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by Mackenzie Lee
Out of around 600 buildings at the University of Michigan, only 12 are named after women (Dougall). Alice Lloyd Hall, one of the residence halls on "the Hill" of the U of M campus, is named after a woman who fought hard for the recognition of influential women and the educational rights of a minority in the schooling system at the time.
The Alice Lloyd building was built in 1949, four years after it was commissioned by the Board of Regents, the governing body of the University of Michigan. The originally all-women's dorm was created under the constraints of the aftereffects of World War II and was limited in labor, supplies, and money because of both the loss of people and the need for veteran housing (“Alice Crocker Lloyd Hall”). After undergoing renovations and a new scholars program, Alice Lloyd became a mixed-gender hall in 1968.
Alice Lloyd was born in Ann Arbor and was connected with the University of Michigan from early on in her life. Her father was a professor, a dean, and, at one point, even the acting president of the university. Alice Lloyd attended the University of Michigan herself and later became the Dean of Women at the school from 1930-1950 (“A Dangerous Experiment”). During her time as the longest-serving dean, Lloyd worked extensively to better the education rights of women and provide academic and social opportunities for all women in the university, ranging from creating a sorority to supporting post-college goals to expanding social, athletic, and housing facilities for women on campus (Tobin). As a strong advocate for granting students equal access to the academic world, Lloyd specifically tackled issues regarding women's rights, specifically a cap on women's enrollment and the overcrowding of female housing.
Alice Crocker Llyod. Photo source
Llyod strongly believed in the idea of social responsibility, specifically in nursing, and the idea that she had a responsibility to ensure the education of women after her (Lloyd). Lloyd’s services were not only limited to education-minded pursuits, but also to the US Navy and State Advisory Committee of WAC (“Alice Lloyd Crocker”).
The name Alice is of German descent, although originally derived from the old French name of Aalis. It means both noble and kind (Nameberry) and seems to have fit Alice Lloyd very well. From her many academic and like-minded accomplishments and her great desire to know the female students personally and advocate for them, the word “noble” describes Lloyd perfectly. Her friendly demeanor and caring attitude also made her a kind and lovely person to be around.
It took three whole years for Alice Lloyd Hall to receive its name. From Alice Hamilton to Sarah Caswell Angell to Mary Louisa Hinsdale, a committee composed of Joseph Bursley, F.C. Sheil, and Alice Lloyd, recommended countless names to the Board of Governors of residence halls (“Alice Lloyd Hall”). All of their recommendations for the name of the main building were rejected and throughout the following years, tension and disagreement lead to the lack of a name for the women's dormitory. The halls inside of the building were eventually named, all after prominent U of M women, but the name of Alice Lloyd was not chosen for the building until after the unexpected death of Alice Lloyd herself on March 3, 1950 (“Alice Lloyd Hall”). Her name was chosen as a tribute to her fight for recognition of women in housing and education and in memorial of a strong feminist advocation for women to have a right to education.
As a part of the two-percent of UM buildings named after women (Dougall), Alice Lloyd Hall shows a strong example of both the lack of representation and the pride of women who were able to overcome that. Alice Lloyd herself would be proud of this accomplishment, and while the recognition for women’s achievements is still low, her name on the front of a building is a step in the right direction towards more representation of women.
Works Cited
Dougall, Jared and Chrisitan Juliano, “Daily Research Finds Only One Building Named after Person of Color, 12 after Women.” The Michigan Daily, 4 Apr. 2022, https://www.michigandaily.com/news/administration/daily-research-finds-only-one-building-named-after-person-color-12-after/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2022.
“Alice Lloyd Crocker Hall.” University of Michigan History Department, http://umhistory.dc.umich.edu/mort/central/Observatory%20Street/Alice%20Lloyd%20Hall/index.html. Accessed 15 Nov. 2022.
“A Dangerous Experiment: Women at the University of Michigan.” Michigan in the World. http://michiganintheworld.history.lsa.umich.edu/dangerousexperiment/exhibits/show/educatingwomen/deanofwomen/alice-lloyd#content. Accessed 15 Nov. 2022.
Tobin, James. “Who Was Alice Lloyd?” Michigan Today, 26 Nov. 2012. https://michigantoday.umich.edu/2012/11/26/a8503/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2022.
“Alice Crocker Lloyd.” Living in History: Names of U-M Residence Halls, https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/naming-project/people/lloyd/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2022.
“Alice.” Nameberry.com. https://nameberry.com/babyname/alice. Accessed 15 Nov. 2022.
“Alice Lloyd Hall.” Living in History: Names of U-M Residence Halls. https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/naming-project/buildings/alice-lloyd/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2022.
Lloyd, Alice. “Social Responsibility: An Aim in Nursing Education.” The American Journal of Nursing Vol. 31, No. 8, Aug. 1931. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3410801?searchText=Alice+lloyd&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DAlice%2Blloyd&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3Abe3cdb434f2f9b32193981f5afadadff#metadata_info_tab_contents. Accessed Nov. 15, 2022.
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