Dormitories | From Woody's Couch

Category: Dormitories (page 4 of 5)

Twelve Days of Buckeyes: Late to class? Give yourself a demerit!

December 13, 2011 / drobik.5@osu.edu / Comments Off

A chemistry class in 1885

With its current focus on selective admissions, OSU can boast of a student body dedicated to scholarly pursuits; when Ohio State was first opened in 1873, the University relied on demerits to keep students academically focused. It was a pretty simple system:

The penalty for an unexcused absence from class or from drill was four demerits; an unexcused failure in recitation got you two demerits; and for each unexcused tardiness, one demerit was assigned. If a student received ten demerits in a single term, twenty-five demerits in the first two terms or thirty in the first year, the parents were notified. Expulsion was the price to pay for twenty demerits received in the first term, thirty-five in the first two terms, or forty during the year.

There’s no record of how many demerits were issued; the system was abolished fifteen years later, except for preparatory classes. OSU’s third president, William H. Scott, wrote at the time: “This action by no means exempts students from accountability; but instead of having a definite penalty measured out by law for each delinquency, they must answer for any abuse of their liberty to the teacher in whose class the delinquency occurs.”

Orton, 1875

That’s according to James Pollard’s 1959 history of OSU, where he also recounts how little misbehavior there was in general. According to Pollard, OSU President Edward Orton apparently was impressed by the dearth of mayhem on campus: “We have been happily free during our short history from the relics of barbarism that still survive in so many colleges in the shape of hazing and the reckless destruction of property.”

North Dorm students, 1889

Not counting the North Dorm, of course. Several OSU Alumni Monthly articles have recounted stories of OSU’s first residence hall, where male students lived, and its collegiate atmosphere: Stolen pigs appearing in dorm rooms, firecrackers set off in the house, coal scuttles tossed down the stairs at night. Apparently, it also was common in the dorm to shoot out of the window. Aiming seems to have been optional – in one incident, a horse was hit, so then-University President Edward Orton ordered all of the boys to produce their weapons in order to match bullet to the gun. It was, to his chagrin, and the detriment of justice, that every boy in residence produced a .32 caliber revolver.

VIPs on Campus: Mrs. Roosevelt tours Stadium Dorms

November 15, 2011 / drobik.5@osu.edu / Comments Off

In November 1938, Eleanor Roosevelt was on her way back to Washington, D.C., from California, when she stopped in Columbus to survey a Works Progress Administration project, right here at Ohio Stadium.

While she was not here long, she did have time to inspect the Tower Club, a student dorm located within Ohio Stadium. The Tower Club was a work study program, where students could work in the dorms (cooking, cleaning, etc.) in exchange for a reduced rate on room and board. Her positive outlook on the project appeared in her syndicated column the following day.

Although we had known of Mrs. Roosevelt’s visit, it was because of a recent patron request for an old Tower Club yearbook that led us to discover that she was on campus this week in 1938. The yearbook recounts news about various Club members and happenings. Below is a page of the yearbook that features Mrs. Roosevelt’s visit, and her column.

Eleanor Roosevelt's column

Stradley Hall: Move-in forward, looking back

September 12, 2011 / haire.14@osu.edu / Comments Off

Stradley Hall, 1950s

Students returning to campus will be squeezing into fewer dorms this week because several residence halls are being renovated this year. One of those dorms is Stradley Hall, which is undergoing major renovations, including the addition of air-conditioning. Before this Cinderella of a dorm transforms completely, we thought we would tell you a little bit about its history:

Originally designated for men only, Stradley, along with Park and Smith Halls, was dedicated on October 17^th, 1959 . Construction began in 1957 and was mostly completed by January 1959; the cost was listed at $1.8 million to build.

Bland L. Stradley, 1957

The dorm was named after Bland Lloyd Stradley, who arrived at Ohio State in 1920 as University Examiner, a position he held until 1944, when he was appointed Vice President. A graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, Stradley had been principal of several high schools, including Canal Winchester, and had served as the assistant educational director at Camp Sherman during the First World War.

As University Examiner, Stradley was responsible for student admissions. From 1937 until 1944, Stradley served as both University Examiner and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. In 1944 he was appointed Vice President of Student Relations, making him responsible for all students outside of the classroom. Though he was responsible for discipline, he was well-liked by both students and faculty, receiving honorary memberships in Sphinx and Bucket & Dipper.

Stradley with student, 1937

Stradley at campus map, n.d.

He was also known as a public speaker, and frequently encountered alumni, who he often remembered by name. He was also a member of the Faculty Club, as well as Torch and the Columbus Club, the Central Ohio Boy Scout Executive Board, and was a 33^rd degree Mason.

In 1936, he gave the Summer Commencement Address, and was amongst the first to receive the University’s Distinguished Service Award in 1952. Bland Stradley died in 1957 at University Hospital.