Bryn as a Mawr

BRYN MAWR MUST
STAY S EPARATcl.
.
Symposium '75
_,
........
~
BRYN
MAWR
MVST
GO
COED!
WHY
DOE.SN IT
BRYN MAWR
SHUT VP AND
LET ME
STVPY?
Bryn
Mawr
as a
women 's
college
Special issue of
Th e Bryn Mawr-Have rford Colleg e New s
Friday, October 24, 1975
History of Cooperation
Cooperation past, present: Where do we go from here?
By PAT DeFUSCO
Bryn Mawr-Haverford cooperation has a history dating
from World War II, although
much activity has been telescoped
into the last few years .
The foundation of academic
cooperation was laid during the
Second World War when Bryn
Mawr and Haverford ·jointly apJXIinted a professor of Ru·s sian.
From this start, a Russian
language major developed at Bryn
Mawr, while H~verford 's offering
of allied courses in history and
economics led to the establishment of an interdepartmental
Russian Studies major.
With this stimulus other
departments soon di~cerned
benefits in academic cooperation.
The history and economics departments are federated, while in most
other departments, the ability to
do the bulk of one's major (with
the usual exception of Senior Conference work at Bryn Mawr) at the
other campus is a viable alternative.
s·Ince status
reports from each
department on their cooperative
endeavors have not been updated
sfimce the spring of 1974 it is diftcu\t t0
. '
.
assess the gams made by
parhcular departments . However
SUch
·
'
reports are presently being
requested by the Joint Committee
on Cooperation.
The Bryn Mawr fac ulty's last
offici al stat€ ment on coope ration
was their 1973 endorse ment of a
Student-Fac ulty Curriculum Committee proposal. The thrust of t his
proposal was a determina tion of
the spec ific ways in which t h e
Bry n M a wr fac ulty could sh ow its
support fo r furthe r academic
cooperation wit h H a ve r for d .
The Prea mble to t h e st atement
makes the following p oints:
1. the s m all s i ze of Bryn Mawr is
one of its greatest stengths, for
it allows for strong fa culty
guida n ce a nd en couragement ;
2. However , small ness has its
limitati on s, h e n ce exploration
of cooper a tive arrangements is
warr a nted , yet "the manner
a nd degree of these cooperative
arr a n gements
should
be
delibe r ate ly and carefully plann ed r ather than adopted in
re s p o n se to pressures and
financi a l exigencies;"
3. cooperat ive arrangements must
se e k t o preserve the uniqueness
of eac h institution and not
foster competition between
them as cros s-majoring would
do .
The specific provisions of the
proposal include:
1. Continuing to permit students
to m ajor in departments not of-
fered on the home campus;
2. a ll owing Bryn Mawr dis tribution requirements to be
fulfilled at either College;
3. Asking for annual meeting of
departments on each campus to
discuss appointments, leaves ,
curricular offerings , etc .;
4. Considering those levels at
which joint courses could best
be instituted; and,
5. "That departments not already
doing so seek to coordinate
programs so that wherever appropriate courses in t h e major
may be taken at Haverford ."
Cross-Majoring
The Haverford faculty, in its
statement of May 9, 1975, strongly
urged the Bryn Mawr faculty to
reassess its position. The issue of
cross-majoring, both facu lties feel ,
is the thorniest question. Concerns over the meaning of a Bryn
Mawr degree and mor e importantly, over the possibl e
depletion of some depart ments on
each campus to t he point where
ultimate merger is the only alternative, are the current foc us of
study at Bryn Mawr .
One problem that has loomed
over academic cooperation in
recent years has been the imbalance in cross-registrations .
The imbalance was on the side of
more Bryn Mawr registrations at
Haverford between 1968-71, then
switched campuses from 1971-74,
was fair ly balanced last year, and
has now swung back to an excess
of Haverford registrations at Bryn
Mawr.
Assessing the reasons for the
imbalance is difficult. A long
range perspective is necessary as
yearly changes may be reflective
of an individual professor's influence. The cr ux of the problem
is the financial b urden: someone
has to pay for the additional
teaching personnel.
Imbalance Fee
Under the present system, the
school causing the imbalance
must pay $65 per student over t he
equ al exchange level. The quest ion
is: Is this equitable or should a
formu la be worked out for the
remuneration of groups of departments (e .g. , the sciences wh ere extra lab sections , chemicals,
glassware, and personnel may be
required).
