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On July 1, 1971, Brown University fully with its sister institution, Pembroke College.聽

This move followed a towards co-education that saw the consolidation of women鈥檚 colleges with their all-male counterparts and the admission of men into previously all-women鈥檚 colleges.

The merger also ran parallel to a period of cultural upheaval brought about by the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War and generational challenges to authority and tradition.

The Herald spoke to seven Pembroke alums about life for women on College Hill at the time of the merger and their continuing connection to Pembroke today.

Different standards and access to resources

鈥� founded in 1891 and renamed Pembroke College in Brown University in 1928 鈥� saw its first cohort of women graduate in 1894.

Equipped with a separate campus one-eighth of a mile from Brown鈥檚 main campus, Pembroke was overseen by the Dean of Pembroke College. But as Brown鈥檚 coordinate college, it remained under the control of the , the University鈥檚 highest governing body.

Barron鈥檚 1969 鈥淧rofiles of American Colleges鈥� noted that Pembroke women were offered the same courses as male students and all classes were co-ed. Men and women received the same University degrees.

But for Beverly Hodgson 鈥�70 P鈥�01 P鈥�07, the resources offered to Pembroke students were vastly different from and limited in comparison to Brown students. She explained that Brown had a daily student newspaper, whereas Pembroke鈥檚 was only published weekly. The , which granted funding to seniors for independent projects, was also only open to men. And before , which prohibits sex-based discrimination in institutions receiving federal funding, Pembroke had inferior athletic facilities.

鈥淭he Pembroke deans did not seem very committed to fostering ambition in women,鈥� Hodgson wrote in an email to The Herald. 鈥淭hough I was the editor of The Herald and a junior year member of Phi Beta Kappa, the dean who was supposed to counsel me on a career thought I should think of a job in the buyer ranks of a department store 鈥� the kind of job that earlier generations of women had taken until marriage.鈥�

Pembroke women were also assigned stricter dress codes and parietal rules than their male co-years. Jeanne Ellis Ormrod 鈥�70 recalled being told in her first year that 鈥渨e could wear pants on the Pembroke campus (while) we had to wear skirts and dresses on the Brown campus.鈥�

Jaclynne Laxon 鈥�66 P鈥�01 described a 鈥渂itter February night鈥� during her time at Pembroke when she was asked to leave the library because she wore slacks instead of a dress due to the cold weather. A librarian told her she was 鈥渄ressed inappropriately for the Brown campus.鈥�

In an email to The Herald, Barbara Traver 鈥�70 wrote that the University acted 鈥渋n loco parentis,鈥� or in the place of a parent, setting strict curfews for Pembroke students and preventing men and women from visiting each others鈥� dorms outside certain hours.

鈥淵ou got into trouble if you violated the parietal rules,鈥� Laxon explained. 鈥淥ne girl on my floor 鈥� stayed out all night and she was dismissed for a semester.鈥�

Hodgson recalled an instance when a Pembroke student was expelled for staying overnight at her boyfriend鈥檚 off-campus apartment. Her boyfriend, who was a Brown student, did not face any disciplinary action.聽

Hodgson said Pembroke students marched to protest the expulsion as part of a nascent movement to demand equal treatment and less restrictive rules.

鈥淭he Pembroke deans were slow to recognize that an increasing number of women students were feminists and were not in the mold of earlier classes,鈥� Hodgson wrote.聽

A 鈥榙iminishing鈥� feeling of identification

In fall 1969, the Corporation created the Pembroke Study Committee. Consisting of Corporation members, students and faculty members, the committee was charged with analyzing 鈥渇acets of University life affecting the education of women at Brown鈥� and making recommendations to the University about 鈥渕odifications in the present organization of education for women,鈥� according to the committee鈥檚 May 1970 report.

In a Nov. 20, 1970 letter addressed to Pembroke alums, Rosemary Pierrel PhD鈥�53 鈥� then dean of Pembroke 鈥� cited 鈥渢he rapidly changing attitudes and events on the campus鈥� as the reason for the committee's creation.

