Women's Regulations at Iowa State

1925-1971

By Becky Jordan

1925

Monday-Thursday:  All women were to be in their residence halls or sorority houses by 8:00 p.m. unless they were at the library.  If they were at the library, freshmen needed to be home by 8:30 p.m., upperclassmen by 9:30 p.m.  Senior women with a grade point of 82.5 or above could "make suitable use of their time" until 10 p.m.  However, if a woman was to be away from her residence after 6 she needed the approval of the chaperone.  Lights were out at 10:30.

Weekend hours for women were:  Friday at 10:30 p.m.; Saturday at 12:00 midnight; Sunday 10:00 p.m.

If a women had an above average grade point, special permission from the chaperone and house president could be given to attend movies on weeknights, two or three times per quarter.

Men callers could be received in the parlor from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

No woman could enter a fraternity house unless a housemother was present.

No woman except mothers could enter a men's rooming house.

When a woman was leaving Ames she needed to secure an out of town permit from her chaperone.  

Women could attend only college sanctioned events.  A list of sanctioned events was sent out each week by the Dean of Women.

1931

The grade point average for senior women to stay out until 10:00 p.m. dropped to 80.

When a woman was to be away from the hall or house after 6:00 p.m. she had to "sign out."

Lights out in the freshmen dormitory was at 10:30, however, eight light cuts per person were allowed per quarter.

Weekend hours for all women were:  Friday at 11:00 p.m.; Saturday at 12:00 midnight; Sunday at 10:00 p.m.

Men callers could be received in the parlor from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The list of college sanctioned events was now being provided by the Director of Social Life.

1933

The Library provision was dropped from weeknight hours.  Freshmen were to be in by 8:45; sophomores and juniors by 9:45 and seniors by 10:00.  Seniors no longer needed a particular grade point to stay out until 10:00.

Men callers could be received from 12:00 noon on Saturday and Sunday, as well as 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Monday through Friday.  Men could call for senior women before 8:00 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, but could not be entertained in the parlor.  Men could call for any student prior to 7:30 on weeknights.

1935

"Parents are requested to write to the hall director giving their permission for their daughters to ride in automobiles."

"When a woman is leaving Ames at any time she must secure an out-of-town permit from the hall director.  Letters of approval for out-of-town trips should be sent by parents to the hall director.  Final approval, however, rests with the administration."

The list of sanctioned social events were now listed daily in the student newspaper, The Student (now the Iowa State Daily).

1938

No woman could enter a fraternity house unless the house-mother or an approved chaperone was present.  This could only take place during the hours men could enter women's places of residence.

Men could call for women students before 7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and after 9:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, but could not be entertained in the parlors at these times.

"When a woman is leaving Ames at any time she must secure an out-of-town permit from the residence director.  Letters of approval for out-of-town trips and all automobile trips should be sent by parents to the residence director.  Final approval, however, rests with the administration."

1941

Men can now be entertained in residence parlors from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 4:00 p.m. until closing hours on Friday, and 12:00 until closing hours on Saturday and Sunday.

1946

"No social functions for students are allowed in any house except in those where a house-mother is employed by the college."

1948

Weeknight hours were 8:45 p.m. for freshmen and 10:00 p.m. for upperclassmen.  Weekend hours for all women were Friday at 12:00 midnight; Saturday at 12:30 a.m.; Sunday at 10:00 p.m.

1952

Late permissions could be arranged for with the house-mother far in advance of a specific occasion.

Graduate or special students living in Barton Hall (then a graduate dormitory) were not required to keep special hours.  However, if graduate students lived in a sorority house or an undergraduate dormitory, they were to conform to the undergraduate regulations.

1956

Weeknight hours were 8:45 p.m. for freshmen during Fall and Winter Quarters and 10:00 p.m. Spring Quarter.  Upperclassmen were 10:00 p.m. all year.  Weekend hours for all women were Friday at 12:00 midnight, Saturday at 12:30 a.m.; Sunday 10:30 p.m.

Women's extended hours were available to upperclassmen, but this could not be later than two hours after closing on weeknights and one hour after closing on weekends.  Sophomores got four late hours per quarter, juniors six, and seniors eight.  "Any woman wishing a late-hour privilege shall obtain the standard late-hour form prior to 7:00 p.m. of the desired night.  The president or vice-president [of the dormitory] shall act in the absence of the residence director."

Mothers and sisters were now permitted to enter men's residences in the absence of a housemother or chaperone.

1957/1959

All freshmen women were required to live in the dormitory for three quarters, even if they had pledged a sorority.  All undergraduate women were required to live in residence halls (including sororities) unless special exception was made by the Director of Residence.

