Student Life
As the course offerings grew and students traveled from other regions to attend, the administration of the Summer School included the practical aspects of housing, feeding and providing for the general well-being of the students. The coeducational nature of the program as well as the diversity in ages and backgrounds of the students resulted in a student culture that differed from that of the regular academic term. Until the first dormitories were opened to summer students in 1915, students resided in local lodging and boarding houses. The University provided lists of these accomodations and the students were responsible for their own arrangements. Dining facilities and rooms for study and socializing were made available by the University.
In addition to academics, intellectual, social, cultural and recreational activities were offered. Summer School administrators sought to provide opportunities for participants to benefit from the range of the University's resources, as well as the variety of historical, cultural and other places of interest in the area. They also provided venues for social bonding and the exchange of experiences and information among the participants.
Excursions were organized to sites of historical events and literary significance including Plymouth, Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, Salem and the birthplace and home of John Greenleaf Whittier in Haverhill and Amesbury. Because these sites were important to American history and literature taught in the schools, these trips were considered part of the education work of the Harvard Summer School. Lectures and readings were held.
The students contributed to the social life by planning and assisting with receptions and social events. Friday evening receptions were a tradition at the Summer School from about 1900 to World War II. In 1908, in an effort to promote a sense of community among students from different parts of the country, James Lee Love, Chairman of the Committee for the Summer School, organized the student body into regional or sectional committees. Each regional committee hosted a Friday evening reception. Membership in The Harvard Summer School Association, active for several years in the early 1900s, was open to current and former students. Of its members, it was primarily the school teachers who took an active interest in the Association and served in administrative roles.
