All-Women College Protests Male Admission

All-Women College Protests Male Admission

AURORA, N.Y. (AP) -- More than a third of Wells College's all-female student body protested trustees' decision admit male students Sunday, sleeping in the lobby of the administration building or in the 15 tents set up on the lawn outside.

About 170 students protested for a second day after Saturday's decision to admit men to the 400-student school beginning next year.

Students in this Finger Lakes village will continue to protest until the board reverses its decision, said sophomore Rachel Crosbie. Opponents say they want to preserve the college's 136-year tradition as a school for women, and worry men may dominate the classroom if they are admitted.

College President Lisa Marsh Ryerson said she met with students Saturday and Sunday and told them Wells is committed to going coed.

"This is just a day after the decision was announced, and the entire community is working through a range of responses to the decision," she said.

Students papered the hallways inside Macmillan Hall with signs that read: "Coeducation Silences Women" and "Single-sex Education is Alive and Wells." They kept busy Sunday at the protest site, reading, doing homework, planning their strategy and occasionally singing protest songs.

Board of Trustees President Stephen Zabriskie had said the decision to admit male students stems from a need to increase enrollment and revenue.

Aurora is about 35 miles southwest of Syracuse.



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So what do you think of this? The citadel was forced to admit women and now an all female college is admiting men. Are the protests sexists?

 

Of course,the protests are sexist.However,it's only an issue when the discrimination is against women,not men.Feminists want whats fair only when it benefits women.I will go into my protective shelter now and await the barrage of attacks from the feministas.

 

As a self-identified feminist, I agree, it's sexist. And, frankly, I don't see how these women are to be called feminists. They are not making any effort to be seen as equal to men. They claim they are worried that men will dominate the classroom. Why? Because they are not good enuf to answer the questions their fair share of the time? Fuck that.

I would place these women in the same conservative, backwards category as anyone who wants an all male school, an all white school, an all (insert minority ethnicity here) school, etc. If they are truly concerned about who will dominate class discussions, they should focus on teaching methods that accommodate various learning styles, rather than being exclusionary and sheltering these poor submissive females from the dominant males.

Furthermore, you need to take a little more time to learn what a feminist is. I don't run around thinking every male is a chauvanistic bastard who only wants sex. Why do you think every feminist only wants equality when it benefits women? (Because you are being misled by the skewed caricature of feminism portrayed in the media.)

 

the fact of the matter is, they signed up to go to an all-female school. there are all-males schools as well. and there are PLENTY of co-ed schools out there. it's not really segregation.... i mean, these people CHOOSE to go to these schools.

many some of the females dont wanna have to deal with dating and males and all stuff while studying.

i think they had every right to protest... sorry if i sound sexist or whatever...

 

There are lots and lots of coed colleges--the vast majority--and just a dwindling few single-sex ones. Isn't there room in the world for them, if there are people who want to go there?

Of course, the trustees are saying that no, there aren't enough people going there to keep the place economically viable. Ultimately it's money that talks the loudest.

 

now i'm a pretty stark feminist, definitely call myself one as does everyone who knows me.

but yeah i agree, they signed up for an all-female school. i would never choose to go to an all-female school, but these people did, and it's kinda shitty to pull the rug out from under them like that just because the school needs money. i felt the same way about the citadel thing. it seems like some people just do things for attention, like a girl trying to get into an all male school or a guy trying to get into an all female school.

to me, these aren't questions of sexism. with all the studies that show how women test higher, perform better, etc, in all-female environments, it's really hard to prove that all-female schools are a bad idea. they're definitely not for me, but they are obviously a good fit for some people.

i don't think this is a sexism issue so much.. i dunno that's just how it feels to me

 

It's a private university, it should have the right to do whatever it wants. if it wants all women, so be it, if it wants all whites, so be it. However, since its hte university who wants to change it, there is shitall anyone can do about that.


There is nothing wrong with private organizations limiting who they want to be a member and its not necessarily sexist. I dont think Augusta national is sexist for not wanting women to be apart of their club, nor do i think the boy scouts are bigoted because they require members to believe in a higher being. These are the requirements they set for their members, sucks if you dont qualify, but thats life.

 

That is ubsurd. Only the individual choses to silence themselves.