1959/1961

Extended hours (now called late cuts) are permitted for freshmen, two hours per quarter.  Late cuts remain the same for upperclassmen.  Rules and regulations for social events have been expanded and the advance time for registration for each type of event is listed, as are the number of chaperones required for each occasion.  "A student working toward any undergraduate degree or a degree in veterinary medicine is not acceptable as a chaperone, nor is his or her wife or husband."

The statement regarding women students attending only college-sanctioned events has been dropped.

1961/1963

"All undergraduate women (except those 23 or over) are required to live in residence halls or sororities, unless special exception is made by the Director of Residence."

Hours for freshmen were 9:00 p.m. weekdays fall and winter quarter.  Third quarter freshmen and upperclassmen were to be in by 10:00 p.m. Monday and 10:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday.  Weekend hours for all women were Friday, 12:00 midnight, Saturday 12:30 a.m., Sunday 10:30 p.m.

The late cut form now had to be in prior to 7:30 p.m. on the night the cut was desired.

Men and women could be entertained in each other's residences from 4:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 4:00 p.m. until closing hours Friday and from 12:00 noon until closing hours on Saturday and Sunday.

1963/1965

"All undergraduate women, except those 21 years of age or over, or who have made special arrangements with the Director of Residence are required to live in residence halls or sororities."  Freshmen women were required to live in residence halls, even if they had pledged a sorority.  Upperclassmen who had pledged a sorority could move before or after their initiation, as long as they abided by their residence hall contracts.

Hours for freshmen were 10:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday.  Hours for upperclassmen were 12:00 midnight Monday-Thursday.  Weekend hours for all women were Friday and Saturday 1:00 a.m. and Sunday 12:00 midnight.

1965/1967

Second and third quarter freshmen and upperclassmen who had pledged a sorority could move into their sorority before or after initiation provided they abide by their residence hall contracts.

Senior women moved to self-limited hours in winter quarter 1966, although if they were under 21 years of age they needed parental permission to participate.  The program was extended to all upperclass women in fall 1967.  Closing hours for the residence halls were 12:00 midnight Sunday through Monday and 1:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.  Those not participating in self-limited hours were due back in the dormitories by these times.  Magnetic locks were installed on one entrance door of each women's residence during the spring quarter of 1966 and those with self-limited hours were issued key cards for these doors.  

1967/1969

Instead of a case by case letter of request from parents for women to leave Ames, all women students under the age of 21 were asked to send a parental approval letter to the Department of Residence permitting absences.  These letters served for the woman's entire college career and were kept on file by her residence director.

Men and women could be entertained in each others residences 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 4:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. Saturday and 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight Sunday.  Men could enter the lobby of a residence to call for dates up to closing hours if the residence had voted to permit this.

Social events still needed to be registered with the Social Office in the Office of the Dean of Students.  The word chaperone is no longer used in conjunction with these events at instead a certain number of "invited guests," such as residence directors, faculty, or couples is suggested for each type of function.

1969/1971

Men and women can be entertained in lounges, recreation areas and rooms of the residence halls provided the residence has voted to permit this under the rules of their residence organizations and it has been approved by the Department of Residence.

Men and women can be entertained in fraternity and sorority residences, provided the residence has voted to permit this under rules of their governing bodies and it has been approved by the University Committee on Fraternities and Sororities.

All-University events needed to be registered with the Social Coordinating Commission and scheduled through the Dean of Students Office.

Residence events which used University facilities needed to be scheduled in accordance with the rules of the individual residence group.

The 1969/1971 student handbook was the last one to address hours for women.

The 1969/1970 school year was the first year there were women's houses in Friley Hall, which was previously all men.

The 1970/1971 school year was the first year there were women's houses in the Towers residence halls, a group of four buildings south of campus, which was previously all men.

1971/1973

The student handbook contains only a listing of the various residence organizations and no rules for women students appear.  This is the last year that the catalog states that undergraduate women under 21 must live either in residence halls or sororities.

1973/1975

The first on-floor co-ed housing began fall of 1974.

Bibliography

The Chart:  A Handbook for Iowa State Students.  Ames:  Iowa State College, 1956-1973/1975.

College Regulations.  Ames:  Iowa State College, 1920-1955.

General Catalog.  Ames:  Iowa State University, 1880-present.

ISU Information Handbook.  Ames:  Iowa State University, 1975.

Schilletter, Julian Claude.  First 100 Years of Residential Housing at Iowa State University, 1868-1968.  Ames:  Iowa State University, 1970.

Schilletter, Julian Claude.  Papers.  Record Series 7/4/12, file 17/14, Women's Hours.  Iowa State University Archives, Iowa State University Library.