The academic cost of imbalanced cross-registrations is ofte n buried under the financial considerations . Are classes becoming
t oo overcrowded? Are facilities
su ffi cient? Are rare books being
dep reciated too rapidly?
On the social side, the major
cooperative aspect is the dorm exch ange . Yet, as recently as 1967, a
major question was whether or not
overni ght sign-outs of Bryn Mawr
women to Haverford should be
allowed.
The dorm exchange itself first
began in 1969-70 with 24 students
from each campus exchanging
places . Presently, the exchange
level is approximately 180 with 5
dorms at Bryn Mawr and all the
Haverford dorms (exc luding the
language houses and Haverford
Park Apartments ) offer i ng
coeducational · living.
As is obvious, cooperation has
come a long way. T h e question the
symposium is raising now is : "Can
it continue on its present course
and at its present rate?"
In this
•
ISSUe :
p. 3
"The Bryn Mawr College
ministration is a subtle
dangerous proponent of
female inferiority myth in
community. "
adbut
the
our
p.4
"The need for Bryn Mawr no
longe r exists ."
Page 2
The Bryn Mawr-Haverford College News
Separate is still better
Talk now of creating a "truly
coeducational
environment"
disheartens me for the students of
Bryn Mawr and Haverford .
Generations have been raised in
the , truly coeducational environ~ent of the real world
without achieving equality between men and women. Integration alone does not bring the
ability to act with pride and
dignity. Rather, events of the last
20 years have demonstrated that
only when a group is aware of its
own separate needs and strengths,
separate traditions and achievements, can it act effectively on its own behalf.
"Generations have
been raised in the
truly coeducational
environment of the
real world without
achieving equality
between men and
women."
The hi-College community
makes such awareness possible for
its male and female students. As a
separate institution, Bryn Mawr
has provided in the past and continues to offer :
1. a
faculty committed to the
education of women which is
neither
surprised
nor
threatened by their in telligence;
2. a community of women who can
provide support and not competition for each other;
3. a tradition of exceptional personalities who achieved
professionally and personally
regardless of traditional
barriers.
Haverford's separate existence
cannot help but provide the same
for its students.
In addition, given the present
level of cooperation each sex finds
preferential support and encouragement when needed in a
variety of ways: from members of
their own sex, from peers, from
like-minded individuals. Both
sexes have viable alternatives.
Choice is a fragile entity. All manner of intangibles can restrict it.
Cooperation now gives choices to
all members of the community,
past and present. Nothing in
recent history suggests that
removing the limits to integration
will broaden these choices; rather,
all indicates that unique and important sources of pride, confidence, and independence will be
diminished, perhaps destroyed.
Judith Zinsser Lipmann, '64
Lipmann is a member of the Board
of Trw;teet;, and is on the Cooperation Committee.
Hinging on a paradox
In responding to a question
about Bryn Mawr as a women's ins titution now and for the
foreseeable future. I start by
thinking about the College's
generations of commitment to
each era's "new equality", be that
in terms particularly intellectual,
political, social, professional,
economic, or psychological.
By equality I mean as
reasonable a chance for women as
for men to the rights and responsibilities of life as well as its options . Perhaps some day we may
be talking about options simply in
terms of people. Even so, I s uspect
there will be an important place
for a predominantly female Bryn
Mawr, and I hope, for a predominantly male Haverford for a
long time to come.
Success for eith er co llege
hinges, it seems to me, in int e re st ing paradoxical fashion,
upon maintaining a teaching and
learning process of t he highest
caliber that is generally sex-blind.
Small size and high expectations
are important ingredients and the
overriding concern is offering individuals the knowledge, tools,
Special Edition
This special edition was
paid for by SGA, for the symposium to evaluate Bryn
Mawr's role as a women's institution. The four-day symposium begins Wednesday,
Oct. 29; schedules will be
posted.
Barbara Riemer, Vicki
Weber, editors, with special
thanks to members of the
committee to sponsor a
forum to exam in e Bryn
Mawr's role as a women's
co llege.
and encouragement to propel
themselves into becoming aware,
self-reliant, and effective people.
Bryn Mawr, with its focus on
women, has long been a good place
for a great many women to become
such people. ·u has done well
by a number of men too. Proper
balance is always difficult, but
let us take a hard, penetrating, farsighted look at balance in the
society, national and international, as we seek to make this
institution serve its people best.
