Day in the Life : Women Students on Campus
During Rider College's years in Trenton, there was no distinct campus, except for a main building and another small building that eventually became the Moore-Gill Memorial Library. While a new classroom building (Stewart Hall) was constucted in the late 1920s, housing for students was scattered throughout Trenton, and included boarding houses for students. Rider sponsored and charged boarding with various families in Trenton. Select female students could board with certain families for free if they agreed to assist with household duties or childcare. Male students could also board at the local YMCA, the Knights of Columbus, and the Young Men's Hebrew Association, while female students could also board at the local YWCA.
In the spring of 1926, students could begin boarding in the dormitories of the nearby Trenton Normal School. Rider did not have its own housing until the late 1920s when early single-sex dormitories, such as Mary Hooper Hall (opened in 1929), and several Fraternity and Sorority houses, were established.
In addition to Greek life, students kept busy with other organizations and events. The Rider Dramatic Club, the Rider Symphony Orchestra, and specific religion based clubs such as Hillel, were popular groups at Rider. Also, formal events, such as the annual Mayfair Ball, with the Mayfair Queen being crowned, proved to be a big hit with students. The College Sweet Shop was a popular student hangout.
Rider did not have a substantial campus until the move to Lawrenceville in the early 1960s. Wright, Gee, Ziegler, and Olson Halls were amongst the earliest dorms built. Dormitories continued to be single sex and not co-ed until 1974.
Sorority houses were established on the Lawrenceville campus, and students continued to keep busy with various organizations and special events such as concerts. Beginning in the 1960s, multiple concerts per year have been hosted by Rider, including ones by major artists. See the Rockin' at Rider online exhibit for the complete list.
