Wells Opinion on Becoming Co-Ed

Opinion on Wells Becoming Co-Ed

Wells College holds a special place in my heart. I learned a lot in my four years as I transitioned from being a child in my parent's home to being an independent adult. With my first interactions with Wells, I knew that this college, though, would be special above and beyond other colleges.

Finding Wells

I am originally from Bozeman, Montana. As I was choosing which colleges to attend, I knew I wanted to experience something different. I also knew that I would not be able to visit the distant places that I applied to. To compensate for not visiting the campuses, I developed a procedure to evaluate each college from the literature it sent to both me and my parents. The evaluation characteristics included offering my major, classes of interest, size, affiliations, and location.

One of the requirements I defined was that the brochures intended for me needed to show at least one woman involved in an academic endeavor. I wanted to be sure that my college recognized that woman were more than just social features on the campus. The woman could be working on a lab experiment, or writing math equations on a chalkboard, or even sitting on the lawn as long as there was a book open in front of her.

The number of colleges failing this one requirement was astounding. I never would have thought that this requirement would filter out more colleges than any other requirement I set forth. I wrote to ivy league schools asking for all their brochures and to other colleges of interest to me requesting more information. Even after receiving a second batch of leaflets, many colleges I may otherwise have considered could not produce a picture of woman in front of an open book.

I applied to two all-womens colleges and one college that became co-ed just thirty years ago. Other colleges sent the thick envelopes that imply acceptance. I have a clear memory of arriving home the day Wells sent their reply. I ran to the living room with my parents in toe and saw the box with the Wells logo on the top. As I opened it, the aroma of lavender filled the air. A smaller box inside, tied with a bow, contained wild flower seeds and further inside was a card expressing the excitement of the College at accepting my application.

Now, I am a practical woman and know that every college in the world is going to proclaim it a joy when they are sending out acceptance letters. They all want the applicant to feel like they will be treated particularly well at their college. Wells went beyond that and sent me a piece of itself. This small gift was an expression of what Wells wants to be and I was impressed.

Arriving at Wells

I survived the remainder of my Senior year trying to convince Montana friends that I could handle New York and trying to understand myself that the state was not the same as the city.

Once school started, I arrived in a place different from Montana and different from what I was expecting. As the van drove through the Fingerlakes, various villages and towns were pointed out to us. Although I knew that this was not "big city," I could not distinguish between the end of one village and the beginning of another. To me, it looked like one continuous stream of residential areas. Aurora was much smaller than my home town by a factor of one hundred. The entire college was about the same size as my high school's graduating class. All my family and friends were thousands of miles away. I lay in my dorm bed that first night and wondered if this was the correct decision.

The doubt did not last long, though. Wells immediately offered the personal attention that I needed to get to know my fellow students. Most classes were facilitated as much as they were taught. Professors were open to being both mentors and friends.

Lessons From Wells

Good academics and a friendly atmosphere are offered by a host of small Liberal Arts colleges but Wells College offered something more than that. The all-female environment taught me lessons unavailable to those going to co-ed institutions.

I arrived at Wells as a strong independent woman. I already fiercely subscribed to the equality of woman and knew that society often lacked appreciation for what woman can do.

I also arrived at Wells as a woman who did not want to be a woman. I shunned make-up and blushed any time I was caught wanting to look pretty. What I did not subscribe to was the strength of BEING a woman. I defined strength as containing the attributes traditionally ascribed to men. To gain respect, I had always tried to become "one of the guys" and as a result I struggled with the desire to be myself.

Wells taught me to enjoy being a woman. After four years, I saw the strength that can exist in a face with high cheekbones and soft make-up. I learned to recognize the beauty that can come from breasts under a cardigan and pearls as easily as from under a camouflage shirt and a dog collar. I realized that women can curl long hair and wear high heels and deserve the same respect as women in two-piece suits. I learned that women who are comfortable tearing up at a movie may not be weaker, and may even be stronger, than the woman who never expresses emotion. I realized that women can express the femininity of our sex and not lose strength. I already had the feminist hopes of equality. Wells taught me that sexual equality cannot come without respecting that which is feminine in all of its forms.

I spent one year living abroad and attending a co-ed university. Over the course of my year there, I realized how important it was to surround myself with the strong female influences available at Wells College. After graduation I spent two years receiving my masters at a predominately male school in a department where I was the only American woman working on an advanced degree. Without the experience at Wells and the strength Wells taught me to recognize in myself, those two years surrounded by all men would have swallowed me whole. It would simply reinforce my younger desire to be as male as I could. Instead, I arrived at the school and was surprised at men holding position of power. I remember quite clearly hearing myself say, "Men can be Deans?" and catching myself as I realized what I just did.

