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

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Pag« 4, The Ring-turn Phi, July 16, 1984 McHenry optimistic sign I Library guards steps leading lo Northen Auditorium, where the board of trustees met Tor the weekend to make its decision. (Photo by Cotton Puryear) Coed By PAUL FOUTCH News Editor Although Washington and Lee ' s athletic department will feel many of the effects of coeducation, Athletic Director William McHenry expressed op- timism that the changes will not be too drastic One of the major concerns in the athletic department was that coeducation without an increase in total enrollment — the change approved by the Board of Trustees July 14 — would reduce the pool of prospective male athletes, causmg a drop in the quality of W L sports But McHenry said in an inter- view after the decision that only the sports with larger squads —such as football, baseball and soccer — will feel the effects 1 think probably in some sports there won ' t be a negative effect at all. McHenry said At the press conference an nouncing the coed decision, university President John D Wilson predicted a $150,000 in- itial cost for the changes needed on the Warner Center McHenry said these will in- clude dividing the locker room in half, providing separate en- trances to the weight room and the old pool, and adding more of- fices on the upper level of the gym Another change required by coeducation will be the addition of female staff members, in- cluding a women ' s athletic directoranda trainer I would hope that there would not be an elimination of any of our current coaches and teachers. McHenry said McHenry predicted that addi- tional field space, which he said was needed even if W L remain- ed all-male, would include an ar- tificial, all-weather field, an all- weather track and one or two more playing fields The first female varsity sports to be introduced will probably be limited lo individual sports, such as swimming, track, go lf and cross-country, McHenry said, with five or six sports offered in the first two years and 10 to 12 within five years 1 continued from page I Some of the 17 fratermties could go under because of the decreased male population, Wilson said, although he noted that some of those are already financially unstable We do have a commitment to our fraternities, Wilson added Even now, they ' re undergoing some self-reformation, and we ' re going to encourage that in every way possible The possibility of sororities on campus will be discussed when the women arrive in 1985, Wilson said Twenty-two of the board ' s 25 members are alumni Thomas K Wolfe, who was elected to the board in December but has not been sworn in. did not attend the meeting because ol a weekend deadline on the serialized novel he is writing for Rolling Stone T Hal Clarke voted by telephone from Scotland, where he was traveling, and J. Alvin Philpott voted by telephone from North Carohna A number of press accounts of the event took note of the days on which the trustees ' discussions were held Yes. we know that yesterday was Friday the 13th and that today is Bastille Day, News Office Director Jeffrey G Hanna said in a press kit distributed at the news con- ference Wilson said m an interview before the meetmg that he hadn ' t expected the degree of broader public interest m the decision here The hoopla condnues around us, he said That all. frankly, surprises me. but it does in- dicate that Washuigton and Lee has a special place in Virginia and in the South, especially Peo- ple are interested in what hap- pens here Wilson, who assumed the presidency early in 1983. receiv- ed criticism from several quarters while the debate and study on coeducation were in progress Prior to the trustees ' meeting, he was asked how a decision one way or the other would affect him as a person and as an administrator There are some who do beheve that 1 came with a set- tled mmd on the question and are in some measure ahenated from me personally. he said If the decision is to admit young women to degree can- didacy, how soon will the students and alumni members who opposed it reconcile themselves to if Will they at all, and if so, when Mixed up in that, somehow, is how soon, if at all, they will be willing to give support to my administration The issue of coeducation has been debated frequently at W L, beginning in 1888 Campus reactions vary The Board of Trustees ' decision to begin admitting women to Washington and Lee in the fall of 1985 evoked many reactions from faculty, students and staff who were on campus for the decision • Former EC President Robert C Jenevein, who once vigorously opposed coeducation but says he has since modified his position, looked tired and disconsolate after the meebng. but said he hoped the students would make coeducation work They have to open their arms to the new Washington and Lee. he said That won ' t be impossible by any stretch of the imagina- tion • Nearly 100 faculty and students watched the press conference on television monitors in Held Hall For the most part, they greeted Ballengee ' s words with applause and listened attentively to the re- mainder of the press conference, chuckling appreciatively at the appropriate moments • Among those watching with interest was Peter Whitehead, who graduated in May but was one of the leading pro-coeducation students Whitehead had unfurled a banner at the Mock Democratic Convention that read Better Coeds than Deadheads I think the trustees made an unpopular decision, but it was a good one. Whitehead said I am pleased Now I think we ' ll see better male and female students • Another student who came to Lexington to hear the decision was Scott Tilley. a rising senior and opponent of coeducation 1 was very disappointed, Tilley said Up to the last moment, 1 didn ' t think they ' d do it 1 think Washington and Lee as an inslitution is going