Barbara H. Thatcher, '40
Barbara Thatch er is a form er
presid·e nt of th e Alumnae
Association, '66-'69, and is now
Chairman of Bryn Mawr't; Cam paign at the Tenth Decade. She is
also a m ember of Bryn Mawr
Board of Directort;.
BMC sexist'
Bryn Mawr IS currently
examining its role as a women's
college. The first question we
should ask is, Does the need for a
women's college exist? If our
society were not sexist, a coed
college would serve women's
needs as well as a women's
college. Unfortunately, at the
present time our society is a sexist
one and a women's college is an
important means by which we can
combat society's failures.
I don't think the faculty means
that female students can't handle
the work of male students. So they
must fear that we will be intimidated by the presence of male
students. My father works with a
woman chemist who tried to major
in physics in college, but · was
hounded out of the department by
males who thought sh e didn't
belong there. This sort of thing
doesn't happen at Bryn MawrHaverford. While I've heard of a
couple of professors (on both campuses) who have doubts about
female students, I've never heard
a Haverford student (or professor)
seriously claim that he was better
than any Bryn Mawr student
i Q. i o. \o. n ·, ~ e
:Bryn \"('\o.wr.,
e,"<"yn rf\o.wr,
~"t"·Ford ??
The foundation of any college,
of course, must be a sound
academic curriculum to prepare
its students for work after
graduation. However, a women's
college must instill a sense of
. pride in womanhood in its
students. It should also place its
students in situations where they
are forced to assume positions of
leadership and responsibility.
Bryn Mawr fulfills the first
criterion quite adequately. But in
the second and third area, it fails
miserably. Bryn Mawr fails not
because of what it does, but rather
because of what it fails to do. It
does not take any action. It does
not even demonstrat~ a positive
attitude towards women. By
ignoring the situation, Bryn Mawr
is actually condoning sexism. The
ideals which the Bryn Mawr administration is so proud of are in
reality empty rhetoric without a
concret e statement of position.
Our letter is not intended as
a missionary document or
revolutionary manifesto, but
rather to remind Bryn Mawr
women of the enormous potential
Bryn Mawr has as a women's
college, and to question whether
'this potential is being used.
Norma Garcia
Mary Harkenrider
Dia ne Lewis
T heodora Ma uro
J ill Oswalt
'77
'78
'79
'78
'79
Limiting cooperation
We believe that Bryn Mawr, as
a women's college, should not only
foster academic excellence in
women, but should also strengthen
them in their struggle to fulfill
their potential m a male
dominated society.
Bryn Mawr fulfills its academic
goals. It is not as successful,
however, in instilling in us a
positive image of ourselves as exceptional women in an often
hostile culture. We believe that
this lack of success is due to the
subtle institutionalized blindness
to the fact that we are women with
minds and not just people with
'minds. Our womenhood is an inseparable part of our identity and
must not be ignored.
In view of that, a sense of
solidarity should be encouraged.
For example, during Freshman
Week t here is a great emphasis
placed on becoming part of the hiCollege community. We feel that
there should be a comparable emphasis placed on becoming a part
HJord input wanted
In my discussions with Haverford men explaining and debating
the organization and issues of our
symposium to investigate Bryn
Mawr's role as a woman's college,
What are we doing right?
The Bryn Mawr faculty tells me
that I have "certain special and
important academic needs" that
male students don't have. I wish
they would tell me what these are,
apart from the special and important needs that each of us h as
as a person.
Friday, October 24, 1975
because he was male.
What are we doing right? I
think if you try to isolate Bryn
Mawr students from males for
four years, we're going t o get
culture shock when we graduate.
The ch emist I referred to earlier
learned from her experience and
changed jobs when she found more
sex discrimination. She has now
found a place where she's accepted as men's equal. Suppose
she had found such a place as an
undergraduate: where each per son's ideas were valued as much
as they were worth, where female
students met m e n in the
classroom and learned not to be
afraid of them, while the males
learned that women can think as
well as they can. She, and her
male classmates, would h ave
graduated with a lot more talent
for functioning in a world of two
sexes . I wish I thought this was
what Bryn Mawr means by a
"women's education."
Stacy J ackson '78
I have been enlighteped by their
interest and insights but surprised
at some initial hesitation to express their opinions either in print
or by attending the symposium.
Some of them informed me that
due to last year's dorm exchange
backlash they were not sure that
their views would be welcomed.
