Your Cap is Off-Center, You Just Earned a Demerit!

Excerpts from my Diploma School handbook.

Rules  within this handbook are enforced and supported by the issuing of demerits.  Members of the faculty and the student health nurse issue demerits.

If one demerit is received, the student will serve two, four hour work periods to be served on two consecutive weeknights within one week of the issue of the demerit.  Work shall be performed on a ward as needed.

If three (3) or more demerits are issued or accumulated punishment shall be determined by the judiciary committee. One punishment was to lay in bed for an extended time without turning or moving to experience the hazards of immobility first hand. Another was being assigned to a cleaning detail. (this could be really bad. There lots of unpleasant things to clean)

                                                               ATTIRE
Uniform should always be worn in hospital public areas, faculty  areas and the library. No slacks, shorts, or hair curlers are allowed in public areas. In the student rooms care should be taken in keeping the shades drawn when dressing and undressing.

                                                                MEALS
Students receive free meals in the hospital cafeteria by presenting their meal tickets. After eating the table is to be cleared, and the dishes, silver, and glasses carried to the dishwashing room. No food may be removed  from the cafeteria. No food may be kept in the dorm.

                                                               LINEN
At the beginning of each September students will receive  2 bath towels, 2 washcloths, 2 hand towels and one pillow and blanket. The student is responsible for the care of these items.
                                                                    
                                                              TELEPHONE
No telephone calls received  after 10:00PM.  Outgoing calls are limited to 15 minutes.  (There was 1 pay phone on each dorm floor and  about 30 girls lived on each floor)  This caused much name calling and hair pulling

                                                        VALUBLES/MONEY
Students are advised not to keep valuables or money.  There is no need to keep sums of money in the dorm. The school supplies all needs.

                                                          SEWING MACHINES
Sewing machine are available from the house mother. A deposit of 15 cents, which is returned is required for bobbins and needles.  (I thought we were not allowed to possess money)

                                                         RESTICTED AREAS
Men's residence quarters are out of bounds for female students. Doctors lounge and dining room are also out of bounds. Please refrain from using public bathrooms in the hospital lobby.

                                                              SMOKING
Smoking is permitted in the auditorium and classrooms as per the instructors discretion. Neatness in smoking is the responsibility of the individual. Disposal of the ashes and cigarettes in a safe and hygienic manner is expected. Ashtrays are provided

The remainder of the handbook is devoted to wearing and maintain of the uniform right down to the color of underwear that must be worn     Uniform regulations were  aggressively enforced at weekly uniform inspections and the most common reason for demerits. When there were few effective treatments for illness, Instructors tried to gain a sense of control  by enforcing rigid authoritarian rules that governed every minutiae of daily life.