Although the earliest document in this record group dates back to 1941, this does not mark the beginning of Maryville College’s Women’s Student Government Association (WSGA). In 1946, two years after the college’s Executive Council approved the weekly “town night” for students to date and leisure off-campus, the WSGA was approved and women were then given jurisdiction over regulations and rules regarding their dormitories. The formation of the WSGA came 23 years after the formation of the Student Council in 1923. Regulations placed on the student body prior to WSGA seemed to have had a greater impact on women students that would create a stronger incentive for gender-specific government associations. At the same time, there was much less incentive and effort from the male students to start their own student government association, as former college President Dr. Ralph Lloyd noted this may be “due perhaps to the greater freedom which they already enjoy,” (Blair and Walker 261). In January of 1947, Dr. Lloyd hired almuna Frances Massey to be Dean of Women. She would become known for her open-mindedness and fairness toward the WSGA and their endeavors. Due to extremely strict dating policies still being practiced at the college, the WSGA was in danger of ending during the 1949-1950 academic year. Disobedience to these rules during the 1952-1953 academic year resulted in 83 female students leaving the school. Seemingly as a result, the Executive Council and Student Council held a meeting to allow those who remained on campus a platform to voice their issues and create compromises. This seemed to resolve conflict previously happening between the student body and regulations, and WSGA continued on. Fifteen years later, three recommended rule changes were prepared to be presented to the Executive Council in a meeting in May of 1968. These changes, which would be approved soon after, would loosen restrictions regarding vehicles on campus, women’s dormitories, and the requirement of daily chapel. These were some of the most defining rules on campus and are considered a large part of the transition of the 1968 curriculum change that transformed Maryville College. Along with these rule changes came an end of the Executive Council and Student Council, exchanging the two for the combined All College Council (ACC) in the same year. After this, WSGA continued to have regular meetings until the need for the association slowly fizzled out. As a result, WSGA was dissolved in May of 1971.

Reference: Blair, Carolyn L., Arda S. Walker. “By Faith Endowed: The Story of Maryville College 1819-1994,” Maryville College Press, 1994.