Though the future of Bryn
Mawr remains its students'
decision, it is understood that
within an intellectual and openminded community, t he best
decision can be arrived at only after considering input from all
parts of that community, including
not only faculty, and administration, but especially the
Haverford students who have daily
contact with us. It is hoped that
all t his input will not be molded by
self-interest, but by a genuine interest in the question at hand.
Therefore if I had personally
authored t he committee's letter
calling for action, I would have inc lude d
all
the
" budding
Shakespeares" or any other astute
observers of our dilemma, to help
us solve 04r problem.
Kathy Crits '77
Ka th y Crits is a member of the
committee to spont;Or a forum to
e.mmin e Bryn Mawr's role at; a
women's college.
of the Bryn Mawr community.
T his is not to say that we do ,
not recognize the benefits of
cooperation. Academic cooperation, to an extent, furthers
Bryn Mawr's educational goals.
This ext ent has never been defined. It .is our opinion that limits
should be set; unrestricted crossmajoring is beyond thes.e limits.
Limits should be set for social
cooperation as well. While social
cooperation is beneficial to the ,
College community, we do not feel
that students from anot4er institution should be permitted to
run our student government.
Haverford students as members of
another institution should not be
members of our SGA. This
eliminates the problem of defining
the extent to which they should be
allowed to determine issues which
affect Bryn Mawr. Cooperation
has also overextended its bounds
in the area of housing. It was interesting to note that although a·
majority of the students who answered the questionnaire wanted
another dorm to become co-ed, a
large number of coed spaces were
not drawn.
In order to fulfill our role as a
women's institution, cooperation
must be considered and put in its
proper perspective and we must
develop a sense of community
among ourselves, as women attending Bryn Mawr College.
Dona Brown '78
Maureen Burnley '78
Alyse Gray '78
Robin Horton '78
Flying
My Pennsylvania Sweetheart
(Haverford Blues)
Sweetheart, you know I love you,
I know we're quite a pairI'm not so far above you
That you 're something I could
spare
It's me you are confusing, for
We're holding too much truck;
And it's me you will be losing, so
Sweetheart, don't press your luck.
You surely knew my ways back
then
When this whole thing began.
Don't hold me too close, baby, I'm
Forgetting who I am.
Peachfly
Friday, October 24, 1975
The Bryn Mawr-Haverford College News
We are capable
By JOAN SLONCZEWSKI
The Bryn Mawr College administration is
a subtle, but dangerous proponent of the
female inferiority myth in our community.
As a Bryn Mawr student concerned with
feminism, I feel that the recent anti-cross majoring decision provides ample evidence
for my statement. For example, one
argument raised against cross-majoring was
that "women,", not just "some women,"
have certain needs which can only be met
by attending an instit ution devoted to
"preparing women." Does t his mean that no
woman can really succeed at Harvard, Yale,
or even Haverford? If not, t hen why can't a
Bryn Mawr student be allowed the choice of
majoring at Haverford, if sh e fee ls that it
best suits her own academic needs?
Amore specific argument raised was the
inability of women to compete with men.
According to one professor, "Men don't
have to be 'nurtured' but women still have
to be taught to believe in themselves."
Though clearly not meant as such, this
statement sounds just like the macho myth
to me; it implies that men by n ature are
strong enough to stand on t heir own,
whereas women are weak and handicapped.
It should be obvious, however, that people
of both sexes experience problems in
developing self-confidence, some less than
others. This applies as well to women's
societal handicaps as to any aspect of
maturing; some women need and desire less
help than others, and often different kinds
of help as well.
In fact , some Bryn Mawr women actually
feel self-confident enough to participate in
the predominantly male academic setting at
Haverford. Some even want to major in a
Haverford department despite their
genuine belief in the goals of Bryn Mawr.
Why shouldn't they be encouraged to do so?
Think what a good example they would
provide for all of those Haverford men
future members of the male-oriented
society which all of us must face some day.
The only explanation I can find for the attitude of the Bryn Mawr administration is
that they consider women students incapable of making wise academic decisions .
This I find disappointing and disturbing. If
Bry n Mawr cannot respect my decisions,
who will? The male dominated outside
world?
It's time to wake up, Bryn Mawr ; maybe
the world really is p assing you by.
Page 3
ze.t{ {o CJ5
Mc:t-wr-ter
() (tr a.. - f e tv1 1n i ~ t
The.