The committee鈥檚 report observed that Pembroke students had 鈥渄rifted toward integrated university activities rather than to strictly female pursuits,鈥� leading to a 鈥渄iminishing鈥� feeling of identification with Pembroke.

In its final recommendations, the committee suggested the Corporation merge Pembroke and Brown鈥檚 admissions, counseling, housing and placement services, noting that the Pembroke services performed 鈥渢he same functions as their parallel offices at the College.鈥�

The motion was adopted by the Corporation, leading to the merger in 1971.聽

Hodgson, who served on the committee, wrote that the group recommended the 鈥渦se of co-ed dorms to enable an increase in women鈥� students. Before the merger, the ratio of men to women students was roughly 3-to-1, with enrolled. By fall 1972, that ratio had fallen to about 2-to-1, with enrolled.

According to Hodgson, having more women in classes 鈥� and within a larger student body 鈥� allowed women students to play a greater role in larger student organizations.聽

The merging also created 鈥渁 single deanery 鈥� looking out for the whole student body, as opposed to the superior one looking out for men and the adjunct one looking out for women,鈥� she said.

The University began regarding women students 鈥渕uch more equally and less as a sideline.鈥�

鈥楢 backdrop of upheaval across the country鈥�

Pembroke alums from the class of 1970 recall a gradual easing of restrictions imposed on female students in the leadup to the merger 鈥� a change fueled by the cultural events at the time.

鈥淭he era from 1966 to my graduation year, 1970, was the era of the Vietnam War and of uprisings by students who found themselves subject to being drafted into a war they did not support,鈥� Hodgson wrote.

Ronnie Dane 鈥�70 said that the Vietnam War, civil rights activism and the women鈥檚 rights movement created 鈥渁 backdrop of upheaval across the country,鈥� particularly on college campuses.

According to Hodgson, an increasing contempt for government policies caused students to start questioning authority within institutions. 鈥淪tudents began demanding roles in University governance and, famously, in curriculum, with a huge push to install the 鈥�New Curriculum鈥� based on students鈥� choices and interests rather than on required courses,鈥� Hodgson wrote.聽

鈥淲e were at the end of an era 鈥� in the middle of a seismic shift in campus life and standards,鈥� said Judy Griemsmann 鈥�66.

Reflecting on the merger of 1971, Ormrod said that 鈥渃ombining the two colleges into one went hand-in-hand with all the cultural and social changes that were happening.鈥�

鈥淭he vanishing of societal restrictions made the merger 鈥� almost an afterthought鈥� as women were no longer 鈥済uarded like a separate, delicate and exotic species,鈥� Traver said.聽

鈥楢 legacy of being Pembrokers鈥�

Every class reunion, Margaret Genovese 鈥�70 hosts a Pembroke Breakfast exclusively for the women graduates of her class of 1970.

鈥淚t's a way for me to see my people, the other Pembrokers,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e all have experiences of having bonded as female students within a larger university that was predominantly male.鈥�

鈥淲e have this enormous allegiance to the school that accepted us, which was Pembroke College,鈥� she added.聽

Genovese explained that the breakfast serves as a tribute to the history of Pembroke College, as well as to the women that came before her and 鈥渇ought against prejudice, male chauvinism and not being paid equally as academics.鈥澛�

鈥淭hese women were survivors 鈥� (and) pioneers,鈥� she said.

Alums from the class of 1966 also have a unique way of staying connected with their Pembroke roots: monthly Zoom meetings.

The first virtual meeting took place during the class of 1966鈥檚 55th reunion, which was held on Zoom. 鈥淲e started chatting and we had so much fun,鈥� Griemsmann said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have to wait for our next reunion to do this.鈥�

The Zoom calls are about 90 minutes each, and 10 to 12 women drop by each month, according to Laxon.聽

At Pembroke, the students would meet 鈥渆very night鈥� in their dorms and over dinner. For Griemsmann, these monthly Zoom meetings are 鈥渁 legacy of being Pembrokers.鈥�

鈥淚'm a proud Brown graduate,鈥� Genovese said. 鈥淏ut I also have a very special part of my heart belonging to the fact that I was a Pembroker.鈥