Food for thought: the collegiate way of living

• Main Author: Charlton, David Holland
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: W&M ScholarWorks 1985
• Subjects: Higher Education
• Online Access: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1539618572; https://scholarworks.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1782&context=etd

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the collegiate way of living; how it began, how it developed and changed, and why institutions have adhered to it. Communal dining was emphasized in an attempt to determine why colleges have believed it to be important enough to require it of differing student populations, under widely varying circumstances, over a period of at least four hundred years.;The College of William and Mary in Virginia was selected as a case study for this project. One of America's earliest colleges, William and Mary was founded on the British (Oxbridge) model, and has required its students to live collegially throughout its history.;official rationale for an emphasis on collegial living is contrasted with the available evidence (or non-official rationale). An attempt was made to learn how or if the rationale changed with the evolution of society in general and higher education in particular.;It was concluded that while official rationale has evolved somewhat, it consistently has emphasized the development of the whole person. That official rationale is accompanied, however, by unofficial supporting evidence suggesting that collegial living was financially attractive and that viable alternatives often were limited.;Additional institutional case studies would be useful, as would studies which concentrate on different components of collegial living. Examination of commuter versus residential college experience also would be of value in considering this topic.