In early October, my three best friends from MRC (yes – we were pre-“Collins”) days and I had a reunion in Bloomington. The four of us were among the first group of women to move into MRC, in September 1970. Prior to that year, “Mens’ Residence Center” had been – you guessed it – all male. All the women lived in Smith, at that time. Though we had kept in touch with one another over the years, this is the first time my friends and I had seen one another since 1972. We took a sentimental journey all over campus (and Bloomington). But our favorite stop was Collins. We arrived there early on a Saturday afternoon, and we were so happy to run into some students who – hearing our story – offered to let us see their rooms in Smith. Two of us even got to see the room where we had lived way back when: Smith 103. Though some things have changed at the dorm, we really were amazed at how much was the same, down to those interesting little gnomes in the foyer windows! But the best part of our visit was talking with some of the students (including one young woman who does the Collins yearbook) who were as excited about our reunion as we were and – I think – excited that these almost-60-year-olds still share the wonderful friendship that was born at MRC/Collins, lo, those many years ago.
By the way, I was Vice President of the dorm, during my senior year; and I chaired the student committee that worked with I. Don Bell in University Division to create the living-learning center, in 1972. The primary goal of our student committee was to sign an agreement ensuring that students who lived in, and loved, MRC could continue to stay there while the living-learning center concept was implemented…you may still have the signed agreement among the LLC archives! Then I was an RA (we had grad RAs in those days) in the first year of the living-learning center in 1972-73, working with Residence Life Coordinator Claire Gaudiani Burnett and LLC Coordinator David Burnett; and I was the Assistant Coordinator, working for Coordinator Cherry Darriau, in 1973-74. So I like to think that I was part of those who gave birth to this wonderful educational concept!
We are (left to right): Candi Brunk Harrison (Tucson, AZ), Linda Podlasek Herreman (who met her husband, Jim, at MRC) (Indianapolis, IN), Susan Landseadel (Fairfax, VA), and Jeanne Benham Elliott (Lawrenceburg, KY).
It’s wonderful to see that our beloved dorm continues to foster that sense of community that we valued 38 years ago!
By the way, I was Vice President of the dorm, during my senior year; and I chaired the student committee that worked with I. Don Bell in University Division to create the living-learning center, in 1972. The primary goal of our student committee was to sign an agreement ensuring that students who lived in, and loved, MRC could continue to stay there while the living-learning center concept was implemented…you may still have the signed agreement among the LLC archives! Then I was an RA (we had grad RAs in those days) in the first year of the living-learning center in 1972-73, working with Residence Life Coordinator Claire Gaudiani Burnett and LLC Coordinator David Burnett; and I was the Assistant Coordinator, working for Coordinator Cherry Darriau, in 1973-74. So I like to think that I was part of those who gave birth to this wonderful educational concept!
We are (left to right): Candi Brunk Harrison (Tucson, AZ), Linda Podlasek Herreman (who met her husband, Jim, at MRC) (Indianapolis, IN), Susan Landseadel (Fairfax, VA), and Jeanne Benham Elliott (Lawrenceburg, KY).
It’s wonderful to see that our beloved dorm continues to foster that sense of community that we valued 38 years ago!
