Widely Scattered House Require Girls to Hold Activity to Dorm

2094 Smith undergraduates are distributed among 44 dormitories scattered over an area of 214 acres. To a simple-minded mathematician this would merely mean that there is one-tenth of an acre for each girl, but to the Smith student, the significance is much greater.

Because the dormitories are so widely scattered life for the resident begins and ends in her own sheltered hutch. This is true in government, where the dormitory council forms the backbone of the Student Government, and in the Athletic program, where the highly competitive intramural system pits one house against another in 22 sports.

From 20 to 70 students live in each house, and aside from the three foreign language dormitories--French, German and Spanish spoken exclusively--they are relatively undifferentiated in clientele. Generally speaking the girls are assigned to Houses during the freshman year and change only if they wish to later on. This accounts for the amorphous personality of the individual residences.

The quad--north on Elm Street--is the newest group of buildings, composed of large Colonial structures. The older, smaller, buildings on the Old Campus and along both sides of Elm Street more closely resemble old fashioned houses. In fact, many are reconverted houses, a factor which would account for their scattered locations and Victorian design.

Smith has its cooperative Houses too, although the girls are required to do such chores as wait on tables, and clean their rooms in the regular dorms. In the two cooperative Houses the girls do all their work and marketing, gaining admission on the basis of financial needs and scholastic standing.

Democracy a Home

The House Council brings all the residents of each House together for one nocturnal session per week. Said the "Hamper" of these gatherings: "The 10:15 tolling of the bell rings ... the meeting of the house. The procession, carrying female paraphernalia in solid, liquid, and paste form, swathed in turbans of turkish toweling, peignoirs and pajamas, madly scrambles for the softest spot on the floor (having been assured that all men have departed). Then, midst the shuffling of cards, the choking smoke, and rattle of bobby pins, the session begins."

The girls do other things than plan dances at these meetings, for it is here that the Student Government has its foundation. Besides electing house presidents, and Athletic Association representatives, the house meetings elect one representative each to the House of Representatives, a central legislative body. The Judicial Board and the Honor Board form the judicial branches of the government and the Student Council holds the executive powers.

The college is run and a social and academic honor system and all the rules are set forth in a little white booklet, this year entitled, "Rules and Regulations of Smith College for 1950-51."

The books opens with a short warning: "Every student shall conduct herself at all times in such a way as to uphold her own good name and that of the college." The main objections to the rules concern having men and cigarettes in their rooms, but the girls are waiting for more luxurious quarters before making any requests.