Washington and Lee University - Calyx Yearbook (Lexington, VA)

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vNja Mock Convention May 11-12 1984 Right, Duane Graddy plays The President and Keith Shillington plays Tip O ' Neil in the weekend ' s other political farce, Reagan Rex. Below, Sen. Jennings Randolph (D-W.Va.) brings his platform address to a rousing conclusion. Opposite, Delegate Brad MacCachran gets into the spirit of the weekend by displaying his political leanings on the national and local le ' els. , l . -if T.t iii fc, gyiii ' r- ' m 1 1 SLm I J K m i KKV - 1 f TIOII 4r i wB

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-EXTRA ®hc Sinj-tum W @ Since 1897 VOLUME 84 Washington and Lee University Lexington, Virginia July 16, 1984 W L to go coed in ' 85 Bv MIKE ALLEN and BKl ( E PdtTER Chief Editors Washington and Lee Universi- ty will begin admitting women in the fall of 1985, the Board of Trustees decided July 14 after a two-day special meeting The decision ends 235 years of all-male tradition at Washington and Lee and leaves only a hand- ful of all-male, non-military liberal arts colleges The resolution, passed 17-7 by the trustees after what was descntwd as a civil yet vigorous debate, reads as follows: Resolved, thai Washington and Lee University shall admit qualified students, regardless of gender, to all of iLs degree pro- grams commencing in the Fall of 1985 The decision was announced at a 12 45 p m press conference in the Commerce School Nearly 50 media representatives attended the conference About 100 students and faculty memt ers watched the press conference on television monitors in Reid Hall Reading from a statement prepared by the board, which had voted on coeducation at 1150 am. Rector James M Ballengee said, ' We are con- vinced that a stronger Wash ington and Lee and a stronger society will be the happy result of the decision we have made As many as 100 women will be admitted in the fall of 1985, said University Pr esident John D Wilson, adding that the board had hoped the school would have as many as 500 women students within 10 years Wilson spoke of the integrity, honor and character here. as well as our superior teaching and learning and academic pro- gram We believe that these values that are so important to Wash ington and Lee can and will t e enjoyed by men and women equally, and that they will help to contribute to making these as much a part of the future as they have t een of the past. he con tinued Wilson also said at the press conference that he had voted in favor of the motion Although he said he didn ' t speciiically make a recommendation to the board, he was the first member to speak on the issue Saturday morning I suppose that could be con- strued as a recommendation, Wilson said Another member of the board, whom Ballengee declined to identify, made the motion to adopt the resolution Executive Committee Presi- dent Cole Dawson and former EC President Robert C Jene vein represented the student body in the trustees ' closed ses- sions Jenevein traveled to the meeting from Dallas at his own expense Looking worn but enthusiastic, Dawson talked with reporters following the trustees ' press con- ference It ' s going to take an ef- fort of the whole student body lo implement coeducation in a positive way, he said It was really exciting when il happened 1 still cannot oelieve the course of history has chang ed right here at Washington and Lee Dawson said he was in favor of coeducation I didn ' t come out and directly tell them that, ex- actly, he said I told them at the end that my feelings were toward coeducation I don ' t think the market is there for an all-male school, he added This school ' s not marketable as an all-male in- stitution Charles D Hurt Jr of Atlanta, president of the Alumm Associa- tion, and former Alumni Association President Peter A Agelasto III, represented the alumni at the meeting Among reports received by the board this weekend was an analysis of an alumni survey conducted this spring by a Rich- mond research fu-m Of the 6,700 alumni who responded to that survey, 58 5 percent said they opposed coeducation, 28 9 per- cent said they favored it, and 10 6 percent said they had no opinion Although Hurt said he did not make a specific recommenda- tion that the board defeat coeducation, he did say the tx ard was aware of the alumni ' s feelings because we have had a continuous communication with the board as a whole as well as individually Alumni will support the deci- sion. Hurt added I think the decision was the right decision, and 1 think the alunrni will ac cept the decision, he said In iLs statement the board James .M. Ballengee, rector of the board of trustees, announces the board ' s decision at a press con- ference early Saturday afternoon in the Commerce School. From left lo right are former L ' .V ' a. Presi- dent Edgar V. Shannon Jr,. W L President John D, Wilson, Ballengee and Virginia Supreme Court Justice A, Christian Compton. (Photo by Cotton Puryeari noted that within the Board ' s niembership itself opinion was divided, and the vote on the resolution ' s adoption, while strongly in favor, was not unanimoiis However, now that ttie decision is made, the Trustees are united in pledging their full commitment to the sue cessful implementation of the University ' s new course At the press confereiKe, Bal- lengee said, We determined in advance that a decision of this magnitude should not be made by what one would call a sbm majority or a narrow majority He added that the number of votes in favor of coeducation, 17, exceeded the numtier of votes the board had decided to re- quire, but he declined to identify that number Two other trustees, A Chris- tian Compton of Richmond and Edgar F Shannon Jr ofCharlot- tesvUle, attended the press con- ference Shannon was president of the University of Virgmia when it first began accepting female students Compton said he voted against coeducation ■t)ecause I feel that we have put in place at this university a fine-tuned educa- tional machine which is pro- viding a high-quality education m a single-sex atmosphere, and has produced a body of ouLstandmg alumni who have succeeded eminently in all walks of life ' However. Compton said. Those of us who love and sup- port Washington and Lee will work just as hard to make coeducation another positive factor as far as W L is concern ed There is no appeal. added Compton. a justice of the Virginia Supreme Court Shannon noted that the board studied many financial projec tions before making the deci sion Ballengee described the discussion preceeding the vote as entirely civil, as Washington and Lee gentlemen should be. one to another There were people with differing points of view All of the issues that you could possibly imagine were discussed It was a free, full and frank discussion I never heard anyone raise his voice On the whole. It was polite Asked his feelings now tfiat the debate finally had ended. Wilson said. I feel exhausted, if you want to l)e absolutely candid about It It ' s been a long and arduous undertaking, ibuti frankly, a rewarding time Tm just looking forward to having it all t e over. he had said in an interview earlier this week A decision of this magnitude and complexity involves us all in the re-examination of this university and its character There is a spirit alive on the campus, a spirit of huinaneness I feel very good about the decision I think it was the right decision to be made, added Wilson, who. along with Ballengee, wore a Washington and Lee tie to the press con- ference Relaxing at Lee House after the press conference. Wilson ex- pressed hope that Washington and Lee now could begin to plan for the future in other areas Wilson said at the press con- ference that the trustees authorized creation of a commit- tee on coeducation, consisting of students, faculty and ad- ministrators, to help guide us in every step of the way ' Female law students and women faculty meml)ers will aid th ' committee. Wilson added Among planned improve ments to the university ' s physical plant are a $4 million to $5 million dormitory, which has been in the works for some time, and about $150,000 worth of renovations to the gymnasium areas to provide separate locker room and shower facilities for female students I trust that you re supportive of that, Wilson added, with a laugh continued on page 4 8 The ear on Campus