Co-Eds at the Institute
With such small numbers of women students in the 1870s and 1880s, not much is known about their social lives at MIT. With no on campus housing for students at the time, women students list their homes or boarding houses as their addresses in enrollment records.
In 1890, Eta Sigma Mu was founded as the first club for women students at MIT. It served as a social club for women at the Institute, holding regular Friday teas and receptions for its members. In 1897, the name was changed to Cleofan. Cleofan records after the first few years are virtually nonexistent, and the last mention of the group in The Tech is an article from 1937, stating that the group was being revived by current students.
Cleofan acted as a de facto sorority for early women students. However, it wasn’t until the 1960s that several sororities at MIT approached student living groups about starting chapters on campus. The first official sorority was Alpha Kappa Alpha, which established a chapter at MIT in 1977. Alpha Kappa Alpha is the oldest Black women’s sorority, founded in 1908 at Howard University.
The Margaret Cheney room, named after special student Margaret Swan Cheney, who conducted research in the Woman’s Laboratory from 1876 until her death in 1882, has provided a space for women students to rest and do homework without having to leave campus since its founding in 1884. The Cheney Room is now part of the Women and Gender Services (WXGS) branch of MIT’s Division of Student life, which supports all nonbinary and women students as well as allies to foster wellness, community, and belonging. WXGS provides support, programs, workshops, education, advocacy and resources so students can be their whole selves and thrive at MIT.
The first on-campus housing for women students, McCormick Hall, opened in 1963, which finally allowed women students a dorm experience, opening a second tower of rooms in 1968. Senior House became the first co-ed living group in 1969. In 1976 the Women’s Independent Living Group became a housing option for MIT students.
One of 5 independent living groups at MIT, The Women's Independent Living Group (WILG) was founded in 1976 with the support of Kate Hendricks (SB XVII ‘71, SM XVII ‘72), administrator Dorothy Bowe, Marjorie Pierce (SB IV ‘22, MAR ‘23), Elisabeth Drake (SB X ‘58, ScD X ‘66), Nancy Wheatley (SB XII ‘71), Zaurie Zimmerman (SB IV ‘78, MAR ‘80), and then dean of the graduate school Ken Wadleigh.
In 2026, after many renovations and changes, WILG and McCormick Hall continue to offer important housing options to MIT’s women students.
