Rules & Hours
Women’s rules were an important part of daily life during the reign of in loco parentis. They regulated what hours women kept, when they had visitors, and what they wore. These rules were voted upon by the Women’s Judiciary Council, a group of women students, but the Dean of Women was instrumental and influential when it came to women’s rules.
"Judy Be Good" pamphlets helped new women students navigate the curfews and women's rules on campus.
Hours
Women’s hours were the most visible and important rules governing women student’s lives. They required that women check out for the night when they left the dorm and check back in by curfew each night. If the women were late, that time had to be made up on the weekends. If the women returned five minutes late, they had to stay in an extra 30 minutes during the weekend and then five extra minutes for every additional minute. The women could apply for late permissions, and for certain events, such as orchestra concerts, automatic late permissions were given to those attending. If the women were late on multiple occasions in one semester they would have to be appear before the Women’s Judiciary Council.1
Women’s hours rules for upperclass women lessened through the 1960s after the end of the Office of the Dean of Women. By 1968 only freshman women still had a curfew, but with a signed parental permission form they too could be free from University imposed hours.2 According to the University statistics, 86% of women were granted “no hours” permission by their parents.3
Visitation
There were also strict rules when it came to who could visit the women’s dorms and when. Guests had to sign in and sign out and were not allowed to stay after closing time. Men were not allowed into women’s dorms except during open houses and with special permission.4 This meant that on weekend nights, a crowd of men could be found waiting for their dates in the lobbies. By the late 1960s, visitation policies began to change. By 1968, most men’s dorms had 24-hour visitation policies, while women’s dorms continued to have more restrictive hours (they still had curfew in 1968).5 Today the only dorm with restrictions on visitors is the Martha Cook Building.
Dress
Women students had a dress codes to follow in addition to hours to keep. Dining halls required that women wear hose for Sunday sit down dinners, and school clothes were required for lunch and dinner. Blue jeans, bermuda shorts, and “pep” shirts were only allowed on weekends or during finals.6 Some residences went further to only allow jeans on Saturdays.7 Pajamas could be worn to breakfast but only if covered by a robe, and pin curls had to be covered by a scarf. Many residences didn’t allow jeans after certain hours in common areas and required any women working a closing shift at the dorm to wear skirts.
Other Rules
Women also had to follow rules including having chaperones when visiting male houses, and faced restrictions about where they could smoke and sunbathe.8 There were also strict rules surrounding necking or petting (the early-to-mid 1900s version of making-out). Public petting caused housemothers continuous trouble and even private necking could land a student in trouble if it was in a male student’s room or apartment.
1. "Constitution, By-laws, and Regulations of Martha Cook Building," 1952, Martha Cook Building, Housing Division University of Michigan Records 1923-ongoing, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan.
2. John C. Feldcamp to Parents, January 24, 1968, Housing Division University of Michigan Records 1923-ongoing, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan.
3. Staff Bulletin, October 21, 1968, Topical Files, Housing Division University of Michigan Records 1923-ongoing, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan.
4. Adelia Cheever House Booket, p. 10, Adelia Cheever- Misc., Housing Division University of Michigan Records 1923-ongoing, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan.
5. Thomas G. Fox to Robert C. Hughes, April 15, Visitors of the opposite sex, Housing Division University of Michigan records 19230-ongoing, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan.
6. Stockwell Hall Constitution and General Information, 1955-56, Housing Division University of Michigan records 1923-ongoing, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan.
7. Adelia Cheever House Rules, February 1955, Adelia Cheever- Misc. Housing Division University of Michigan records 1923-ongoing, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan.