[media-credit name=’BRYAN FAUST/Herald Photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]This is the third part of a series detailing Madison’s sesquicentennial year and the times and changes the city has seen.
The students of Chadbourne Residential College, while happy about their community, are mostly unaware of the rich history their dormitory has, or of the drastic changes it will go through in upcoming years.
Chadbourne Hall, known as Ladies Hall until 1901, first served as both a residency and classroom for the women attending the University of Wisconsin. It was the oldest women’s dormitory at any educational school in the United States until it became co-ed in 1995.
The third president in the university’s history, Dr. Paul A. Chadbourne, did not believe co-education was possible. Only after his departure did integration occur.
The building was named after Chadbourne by the former University president Dean Birge. Birge found it humorous and ironic to name a building so important in co-education after a man so adamantly against it.
Today’s Chadbourne Hall first housed women in 1959 and did not welcome men until 1995.
Now known as the Chadbourne Residential College, this dorm offers a unique history as well as a unique living experience.
Life can only get better for residents of Chadbourne as the dorm is included in the renovation portion of Phase I of the Residence Halls and Food Service master plan. By 2010 Chadbourne will have a new cafeteria and common rooms as well as additional bathrooms, which will allow for co-ed wings and floors.
“Chadbourne will be a lot more desirable to live in, you’ll have nicer common space. But Chadbourne is just the first major construction in the improvement of all facilities over the whole campus,” Paul Evans, Director of UW Housing, said.
Jane Wanninger, UW sophomore, is a second-year Chadbourne resident, which she says is typical for residents of CRC due to its unique sense of community.
“I’m not the kind of person that’s like, ‘oh community, hurrah,'” Wanninger said. “But I feel really connected to people I see from Chadbourne. I feel good that it’s a place where there is community, a community very involved in the campus.”
The residence hall was created in an effort to bring students of different backgrounds and classes together in a community where involvement and leadership are core values.
But community is not the only perk to living in Chadbourne, said UW sophomore Amanda Roling. The activities, house fellows, study environment, proximity to classes and having a cafeteria directly in the building make it a very attractive residence, she said.
Although Roling said she certainly enjoys living in this community, she noted students are not entirely aware of the long history of the dorm. For this reason, Chadbourne provides its own informational booklet to residents.
“Chadbourne has a face book of everyone and their birthdays and in the back there is a history of all the people that the floors are named after and the dorm is named after,” Roling said.