Use Restrictions

Copyright for materials authored or otherwise produced as official business of James Madison University is retained by James Madison University. Copyright status for other collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For more information, contact the Special Collections Reference Desk (library-special@jmu.edu).

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Researchers should note that the collection contains student medical information and other university created records, but is not considered protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). FERPA protection of student records ends with the death of the student. Therefore, records are opened for research approximately 80 years after their creation when it is presumed that the student is deceased. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the James Madison University Special Collections Library to use this collection.

Provenance

Materials were produced and maintained by Madison College entities in the 1940s to support recordkeeping and administrative functions of the college. Custodial history beyond their creation and initial use are unknown.

Preferred Citation

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Madison College Sick Lists and Class Absence Reports, 1945-1946, UA 0055, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.

Acquisition Information

Immediate source of acquisition is unknown. Records may have been transferred to Special Collections by officials in the Office of the President, or by the Alumni Association, likely between 2006-2012. The materials were not officially accessioned until February 2, 2022.

Biographical/Historical Note

According to the 1945-1946 Madison College student handbooks, sick students were not allowed to remain in their rooms while ill. If students missed a class due to illness, they were admitted to the infirmary where their illness was documented.

To be approved for leave, students were required to present absence requests in advance for approval. For boarding students, they needed to present a request to the college physician, college registrar, dean of the college, or the committee on attendance depending on their reason for leaving. The absences were typically approved by Dr. Samuel Duke, college president, Dorothy S. Garber, dean of freshmen, or Hope F. Vandever, dean of women. For day students, they were required to present their reason for absence to the dean of the college for approval.

Up until 1966, the student body of Madison College was comprised exclusively of white women, though men day students began attending in the fall of 1946.

Scope and Content

The Madison College Sick Lists and Class Absence Reports, 1945-1946 consist of lists of students, their respective diagnoses, and admittance and discharge dates from the college infirmary. Absence reports document individuals' requests to temporarily or permanently withdraw from the college. Both sick lists and class absence reports are stamped with Dr. Samuel Duke's official "SPD" ink stamp.

The daily sick lists are dated from September 19, 1945, to April 5, 1946, and detail various symptoms that required admittance to the infirmary. Some of the most common reasons are dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramps), epistaxis (nosebleeds), and nausea. Between October 11 and October 13, 1945, a total of 15 students were admitted with a diagnosis of nausea.

The class absence reports are dated from September 19, 1945, to May 23, 1946, and detail various students' reasons for requesting academic leave. The most common reasons included homesickness and withdrawal due to marriage or jobs. The reports for students with homesickness often noted them as "AWOL" (absent without leave), for not providing an advance notice for their leave. Dr. Samuel P. Duke, college president at the time, signed off or stamped all of these reports stating that alongside their reason for absence, the students in this file are listed as "withdrawn" and presented with no return date.

Arrangement

The collection is housed in two folders according to document type.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• College students -- Health and hygiene
• James Madison University -- History
• Madison College -- History
• Madison College -- Records and correspondence
• Madison College -- Students
• School records
• Universities and colleges -- Virginia -- Administration