WE wAfJT
l.JRIWAL
Using the powers that be
By ANNE WILD '77
Bryn Mawr as a woman's college is
fulfilling its function in t h at it educates
women as well or better t han other colleges
to read critically, write intelligently, and do
accurate research. It also exposes its
students to strong, interesting women as
professors, administrators and fellow
students.
The theory is that women are as capable
as men of being useful members in an active
society. Educating us alone, together, lets
us feel our mutual strengths in an environment free from stultifying lack-ofexpectation.
When Bryn Mawrters leave and join the
outside world they find that women are still
underestimated and mistrusted wherever
they go. When they try to effect change,
they must find that even in t he most nearly
just organization there exists a more useful
way to achieve ends than t he one based simply on excellence of function. This way consists primarily in finding where the
organization's power lies, and then learning
how to use it.
We will have to learn to use power structures to become influential and actualize
the ideas of equal opportunity, creativity,
and mutual respect we should have learned
as part of our Bryn Mawr experience.
The power at Bryn Mawr seems to be
concentrated in the Deans' office the Faculty Meeting, and the Board ~f Direc tors. Self-Government Association, (SG A),
has the power to run student activities such as questions of residence - up to a
certain point. At this point power reverts to
the Deans, or else they may be persuaded
by what amounts to blackmail.
Faculty meetings and faculty committee
meetings decide appointments and t enure,
changes in curriculum the status of crossmajoring. Students hav~ recently "won" the
nght to present papers they have prepared
to the relevant facu lty groups. They are not
allowed to listen to general faculty
meetings.
Two reasons advanced to defend t his
state of affairs are:
l) We would be bored and
2) The faculty wo~ld indulge in
politicking before the students and would
. to advance unpopula
'
.corne afra1d
r views.
VIews.
t We should be the judges of point o ne, and
or the other, it seems that polit icking must
0 on in some form
already and if
P
· d h arder to satisfy
. ' student
. rofessors t ne
Interests it might be useful for the College
a whole, since half the reason the College
x~}ts is for the benefit of the students.
students could observe at first h a nd
how their professors argue, compromise,
and arrive at decisions, they would be less
naive about manipulat ion of power, and
more prepared to use it themselves in the
future .
They would see how little discussions
lead to big decisions, and would not feel
confused and powerless when greeted by
seemingly sudden ch anges in policy.
They would know their professors in
anot her context, and the interactions be twee n professors a nd students might increase , improving the community spirit.
Serving· the students
By TED HARSHMAN '77
The ideal women's college would have as
its underlying philosophy the aim of
educating women and providing for their
short- and long-term well-being as well as
possible. Partial or complete exclusion of
men from a women's college should occur if
and only if their presence in certain or all
aspects of college life is detrimental to its
students. Since student needs differ, there
is no perfect policy regarding the presence
of men, and some women will be unhappy
whatever the outcome.
Specific concerns :
Class exchange with other colleges: The
pre ponderant positive effect is increase of
opportunity. Stude nts have access to a wide
variety of courses t hat no one college can
provide. A side effect of class e xch ange with
coed or all-male colleges is that men will be
in classes on the home campus, and there
will be few if any all-female classes. I cannot evaluate the effect, possibly negative, of
men in a women's college classroom. I
strongly suspect, though, that it is minor
compared with the benefits of increased opportunity. Bryn Mawr, to the extent that it
allows its students credit towards the
degree and towards distributional and
major requirements for courses of
equivalent academic level taken away from
Bryn Mawr, is doing the right thing.
Majoring at other colleges: The sa me
reasoning applies , a nd Bryn M a wr's restrictive policy is grossly imprope r. The
argument that personality conflicts should
not be avoided is presented by the faculty
apparently to protect the faculty from pl ain
re alit y: some professors at other colleges
are easier to get a long with than some
p rofessors at Bryn Mawr. I think m any
fac ult y members are afraid that if crossm ajoring wer e permitted, t h e number of
students of a given professor or department
would drop consider a bly, to t he e m-
barrassment of the professor or department
head. Potentially valuable educational opportunities for over 900 people are being
denied largely because of a few people's
egos need support. That is not proper.
A myth is spreading: getting used to personality conflicts will make life easier later
on when such conflicts will be unavoidable.
