Intervisitation Hours Sign

This item, donated by Mikal Kenfield, dates back to 2001. However, intervisitation hours have been in place at Concordia since the creation of the school. Dormitory visitation at Concordia has always been a debated subject, creating heated relationships among students and board members. This item represents the college's continuing focus on upholding the strong moral values of the Christian and Lutheran lifestyle. Throughout the nation in the 1920s to 1960s, schools were very strict on reinforcing gender norms--specifically female sexual abstinence and domesticity.The architecture of women’s residence halls reflects a domestic “middle-class Christian home.”[1] Men were expected and accepted to be somewhat unruly at times.[2] As times have changed and gender equality have improved, the strong force of inter-visitation at Concordia and other schools has changed as well.

Seen in documents dating back to 1917, Concordia placed heavy restrictions on liquor, dancing, tobacco, cards, billiards, and visitations in dormitories. In addition, the dormitories were routinely locked at 10:15 every night.  If a student was caught breaking intervisitation rules, punishments were very harsh. It is told to be true that a pair of loud women were tied to their beds, had mustard smeared on their faces and were left to suffer for an entire night. Dorm visitation hours were eventually changed to two Sundays per month from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. If students of different genders were in the same room the door was required to be left open. At the time, President Knutson was strongly opposed to visitation and stated “bedroom visitation is just plain immorality.”[3] Later, students proposed to extend the visitation time to four Sundays per month, but this was declined. When asked about the student’s behavior regarding the issue, the board said that the students approached the situation with great responsibility and maturity.[4]

Eventually the visitation hours were extended and now they no longer exist, thanks to the hard work and determination of Cobber students.

[1] Catherine Gidney, Dating and Gating: The Moral Regulation of Men and Women at Victoria and University Colleges, University of Toronto, 1920-60 (Printemps, 2007), 141.

[2] Catherine Gidney, 138, 142.