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Middlebury:
Town and College
Cultural Influence (cont'd)
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"Socially
inclined students were welcome in the village homes. Young women
aged sixteen and upwards were in great demand…. Cupid scored
many quiet victories, and graduation days brought freedom to many
beating hearts."
By the 1870s, the fraternities
had obtained boats "to take out the maidens of Middlebury
on Otter Creek," and one student remembered that the "
'town girls' take lively interest in the men's societies - all
the more because they know so little about them."
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the students and the town also changed radically after 1900. The
cause was higher enrollments and the presence of women, which both
fostered a much more lively social life on campus and gradually
eliminated students' reliance on the town for social activities
(and the male students' dependence on town girls for romance). By
the 1920s the campus was socially self-sufficient. |
The develpment of collegiate
athletics at Middlebury further contributed to the decrease
in social interaction between the college and the town. However,
the town remained a loyal supporter of the college and rallied enthusiastically
for its sports teams. |
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