Ha. A personality conflict with someone is
basically just another possible disadvantage
of dealing with that person, as a lower
salary is with an employer or body odor is
with a friend. In later life Bryn Mawr
students, like all college students, will have
to choose between employers or friends or
spouses or whatever, and personality conflicts will of course affect their decisions as
disadvantages to be avoided if possible.
Note the key word DECISIONS. There will
be choices in later life. To make the choices
wisely later , Bryn Mawr students would
benefit from the practice and the precedent
they could get by making such a choice now.
Arbitrary removal of the choice does Bryn
Mawr students a disservice by denying
them the practice and the precedent.
Moreover, its implication that women have
to get used to personality conflicts with
their peers and superiors, rather than dodge
the conflict or defend themselves against
them, is very male chauvinistic and does
not belong to a college whose purpose involves achieving female equality.
Be reminded that the purpose of Bryn
Mawr College is to serve students (particularly women students), not professors
and department heads . The restriction on
cross-majoring clearly hinders students.
Any person who is at Bryn Mawr a nd is unwilling to accept it s purpose as that of ser ving students should leave the college immediately and permanent ly and that includes fac ulty m em bers.
Dorm exchange with other colleges: Since
a women's college is to serve women
students, meanwhile excluding men if
desirable, the right of a woman student to
live in an all-female dorm without
necessarily giving a reason for her
preference should not . be infringed.
Likewise the right of a woman student to
live in a coed dorm, if doing so does not
force a woman who prefers an all-female
dorm into a coed dorm, should be granted
when possible. Therefore the dorm exchange size should be decided annually on
the basis of the -following data from all
college$ concerned:
how many students want to live in a
single-sex dorm
how many students want to live in a
coed dorm on their home campus
how many students want to live in a
coed dorm on another campus
and on nothing else. People may be trapped
in a single-sex dorm despite wanting a coed
dorm because of insufficient housing
flexibility or insufficient demand from
another college. But people should not be
t rapped in a single-sex dorm because of an
arbitrary decree. There is nothing sacred
about the size of the dorm exchange; it is
simply a number that should reflect the
desires of t he people that the college is for.
If making every dorm coed would serve
Bryn Mawr students better t han having
some all-female dorms, t hen every dorm at
Bryn Mawr should be coed. As long as the
dorm exchange at Bryn Mawr is cont rolled
by those who have women's needs as top
priority, Bryn Mawr would remain a
women's college anyway.
So much for Bryn Mawr as a women's
college . Should Bryn Mawr remain a
women's college? I t hink t hat as long as
there is a need for a good women's college,
and Bryn Mawr is able t o fill t h at need,
there is no reason to change; a nd Bryn
Mawr sh ould remain a women's college.
Page 4
The Bryn Mawr-Haverford College News
Friday, October 24, 1975
Tools to help women
Don't exist at BMC
By DON SAP ATKIN '77
The need for Bryn Mawr no longer exists.
Bryn Mawr was founded so that intelligent women could get an education as
rigorous and stimulating as that offered to
men. Certainly since 1885 the College has
not swayed from its stated goal. However,
with the advent of coeducational and
other institutions which also offer women a
solid education, the necessity for Bryn
Mawr to keep offering that education to
women no longer exists. What was
originally offered here has probably been
surpassed by many other institutions all
over the country.
On the other hand, as society slowly
moves closer to equality between the sexes,
the College may wish to change its goals to
again show the way, point the direction for
women to fight for their equal rights.
Thorough confusion over what Bryn
Mawr was, is, should be and could be has, in
recent years, resulted in various factions in
and between administration, faculty and
students, all in strong disagreement over
the course that the College should follow.
Decisions have . often been made and
rationalized in terms of necessity for
women's education. But nobody knows what
that is.
Confused about what a women's college is
or ought to be, and unsure of what they'll
find here, many people nevertheless expect
to find all sorts of tools at Bryn Mawr that
would help women. These tools don't exist.
There are few courses offered which deal
with women in the world today. The library
also has little more material in this regard
than might be found at any other school.
Women's Alliance, the one women'srights oriented organization on campus has
in recent years been ineffective and has
drawn an incredibly small number of
students to its meetings.
Some faculty have expressed concern
that Haverford courses which Mawrters
take are lacking in certain aspects relevant
to a women's education, which are present
in Bryn Mawr courses. Of all the women I
asked specifically about this point, not one
could think of anything she generally got
out .of a Bryn Mawr course which was
re levant to her "women's education." One
professor who is concerned about women's
status in society complemented Bryn Mawr
on its payment of equal salaries to male and
in 1885 has cost it a great deal of potential
effectiveness in its effort to train women to
deal with a sexist society.
