Randolph-Macon Woman's going co-ed...Many Students and Alumnae not happy

[Taualumna]

LYNCHBURG, Va. - Amid boos and shouts of "traitors!" Randolph-Macon Woman's College officials announced Saturday that men would be admitted to the 115-year-old institution starting in 2007.

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[kathykd2005]

Although this is a sad occasion for many alums, if this is the only way the school can survive, they should be happy that their alma mater can even remain operating--males or no males. My school went co-ed in 1989, and although many alums were upset about the change, they would have been more upset if their school closed altogether. It is very difficult to run a single-sex higher educational instituation these days, because most teenagers make their own decisions on where to go to college, unlike high schools, where their parents can decide for them. No teenager who is away from their parents for the first time would want to go to an all-girls or all-boys school--it's just not feasible in today's society, although it would probably be beneficial to their learning experience. I teach at an all-girls' high school, and they are definitely more focused than at the co-ed schools I have taught at before.

[DeltAlum]

People are always upset when the status quo changes. Think about when the first women were admitted to the Military Academies. How about when Harvard became co-ed.

If, given the choice between admitting members of the opposite sex, or going out of business, what would you choose?

If it's the latter, you might want to take a harder look at your priorities. At least that's what I think.

[Munchkin03]

Apparently, single-sex education was not sustainable for RMWC. They obviously did not have the alumnae support or financial backing to remain single-sex, and they were obviously not academically rigorous enough to attract enough capable women to bolster their ranks.

I do not, however, think that single-sex education is going anywhere. Most of the Seven Sisters are still single-sex; schools like Smith, Wellesley, and Barnard are attracting more women than ever before. In this week's New Yorker, there was an article about Deep Springs College, a 2-year school in the southwest that regularly sends its men to Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. Attempts to make it co-ed have met with threats of revoking funding from very wealthy alumni.

[Xylochick216]

I live a block from R-MWC, and things have been crazy for a few weeks around here. I feel badly for the women at the school, especially the freshmen. R-MWC's big admissions pull has always been getting a traditional, all-female education. I read today that the school does not have a development office. Many alumnae apparently stood up on Friday with their checkbooks and said, "If you'd asked for money, we would have given it." Apparently many people are upset with the president because she had said last year that they wouldn't even think about going co-ed. It's sad because there are so many great traditions at the school.

I guess the one decent thing that may come from them going co-ed is perhaps Greek life will make a comeback. I know many sororities had chapters there in the early 1900's.

[Taualumna]

Originally Posted by Xylochick216

I live a block from R-MWC, and things have been crazy for a few weeks around here. I feel badly for the women at the school, especially the freshmen. R-MWC's big admissions pull has always been getting a traditional, all-female education. I read today that the school does not have a development office. Many alumnae apparently stood up on Friday with their checkbooks and said, "If you'd asked for money, we would have given it." Apparently many people are upset with the president because she had said last year that they wouldn't even think about going co-ed. It's sad because there are so many great traditions at the school.

I guess the one decent thing that may come from them going co-ed is perhaps Greek life will make a comeback. I know many sororities had chapters there in the early 1900's.

They don't have a development office? That's such....such a no-no!

Originally Posted by Taualumna

They don't have a development office? That's such....such a no-no!

Geesh. Even my HS alma mater (an all-girls school, mind you) has one!

[Kevin]

I was just impressed that the writer used "alumna" and "alumnae" properly.

I have no opinion on the article otherwise.

[Rudey]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

Apparently, single-sex education was not sustainable for RMWC. They obviously did not have the alumnae support or financial backing to remain single-sex, and they were obviously not academically rigorous enough to attract enough capable women to bolster their ranks.

I do not, however, think that single-sex education is going anywhere. Most of the Seven Sisters are still single-sex; schools like Smith, Wellesley, and Barnard are attracting more women than ever before. In this week's New Yorker, there was an article about Deep Springs College, a 2-year school in the southwest that regularly sends its men to Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. Attempts to make it co-ed have met with threats of revoking funding from very wealthy alumni.

Deep Springs is a bizarre place. It's a homosexual ranch that prepares you for college. Umm yeah. And Barnard has girls that couldn't get into columbia and smith has girls that like unshaved legs.

-Rudey

[alum]

Interesting story...A friend of mine who is an alumna told me today that she has written her last check to the school. Her husband went through the same thing when he was an undergraduate 20 years ago at the formerly all-male Washington and Lee University about an hour away.

There are a LOT of moderately selective women's colleges in that part of VA all competing for the same "type" of student. Sweet Briar, Hollins, and R-MWC (and to a lesser extent Mary Baldwin)are fairly interchangable in terms of admissions stats and NOTHING like the Seven Sisters schools. I am surprised to read that R-MWC has no development office as the school has a decent size endowment ($140 million) as compared to the number of women it educates.

There are still many more all-women schools as compared to all-male schools. The only BA/BS granting, single-sex men's colleges left in the US are Wabash College (IN) and Hampden-Sydney (VA, ironically in the same vicinity as SB/R-MWC). Morehouse in Atlanta is all-male officially although I heard that Spelman women take classes there and vice versa. Deep Springs is a 2year school.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by Rudey

Deep Springs is a bizarre place. It's a homosexual ranch that prepares you for college. Umm yeah. And Barnard has girls that couldn't get into columbia and smith has girls that like unshaved legs.

-Rudey

Deep Springs is crazy as f--k, I won't lie. But their alums are crazy gay ranch dudes with lots of money to throw at the school to prevent it from going co-ed.

[Xylochick216]

A large percentage of the students are protesting. I can hear them outside right now. They've been sitting outside for a long time. Many have had their transcripts sent to Hollins or Sweet Briar. The whole situation is just a mess.

[RU OX Alum]

Originally Posted by Xylochick216

A large percentage of the students are protesting. I can hear them outside right now. They've been sitting outside for a long time. Many have had their transcripts sent to Hollins or Sweet Briar. The whole situation is just a mess.

I thought Hollins was co-ed now too. Or was that just a rumor?

[alum]

Hollins' undergraduate is all-women. The graduate programs are co-ed.

[RU OX Alum]

Originally Posted by alum

Hollins' undergraduate is all-women. The graduate programs are co-ed.

oh, okay. thanks for clearing that up