Bryn Mawr College Handbooks

“Your choice of what is most worthwhile in college life will be the test of your success,” wrote Kathleen Gallwey to the freshmen in the Class of 1927. Her message appeared in the introduction to the student handbook published in 1923, a copy of which can now be found in the Student Handbook Collection of the College Archives. The student handbooks gave incoming freshmen an idea of what to expect when they arrived, and were often retained and annotated by students as an index of College organizations and a guide to Bryn Mawr traditions. As Gallwey put it, “We hope that by reading this handbook carefully you may be able to understand your environment better and to realize Bryn Mawr’s ideals of co-operation, scholarship and service.” Today the handbooks provide a snapshot of College life in any given year and could be a possible source for the study of women’s social history.

The earliest example in the collection was published in 1901. It has a gray paper cover and measures 3 1/2 by 5 1/4 inches, a size that would fit easily in a student’s pocket or purse. Earlier handbooks were published by a College organization called the Christian Union, and later were published by the “Committee for the Freshmen” and the Undergraduate Association. Today they are prepared by the Office of the Undergraduate Dean. (Illustrations here are from the 1969, 1971, and 1974 handbooks.)

By listing all the College’s extracurricular organizations, student handbooks allowed a freshman to choose easily one or more that might interest her. The 1904 handbook mentions the “De Rebus Club,” which brought well-known lecturers to the College. The handbook for the academic year 1953-1954 mentions “The Octangle,” which it defined as “a group of eight students who sing at the drop of a hat; at college dances, after concerts ... any excuse will do.” It noted that The Octangle was a “sort of antidote” to the College’s more formal chorus.

The 1953 handbook also reveals that the College once had its own radio station, WBMC, which broadcast music and news from the basement of Pembroke East. The station cooperated with WHRC at Haverford College and offered practical experience in radio production.

Handbooks often listed the names of officers of organizations, so they are also a reference for scholars doing biographical research on Bryn Mawr alumnae. For example, the handbook published in 1923 indicates that the president of a political organization called the Liberal Club was Priscilla Fansler of the Class of 1924, who would be better known today by her married name, Mrs. Alger Hiss.

The student handbooks are also proof that an interest in community service is nothing new for the students at Bryn Mawr. The handbook published in 1937 shows that students might choose to join the Bryn Mawr League, which, among other activities, provided an opportunity to teach evening classes in “Americanization” for adults born in Italy or Germany.

The “Rules and Regulations” itemized in the handbooks are an indication of how much times have changed. The 1923 handbook states, “Men may not come to a Freshman Show.” The 1937 handbook says that upon hearing a fire alarm students were supposed to “Put on shoes, heavy wrapper, or long coat,” and “bring a wet towel.” Once out of doors a student was required to “stand quietly at the drill and answer to her name when called,” and then “have her clothing and towel inspected before returning to her room.”

The handbooks also provide an idea of what the typical college student was wearing and include suggestions on what sort of clothing to bring to Bryn Mawr. The handbook published in 1944 advises, “Blue jeans, although they may not be worn to dinner or classes, are most comfortable for labs or the lib.” It mentioned that teas were “stocking affairs, but don’t require hats.” The 1964 handbook noted that “Sunbathing is allowed, in one piece suits.”

The advertising pages at the back of the earlier handbooks list businesses in the town of Bryn Mawr, making them a possible source for local history. The 1904 edition states that Bryn Mawr had five livery stables where horses could be hired for riding or driving at reasonable rates. One sponsor was Ellen A. McCurdy’s Dry Goods Store on Lancaster Avenue which offered a “handsome assortment of ribbons, laces, handkerchiefs, gloves, embroideries, hosiery, and light underwear.”

Finally, the handbooks show how life in the ivory tower could be affected and altered by events in the world at large. In her message to the freshmen entering Bryn Mawr College in 1944, Katharine E. McBride wrote, “It will not be easy for [the college student] to study surrounded by the anxieties and pressures of war, nor will it be easy for her to meet the obligation which college study brings in this time.” The same handbook also advised students, “Bring your ration books with you.”