Probably the best move Bryn Mawr could
have made to retain its position as a leader
in women's education was to keep men out
of classes . M en t end to dominate
discussions and women have been socially
conditioned to verbally restrain themselves
in coed classrooms. The solution is not to
throw the sexes together where they can
repeatedly reinforce prior conditioning, but
to separate them and t each the importance
of self-assertion.
The same is t rue in other areas, too.
Through the fault of neither sex but the
conditioning of society, men will, more than
is "unnatural," examine your own attitudes
their percentage on campus dictates,
closely to find out what they really are.
· dominate in student government and other
The importance of female role models at
student groups.
Bryn Mawr cannot be overestimated, and
Unfortunately, it is difficult to go back in
this is why I am distressed with last year's
t ime. I think Bryn Mawr would be a much
plenary vote to permit Haverford students
more effective place with single-sex classes.
at Bryn Mawr to hold SGA offices : ! came
Practically, however, that is now imto Bryn Mawr precisely because I needed to
possible.
see women in positions of major responIt is not surprising that tools specifically
sibility as a matter of course. I, and many
designed to train women to deal with a
others like me, needed to be pushed t o
sexist society don 't exist here. Bryn Mawr
discover that we could manage responis supposed t o provide an excellant
sibility, because we had been content with a
education for women and it does. To go
back-seat role for so long. That is why
beyond that is t o change the College's
having student government in the hands of
stated goals.
women students was and is so important.
But the actual int ended purpose behind
Call it "over-compensation" overthose goals may be something else. Many
compensation is necessary.
members of -different parts of the community seem to realize this but need direcI do not hate men, nor did I think women
tion and clarity in determining their course
would necessarily do a better job than men.
of action.
I simply needed a break, a relief, a "timeI tht'nk that B ryn Mawr should be to a
out." I didn't want to exclude Haverford
sexually biased society in 1975 what it was to
men from my life. I was glad they are here,
a sexually racist society in 1885.
but I just did not want them in positions of
That doesn't necessarily mean no crossresponsibility that, for once, could be ocmajoring or coed dorms. What is does mean
cupied by women. I wanted them here asis a complete revision of the College's
friends and guests, but I)ot full -fledged
stated goals, and clear College policies
citizens. If they cannot under stand and bear
methodically backing them up. This is the
with the needs I h ave described -above, it is
central question which I hope the symtoo bad for t hem and for us .
posium will address .
female faculty, but could think of nothing
else that Bryn. Mawr does for women.
The College's adherence, to the letter, t o
its original stated goals is again evident .
Many administrators, faculty and
student s feel that there still is. some special
void in a woman's education which Bryn
Mawr should be fulfilling. It is difficult to
do this, however, when nowhere has the
College stated purposes beyond that of
educating women.
The failure of the College to stay ahead of
the times to the same proportion that it was
A sisterhood of scholars
By BARBARA MILLER '75
A major factor in my decision to come to
Bryn Mawr was definitely the fact that
Bryn Mawr was a "women's college." My
impression was not at all anti-male, but
simply that of a sisterhood of scholars and
of a remarkable history of forceful personalities with whom I could more easily
identify because they and I happened to be
women.
The idea was not to forswear men to eternal disdain and damnation, but simply to
call a four -year time out on the soc io-sexua l
games which had dominated four years of
high school. In high school the ultimate
measure of one's worth was the physique of
one's boyfriend. I decided that if Bryn
Mawr was intellectually rigorous and made
up primarily of women, it might achieve the
absence of sexual competition which would
allow me to be an unself-consciously intelligent human being for the first t ime.
To achieve this I needed special emphasis on women as thinkers, scholars and
achievers: a situation which would demand
that I take responsibility and which would
surround me at the same time with intelligent people who happened to be women.
I wished then (and wish now) that Bryn
Mawr had a woman president and that more
of my professors had been women. It takes a
lot to counteract years of seeing women in
second place, to get the emphasis away
from sex, social success and marriage.
All in all, Bryn Mawr enabled me to
achieve the balance I sought. My professors
and advisors took my intellectual ability
seriously. I was expected to take on haf(ier
tasks and more responsibility than 1 had
ever before attempted. It was scary, often
painful, and the best thing that could have
happened.
