What is social life, who it has involved, and how have these social interactions changed over time at Ursinus College? This project specifically explores the reasons for the shift to coeducation, how and why women carved out their own spaces on campus, and finally the ways in which both men and women did and did not coexist in their social lives between 1880 and 1907. Materials from the Ursinusiana Collection and the Ursinus Archives, especially yearbooks, newspapers, and photographs, reveal the early years of social life at Ursinus for women. In particular, this project shows that women joining a newly coeducational school not only had to prove their academic worth, but also navigated the difficulties of social life by joining established spaces or creating their own through clubs, organizations, sports, housing, and other interactions. Hopefully, this project is not an end in itself, but rather, the beginning of further dialogue about our students’ diverse backgrounds and the ways that these backgrounds manifest in social experiences at Ursinus College.
I would like to thank all the people who have helped me through this summer fellows project. Thank you to Dr. Susanna Throop and Dr. Kara McShane for being wonderful advisors and all the work they have done to make this project the best it could be. Thank you to Mrs. Carolyn Weigel and Mr. Andrew Prock for their amazing help in the archives and digitizing everything. And thank you to everyone else who have guided this project or assisted me in any way shape or form on this project. I appreciate all that you've done!
Credits
Morgan Larese