1954), Jean Rowe (Class of 1952), and Mary Shelley (Class of 1954).
In her "Women as Leaders" survey, a female member of the class of 1961 describes the living conditions for the women while she studied at Dickinson. She felt they were "excellent, with variety available." The women had meals served to them, along with tablecloths, proper "dressing" for meals, etc. She called mealtime "an oasis with close friends twice a day."
A female graduate from the class of 1962 reminisces about her time playing sports at Dickinson College in the "Women as Leaders" survey. While commenting upon her physical education experience, she remembered that she enjoyed playing on the Red and White basketball team. She enjoyed the several trips the team made each winter. Unfortunately, the team "never practiced or were coached as a unit" because women's sports were not taken very seriously.