The Co-Ed Announcement

I thought that everyone at Wells understood these benefits of a single sex education and the strength that it provides to those privileged few of us who graduated from Wells. In 2002, President Lisa Ryerson supported my assumption. Amongst other things, she said, "While society is in desperate need of educated women with skills, self-confidence, and vision to contribute to a changing world, higher education as a whole is not adequately preparing women for life and leadership. The experience at the vast majority of American colleges and universities is still male-centered, from the sciences to athletics" (see http://www.wells.edu/whatsnew/oped8.htm).

Almost exactly two years later, a letter from the Board of Trustees arrived at my home. "Today the Wells College Board of Trustees voted to admit men..."

All things must come to an end. Perhaps it is time to see the passing of the sisterhood of Wells.

Before that is done, though, I need to express my own unrequested opinions about this decision.

An Opinion Unsought

The manner in which this decision was arrived at and the method with which the decision was announced was utterly disrespectful to those of us most attached to the institution. Not only were the alumnae not consulted but we were not told that this was even being considered. Consideration for current students who signed up for four years of single sex education was ignored. Then, with just a few months before students would be accepted for admission, the Trustees announce that this year the primary deciding factor for admitting students would be tossed aside.

Aside from that, the reasons given do not support making this irrevocable change.

The first reason mentioned in the letter from the Trustees is financial. "We have run a deficit for much of our history..." According to CNN, though, Ann Rollo, Vice President for External Affairs, said that the school is "not in a financial crises, but clearly needs to gain enrollment." First I wish to SERIOUSLY question why we are taking the irreversible step of going co-ed when we are NOT in a financial crisis! Once we accept male students for graduation Wells will NEVER be a single sex institution again.

Perhaps there continues to be more going on than I know. After all, the Trustees and president just proved that they DO NOT tell us about the major factors affecting the school. Perhaps some benefactor has promised a major endowment if Wells becomes co-ed. That sounds important enough to be something the Trustees would avoid telling the alumnae about.

The second reason given for becoming co-ed was the lack of enrollment. This goes hand-in-hand with the financial concerns. According to the letter, if we can maintain an enrollment of 450 students then Wells would not need to consider taking this drastic step. The solution to a need for more enrollment is to turn Wells into yet another small liberal arts college; one of thousands of small liberal arts colleges scattered throughout the country. In a hope to increase enrollment, Wells will be increasing the number of schools they are competing with one hundred fold! If we can't market ourselves as the unique college we already are, how can we possibly market ourselves when one of our strongest distinguishing characteristics is removed?

Alternatives

I would like to offer a couple of alternatives. First, Wells College has never marketed their relationship with Cornell well. Even while attending the school, very few professors and administrators encouraged an academic relationship with Cornell. We were invited to fraternity parties there and frats from Cornell came up to our dances, but few Wells students were encouraged to pursue classes at the prestigious Ivy League school. There is a population of high school women who enjoy mathematics, science, and other academic pursuits in male-dominated areas and who could benefit from the strong support structure of an all women's college while gaining the prestigious education from classes at an Ivy League university. How much better can Wells support women wanting to enter male dominated fields?

I would also support the strengthening of programs Wells already does well. For example, Wells produces some of the best-prepared primary and secondary teachers. This program could be strengthened further and those alumnae teaching school can promote the strength of a Wells education by associating their skills with the college that gave it to them.

Finally, Wells has a variety of unique programs that I would also support expanding to reach out into a variety of communities. Programs like the Book Arts Center are valuable to a broad community; a community that could stretch broader than Aurora, broader than Ithaca and Auburn, and reach at the very least to Syracuse and Rochester. Wells sometimes forgets that Rochester and Syracuse are both just an hour away. They are communities that are easily within the reach of the Wells community if Wells would just open their arms a little further.

Conclusion

Wells College taught me that I can be strong, successful, independent... and still be feminine; and be proud to be female!

This decision taught me that I cannot trust the Trustees, the president, and the current college administration to pursue endeavors I feel are in the best interests of the college. I can't believe that they are telling me everything I need to know and I don't believe they have the best interest of Wells as their goal.

I wish I could do more to help the Wells I love.