Interview with Jean Dolores Schmidt, 1998

Interview with Jean Dolores Schmidt, 1998

Transcription: "We used to have a pretty rigid dress code. No jeans, none of that kind of thing. In fact, the women who used to live in the residence hall could not even go to the dining hall in jeans or slacks. They had to wear dresses all the time. Many times they’d roll up their jeans and put their coats on. And we knew that. But it was the students who asked Sister Ann Ida. Sherry was her name. She said to Sister Ann Ida, ‘You know, we don’t want a dress code anymore.’ And Sister Ann Ida said, ‘I can’t change that myself. I’ll give you time at the faculty meeting.’ And Sherry—I remember her to this day—just got up and said, ‘I’m just here representing the students as the Student Body President to tell you that we no longer have a dress code. You’ll see us looking differently.’ And she walked out."

Mundelein College Oral History Collection