Campus Information

For over 100 years, women have fought for equality. These have been fights for...
-The right to vote
-Equal wages in the workplace
-Safety against sexual assault and constant objectification
...you know, basic human rights.

Although the fight continues, women have organized and removed many societal limits...
 1848 → women were legally allowed to own property.
 1900 → there were 85,000 female college students in the United States.
        -this number grew to over 600,000 in 1940. 
1920 → Women were given the right to vote after many hunger strikes and imprisonments.
1941 →  millions of women enter the workforce during World War II. 
2018 → The record was set when 102 women were elected into the house.   

The history of the Michigan League is indicative of the history and trajectory of women at the University of Michigan. 

1870 →  Madelon Stockwell became the first female student at the university. As more women came to the university, they created their first organization, the “Women's League of the University of Michigan" to help form community for women. 

During this time, men had the Union to hold activities, study, and spend time with each other. Women had to be accompanied by a man to be in the Union. The Women’s League organization saw the need for a place specifically for women to form community and a center for women's social, cultural and recreational activities on campus. 

On May 4th, 1929, the League was officially opened, a building exclusively for women.

The garden was first designed as a Shakespearean herb garden. The Blagdon room used to be a chapel to create a room for rest and contemplation. The stairwell contains special stained glass windows specifically designed for the League. Each square of the framed quilt that hangs in the lobby today represents an interest group that met at the League. This was a place for women to support each other and grow together.          

Today the League plays an important part in student life. It’s a place to get a coffee at Maize’s with a friend. There are meeting spaces for student organizations that can be booked at the Conference Events and Services office on the first floor. The League is home to both ticket offices where you can get tickets for student plays, events happening on campus, and football ticket validation. The office for Center for Campus Involvement, which aims to help students through programs and org support, is right in the basement.    

The League has a long and interesting history that highlights the history of women at the University of Michigan and has become a resource students today.   

Keeping you informed,

Campus Info