A Look At Student Moving Days Past

Every August, students, like the women in the above image, move out of one space and into another in preparation for the start of the school year.

The idea of students and faculty living in close proximity has long been seen as beneficial to learning. In colonial America, students and faculty lived in the same dormitories. This was in part because high schools were not common until the 20th century so students tended to be younger, about 14 years old, when they started college so staff acted as parents as well as teachers.

When it opened on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus in 1851, North Hall contained classrooms, offices, and housing; for four years, it was the entire university in a single building. About 30 students lived there with three faculty members and a janitor.

This system of living and learning began to change in the 19th century as management of student housing fell to administrative staff rather than professors. These new housing staff served primarily as managers and rules enforcers, not educators.

The large growth in college enrollment after World War II led to an explosion in student housing from family housing for married veterans with children, to high-rise dorms that could house hundreds of students. It also led many students to seek housing off-campus as universities struggled to keep up with residency demands.

With more than 30,000 students living off campus in Madison, the mid-August moving days result in a tremendous number of people moving and a tremendous amount of unwanted items on city curbs. It’s better known in Madison as “Hippie Christmas,” and while it occurs in campus communities nationwide, the name is strongly associated with Madison.

See a collection of Wisconsin moving days past below: