Three decades ago, the all-women Western College was closed at Miami University, but was this a good idea? Do single gender colleges and universities still have some value?
The Western College Alumnae Association is working jointly with the Western College Archives and the Women's Studies Program to host a panel discussion to answer this very question.
"No Men Allowed: Women's Colleges-A Good Idea" will focus on the value of women's colleges as seen from those who have experienced it firsthand, as well as from those who haven't.
The discussion will take place 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 1, in the Great Room in MacMillan Hall.
The panel will consist of four alumnae of the Western College, representing four decades from 1947-1974. These names include Jane Durrell, class of 1947; Gay Hadley, class of 1952; Ann Walton, class of 1966; and Phyllis Adkins, class of 1974.
Judy Waldron, director of the West College Alumnae Association, chose the four alumnae from each decade to show that societal expectations of women change over time.
"I hope that the audience will gain a sense that Miami is a different world now but the important things are still important," Hadley said. "So in that sense it is the same. Gender issues are among us ... I hope young women don't think it's finished."
According to Waldron, the panel members are involved in careers ranging from journalism to education.
Two current Miami students will also be on the panel, speaking about their personal experiences at co-ed Miami, particularly the benefits and downfalls of a co-ed education compared to a single-sex college.
Cayla Adams, a sophomore interdisciplinary studies major, and Katie Mitakides, a graduate student majoring in political science, were chosen by the Archives and Women's Studies department.
Adams hopes that the panel's various perspectives will give the audience an idea of the importance of women's colleges in the past.
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"I hope that the audience will be able to gain a better appreciation of women's education and the pioneers that past women's colleges, like Western, really were in educating women," Adams said.
And these pioneers, Waldron said, were the inspiration for the discussion. According to Waldron, the Western College for Women was modeled off of Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, a school that first enabled women to obtain an education equal to men and is still functioning with that same goal today.
Western College was founded in Oxford in 1855 and closed in 1974. Many other women's colleges have followed suit, closing in recent years, and Waldron said she hopes the panel highlights this important history.
"(The panel) is focusing on women's colleges because, though they were important and numerous in the past, very few exist today, having merged with the all-male school across the street," Waldron said.
According to Waldron, the lack of single-sex colleges today has made many students unaware of the possible benefits that women who attended Western College decades ago received.
For the panel, the goal of this discussion is to bring the audience an understanding of the value of single-sex education Waldron said the discussion should appeal to a variety of students and community members.
"The perception of women has changed over time," said sophomore early childhood education major Kathryn Frazzette. "I am interested in hearing the panel's experiences from Western College and comparing them to experience at Miami today. I think it will be an eye-opening discussion."
The discussion is free and open to all student and faculty. Despite its title, men are allowed to attend. There are no tickets required to attend this event. The reception will be immediately following the panel discussion.
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