The only area which disappointed me was
the lack of support from other women
students. We were so scared of one another .
The great diversity of st udents at Bryn
Mawr and the college's rather formidable
reputation combined to rob us of our sense
of humor. We t ended to shy away from
dealing with individuals and their human
faults, and to masquerade the personal conflicts which arose as vague intellectual
issues which could be discussed at great
length with anyone except the person in
question. We were so afraid that direct confrontation would reveal how dumb and incompetent we were afraid we were .
I lived in two single-sex dorms and a coed
dorm while at Bryn Mawr. While both experiences were invaluable and I enjoyed
them, I feel very strongly that if Bryn Mawr
-·
is t o continue as a women's college (i.e.,
dedicated to supporting women as responsible, confident thinkers and doers) singlesex dorms must not only continue to exist
but should constitute the majority of cam-pus housing. It took quite a while for me to
figure out why living in a women's dorm can
seem "artificial" or " unnatural." After
examining both situations closely, I believe
that socio-sexual competition is really more
likely in a coed dorm .
I can see from my own behavior that I
was so used to thinking of other women in
sexually competitive terms that to be suddenly deprived of the "normal" coed
framework made me slightly uneasy. This
uneasiness was not at all the sign of an "unnatural" living, situation, but instead a
measure of my own inability to appreciate
other women as intellectual colleagues and
fr iends.
It took two years of single-sex dorm living
to make me face my own subt ly and deeply
ingrained attitudes, and I am very grateful
for the experience. Simply surviving at
Bry n Mawr for two years gave me the confidence to break down my insecurities about
other women and to realize the unique advantages, deep friendships and warmth that
are possible in an all-women's dorm.
If you feel that living in a single-sex dorm .
To create the 'ideal woman'
By KATHY CRITS '77
The question around which we will be
focusing our discussion this coming week is,
"How does Bryn Mawr best achieve its
goals as a Woman's College?" But before
this can be answered one must consider
what its goals as a woman's college are.
Presumably, a "woman's college", in
today's liberal and political sense, exists for
the betterment and furtherment of women
in society. But the question that comes to
mind is what kind of woman and wh at are
the qualities she possesses that epitomize
and represent the fulfillment of this goal.
What sh ould Bryn Mawr's "ideal woman"
be?
In the past Bryn Mawr's answer to this
question was "purely academic." Equipped
with the best possible education, crammed
to satiation with the most awe-inspiring
knowledge - enough to stand up to (and it
was thought, s urpass) that given to men at
their most prestigious institutions - the
Bryn Mawr "superwoman" could and did
fight the world. Her "success" was by some
standards, the reward; her "snobbery" at
best a necessary defense, at worst a
dehumanizing penalty.
Perhaps this was the only way for a
woman to penetrate into and gain t he
respect of a ma le-oriented world, beat men
at t heir own game playing by their rules.
Today, however, t he sacrifice this entails,
that of her personal development as a
woman and t he loneliness and alienation
sh e must have endured, are no · longer
necessary. If anything, this approach is
detrimental to the improvement and
equalizat ion of woman's and for t h at matter, man's role in society.
The answer I think is in the original
question stated, perhaps, with a different
emph asis. How does Bryn Mawr best support us, as women helping each other, and
as individuals, achieving not Bryn Ma~'s
"ideal woman," but our own? If the
academic pressure here limits th at capacity
to mold our own self definition,
academic, social, and other, if it pits us
against one another, then Bryn Mawr is the
anachronism of a woman's college, s upporting the old, superwoman ideology, not
the needs of women in society today. I am
not suggesting t hat Bryn Mawr should
abandon its academia for feminist consciousness-raising. Nor must it lower its
standards of excellence; it needs only to
redefine t hem. It s education must reflect an
encou ragement for an active, critically
questioning woman, not a passive receptacle who has no time to think about the
vast knowledge she is consuming.
M . Carey Thomas said that we will be a
women's college only as long as we are
needed. The world still needs women's
colleges, but the necessity of separatism at
Bryn Mawr and for women in general, our
need to fight t he world, is gone. We need the
total support a women's college can give us
as women but not the loneliness that has
meant in the past. Society is changi?g its
attitudes toward women - and by soctety, I
mean both male and female individuals.
Real change can only start with change at
that level. T here is no change without communication and no liberation of women
without that of men. Let's bring the
revolution home to Bryn Mawr and Haver;
ford - we can have our cake and share 1
too!
E