“THIS UNJUST DISCRIMINATORY LAW”
I believe sign-out procedures are an anachronism based on the traditional protective philosophy concerning women that is no longer valid in the contex[t] of modern life. In my case I have found it a matter of conscience to no longer submit to the humiliation of this unjust discriminatory law…
In the 1960s, many Susquehanna women protested one of the longest-running restrictions imposed upon them—sign-out procedures. In this 1969 letter in the Crusader, Kathleen Moriarty describes her refusal to comply with her dorm’s sign-out procedures and argues that the rule is only concerned with upholding outdated sexist ideas. She shares that she is circulating a petition to get the sign-out procedures abolished through AWS, which 167 women have signed so far, and asks for further support. With engaged students like Moriarty, rules from the era of the Women’s Student Council would soon be a thing of the past.
In addition to helping students fight sign-out procedures, AWS helped make changes to female students’ curfews. This 1970 Crusader article discusses how a no-hours policy has been approved for women due to AWS’ campaigning and a student demonstration. According to Associate Dean of Students Catherine Stelz, “Those who protested could not have accomplished their goals without the prior efforts of AWS in laying the ground work for acceptance of the optional hours policy.” In this way and many others, AWS proved it was a valuable asset to Susquehanna University.