1960-1969

The only foreign student at Dickinson during the 1962-3 year was Hsiao Mei Tsou from Singapore. She remarks in this article on the differences between America and Singapore, most notably that girls never talked to boys back home. Very studious, she works often in the library but wishes that it were open later, but finds the Dickinson students very helpful. In Singapore, about half of children go to school and even less complete post secondary education. Hsaio loves the United States and thinks she wants to stay after graduation.

On October 4, 1967, the President of the Beta Delta Chapter of Phi Mu writes a formal letter to the National President of the fraternity, Rebecca Peterson. The Beta Delta Chapter writes to inform Peterson that there has been a unanimous vote “to dissolve its ties with the national fraternity,” and become “locally autonomous in light of the difference of opinions concerning membership policies.”

 

To further prove that Phi Mu’s refusal to allow a bid to go to an African American student was unjust, the creators of the soon-to-be Alpha Delta Epsilon sorority included in their scrapbook the membership statement of Phi Mu.

In the spring semester of 1967, the Beta Delta Chapter of the Phi Mu fraternity was preparing to offer bids for new members. In order to release bids and begin pledging, bid recommendations had to be signed by the District Recommendations Counselor, Mary Horst. After her request of the “racial statuses” of each of the recommended girls and being informed that one of the girls, Bobbie Swain, was of the “Negroid race,” Horst refused to sign the recommendation for said girl.

As a further elaboration on her "Women as Leaders" survey, a female graduate reminisces on some mischief she participated in on campus. She remembers sunbathing on the Drayer roof, crawling out of Drayer's basement windows after hours, climbing into the Denny bell tower at night and climbing onto the roof of the library when it was under construction. She also remembers "going to that funny monument between Adams Hall and the Law School to do silly things" as well as "sitting in boxcars on the railroad" near the Biddle Field."

A female graduate of the class of 1969 elaborated about her physical education experiences at Dickinson in her "Women as Leaders" survey. While at Dickinson, she participated in Field Hockey out on Biddle Field, which she commented that it seemed much too far away for them. The graduate also had a squash class that was in the courts that were attached to the math building that "had a lump in the floor. She had a square dancing class in the gymnasium and golf on the lawn near Drayer.

In her "Women as Leaders" survey response, a female Dickinsonian remembers how the Dickinson experience was for her. Being only one of two African American women on the campus, she felt that her social life was restricted. She remembered the two other African American students on campus, Judy Rogers and Skip (Everett) Hewlett.

A female graduate of the class of 1965 remembers her involvement with the literary publications at Dickinson in her "Women as Leaders" survey. In addition to the Dickinsonian, she recalls another publication of a similar nature that appeared during her sophomore or junior years. It was a group known as the "neurotic nine" who wrote a parody of the daily paper. This unnamed paper was distributed on campus by boxes nailed to trees.

A female graduate of the class of 1964 discusses how athletics were treated at Dickinson in her "Women as Leaders" survey response. While at college, the student participated in Intramural Basketball and Volleyball, as well as Field Hockey. She remarked that "very limited emphasis" was placed on women's sports but that Dickinson in general always emphasized academics rather than athletics.

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."