Randolph-Macon Woman's College has announced it will transition from a woman's college to a co-ed institution, which has caused anger and resentment from students, faculty and staff and has led many to question the necessity of female-only colleges.
The school's board of trustees announced its decision to admit male students for the upcoming 2007-2008 school year Sept. 9 via a press release on its Web site.
Despite its rankings as one of the "Best Deals" in getting a college education by the Princeton Review and Barron's Best Buys, Randolph-Macon, located in Lynchburg, Va., has faced continued decline in enrollment over the last three decades, according to spokeswoman Brenda Edson.
"Our admissions decline started in the 1970s when the all-male colleges began going co-ed," Edson said.
With the decline in admissions and enrollment, the college has been forced to pull money from its endowments to balance the yearly budget.
A similar case occurred at a neighboring school, Hood College, in Frederick, Md., which became fully co-ed in 2003, about the same time that Randolph-Macon's trustees began deliberations about going co-ed.
Part of the research conducted by Randolph-Macon involved consultations with other colleges who had undergone the transition from single sex to co-ed, including Hood.
David Diehl, a staff member of the Hood marketing and communications department, said a main problem facing today's all-female schools is "the only thing distinguishing women's colleges now is the fact that they are all women. But now people aren't limited to only picking an all-female school."
Diehl said only three percent of college-age women will consider an all-women's college.
Elizabeth Watson, a freshman in Kogod, said that she attended an all-girl's school and was pleased with the education she received, however she had difficulty transitioning to the co-ed environment of AU.
"It was really hard having a class with all guys because for eight years it was all girls," Watson said. "So the first week was hard because guys tend to be more aggressive."
Watson said that she prefers a co-ed environment, saying "with co-ed you get the full experience. When you go out in the real world, life is both females and males."
Casey Shellenberger, a freshmen in the School of Public Affairs and the School of Communication, agreed with Watson saying that while she enjoyed her female high school, she was not looking to repeat the experience in college.
"I don't think I'd ever do it again for college," she said.
Hoda Viki, a political science professor at Hood College, said women's colleges were formed because of a need to gain an education in what were mostly men's schools.
"What's happened in civil rights and in the women's movement is that there has been success, and they can go to any college they want based on academics," Viki said.
Both Diehl and Edson said many women want experiences that reflect real life and also schools that give them access to friends of the opposite gender.
AU does provide female students with the option of selecting to live on an all-girl's floor, however some students are randomly placed into the all-girl's floors.
Watson, a resident of an all-girl's floor, said she requested not to be on a same-sex floor because she had already had a similar experience in high school.
"The bond is tighter on all-girl's floors than on others because you're forced to interact with each other," Watson said.
Since the switch in 2003, Hood has rebounded in its enrollment. Its freshman class has doubled in size to 278 students from the 109 students that comprised the freshman class from a few years ago, according to Diehl.
Randolph-Macon hopes for the same kind of success with their transition, Edson said.
"We've done our research and it shows that as men come into the school, more women will want to come, and so we'll still be able to focus on them," she said. "The board intended this decision to be a bright light for the school to ensure that it had a future."
While acknowledging and understanding the anger, frustration and protests within Randolph-Macon's community, Edson said there are some students who are ready to "move forward and look at the expansion in programs."
"The greatest challenge in the near term is getting the Randolph-Macon community - students, alumnae and faculty, in that order - to support the college in word and deed," especially when it comes to contributions from alumnae, Diehl said.
As all-women's colleges continue to feel economic pressures, the debate continues as to whether or not women are "better off" attending single-sex schools.
Professor Gay Young, director of the Women's and Gender Studies program at AU, said the debate does not have a strong leaning in either direction.
"In all honesty, it was never in my experience," said Young. "Those who went to such schools or to camps or any other single-gender experiences might have a better gauge that helps them make their decision and put it in a context. In terms of the question of whether it is better for girls to attend single-sex or co-ed institutions depends mostly on the institutions and on the girls."
Edson stressed that even with the changes in the college's standing and logistics, such as the school's name, which can no longer remain Randolph-Macon Woman's College, the school will still retain its overall spirit and focus.
"I don't think we'll lose that commitment to women, and those values won't change just because men are walking on campus," Edson said.
