This page is referenced by:

• 1 media/studentsatcarnegielibrary-min.jpg 2017-04-03T08:15:32-07:00 Life at Centre College 12 How the 1962 Physical Merge Affected Students: Both Women and Men image_header 2017-05-13T13:17:39-07:00

  In 1962, Centre College decided that running two departments -- the men's department, just called Centre College, and the Women's Department of Centre College on the separate Lexington Avenue campus -- was too economically and socially stressful.  President Spragens noted that having the separation of the two sections of the school was damaging for both men and women, and with a primarily economic argument, the go-ahead was given for a full physical merge.  The KCW, or Lexington Avenue, campus was sold and women were moved to Centre's campus.  New dorms were built that same year to house the female population, the New Quad dorms, permanently expanding the footprint of the campus.  Cowan dining hall (1962 - 2008) was also built in order to better accommodate the school's increased population.  Students still had scheduled meals, but they were now co-ed.

  Classes had historically been completely segregated, with co-mingling happening only rarely and closer to the 1962 date as students realized that the different departments offered a different set of academic strengths.  Now women had better access to scientific fields and men had better access to art fields, creating a more well-rounded academic program for the college.  

  In 1980 Centre hired a new Associate Dean of Students who was for the first time, a woman:  Karen Smith.  As someone who had graduated from post-merge Centre (1966) she had a good understanding of the position of female students within Centre.  She noted how there wasn't a strong support structure in place for women for dealing with everything from, "... homesickness to interpersonal problems," and that she wanted to provide this support.  She was also questioned about fraternity parties, which were often loud and alcohol-filled, to which she responded, "What would Centre be without Fraternity parties?" And that she hoped they would continue on into the future.  

  It's around this time, in the 80s, that there is also an increase in discussions of women-related issues on campus.  The Women's Center sponsored many of these, sponsoring public talks about sex roles, placing pamphlets on equality throughout the library, and more.  This was to combat other more blatantly discriminatory events that were still regularly taking place on campus.

  Religion remained important for both the college and many of its students, due especially to the lifelong connection the college had with the nearby Presbyterian Church.  While there was some evidence of push-back to this, most students still followed religions typical to the area, attending a variety of churches around Danville.  The student handbook, in some years, would list out nearby churches to present options to students.  The college would also sponsor many religious programs and clubs, but a noticeable diversity in options and religions would only appear closer to the current-day, reflecting a more contemporary drive for diversity and the desire to have a more neutral stance that Centre is still adapting to.