2008 Woodie Awards
The Real Deal: Women and men need more time apart
Paul McNeill
Issue date: 10/10/06 Section: Opinions
The sexes spend far too much time together and the results aren't pretty. This "quality time" has led to men cutting their hair like women and buying jeans from the little-miss section.
Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg, Va. announced in September that it was going to start admitting men, a trend that has been gaining steam at all-female institutions across the country. Fewer than 60 women's colleges are left in the United States. Statistics have shown most women don't want to go to single-sex schools. (There's a shocker.)
According to the College Board, only 3.4 percent of girls graduating from high school last year who took the SAT said they wanted to go to women's colleges. Many who do enroll end up transferring to co-ed colleges.
Some students have passionately opposed Randolph-Macon's decision through petitions, lawsuits and protests. Some students put duct tape over their mouths, whatever that means. Alumnae have threatened to stop donating to the school, and students have boycotted classes and threatened to transfer - according to statistics, they were probably going to do that anyway.
The following question is cliché and has been asked in other situations, but it has to be asked again.
What if these were men?
What if men were the ones slapping tape over their mouths and protesting the integration of women? What if men were threatening to sue a school in order to keep women out?
Of course, these are rhetorical questions. The men would be called sexist and vilified by the media. Why? Because somewhere along the line, equality of the sexes became women are always right and men are always wrong. Inclusion has morphed into never being apart.
Men aren't allowed to sometimes be left the hell alone. Lawsuits and legislation forced all-male institutions to accept women because women were clamoring to get in. Randolph-Macon didn't change its policy because men were dying to go to the school. The policy changed because enrollment and revenues are down and the college needs the money that more applicants and students would rake in.
Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg, Va. announced in September that it was going to start admitting men, a trend that has been gaining steam at all-female institutions across the country. Fewer than 60 women's colleges are left in the United States. Statistics have shown most women don't want to go to single-sex schools. (There's a shocker.)
According to the College Board, only 3.4 percent of girls graduating from high school last year who took the SAT said they wanted to go to women's colleges. Many who do enroll end up transferring to co-ed colleges.
Some students have passionately opposed Randolph-Macon's decision through petitions, lawsuits and protests. Some students put duct tape over their mouths, whatever that means. Alumnae have threatened to stop donating to the school, and students have boycotted classes and threatened to transfer - according to statistics, they were probably going to do that anyway.
The following question is cliché and has been asked in other situations, but it has to be asked again.
What if these were men?
What if men were the ones slapping tape over their mouths and protesting the integration of women? What if men were threatening to sue a school in order to keep women out?
Of course, these are rhetorical questions. The men would be called sexist and vilified by the media. Why? Because somewhere along the line, equality of the sexes became women are always right and men are always wrong. Inclusion has morphed into never being apart.
Men aren't allowed to sometimes be left the hell alone. Lawsuits and legislation forced all-male institutions to accept women because women were clamoring to get in. Randolph-Macon didn't change its policy because men were dying to go to the school. The policy changed because enrollment and revenues are down and the college needs the money that more applicants and students would rake in.
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dgrey1
Emily
posted 10/10/06 @ 10:30 PM EST
As a student of Randolph-Macon Woman's College, I think it might be best for everyone to take a step back off our pedestals for a moment and look at the other side before we start making erroneous generalizations such as those stated in the article. (Continued…)
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