to thrive and will continue, but 1 have the feeling that as of today, the Washington and Lee I ' ve come to know and love no longer exists ' • Dr Louis W Hodges, a professor of religion and ethics who led a committee which studied coeducation in 1969, called it ]ust a splendid decision I can ' t imagine anything that would have done more to improve the education environment, he said The board is to be com- mended They worked at it very carefully, and rendered what is certainly the right decision ' • A faculty member who opposed coeducation and asked not to be identified because he says he plans to keep a low profile hence- forth, said the initial female applicants to W L are likely to be young ladies on the prowl Washington and Lee is going to become Fort Lauderdale North. he said Most girls are going to enroll here because this is Where the Boys Are ' • In the face of all the philosophical and academic viewpoints of the day. some were more concerned about the practical implica- tions of the decision Big John Alexander, who has been a W L custodian for 10 years, said he opposed coeducation Women are one of the most beautiful things God put on earth, but they ' re so much messier than men. he said very seriously • Betty Munger. who said she advocated coeducation in the 16 years she was the W L bookstore manager, was amused but not surprised at all the media attention given the vote It is interesting that a small college in the backhills of Virginia should be debating whether to educate women. she said • As President John D Wilson exited the news conference, he made a jesting reference to his daughter. Sara, who will be a high school junior in the fall I want you all to know my daughter won ' t be coming here. he said I didn ' t want to be accused of being self-serving The Ring-tum Phi Washington and Lee University P.O. Box 899 Lexington, Va. 24450 PAID TIME VALUE— DO NOT DELAY The Year on Campus 11

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The Ring-turn Phi, July U, ]»e4. Page 3 Wilson: Integrity, honor ' make W L unique Following are excerpts n m an interview with President Wilson conducied at Lee House following tiie July H press con- ference. Q. — Throughout the meetings this weekend, was there ever a point at which ou thought the board might not be able to reach a decision? A — Well, we spent a long lime discussing the pros and cons of delay, simply to defer a decision until students and alumni could become more fully acquainted with the whole range of issues that the board was struggling with That might be efficacious, but the board finally decided that would be a very bad thing to do. that it would be better in a way to reject it than to stretch it out and to keep secondary schools, prospective students, current students and key alumni all wondering what you were go- ing to do I don ' t think it was really necessary It ' s been a long study, really, about a year Q. — What can students uhoare here now and will be entering in the fall do to help smooth the transition to coeducation? A — That IS a very, very crucial part of the whole success that we hope to achieve I ' m no t sure I have a blueprint in mind now I think III Sit down with the Ex- ecutive Committee i in the fall) and get their suggestions on how that might work We ' re going to name a steering committee on coeducation — they ' ll give us ad- vice and counsel on that But you know finally it ' s going to depend upon the generosity of spirit of Opinion — continued from page ' 1 If they had visited Richmond, would they have toured Virginia Commonwealth University ' ' Perhaps not Although both are good universities, they are missing something that Wash- ington and Lee has Its an in- tangible that ' s difficult to describe, but it extends t)eyond the all-male spirit of which we are so proud Perhaps it has something to do with the stately Colonnade, its freshly painted columns shining in the summer sun, the ivy climbing up the back of Its buildings Or perhaps it is the new library and Law School, modern buildings that blend in so well with those constructed 200 years ago Or perhaps it is the statue of George Washington atop the buildmg named after him. visible from anywhere on campus, seeming to watch over us all Now, though, we can make the further improvements and changes necessary to return to that upper echelon of colleges and universities Washington and Lee can once again become a force to be reckoned with, rather than a small, liberal arts school in the Shenandoah Valley that IS offering a choice fewer and fewer coliege ge students the Washington and Lee men to say that we have a good thing and we want to share it The board has decided we have to share it with women students equally and let ' s see how to make it easiest for these girls ' Q. — Do you think the first few classes of females might have a problem fitting in? A — I believe that that ' s been the experience at other places — that they have felt they ' re going to be a very small minority for some years while the numbers build up And that ' s alw problem with feebng a little bit special and a little bit different before they become integrated into student life on the newspaper staff, the radio sta- tion, student government That will take probably a few years I am sure there are ways of doing things, ways of talking, ways of pretending women aren ' t there that we ' ll have to try to remold, all of us It will require some sensitivity At ' ' ale I think thev found a lot of their organiza- tional structure had to change The Outdoor Club never dreamt that there would be women ap- plying Well, they applied But I trust we ' ll have little difficulty with that But I must say, at first, when I discovered last fall how strongly the students felt, or at that time felt. I was never sure whether the students were simply reacting to the idea or whether they were taking real thought about the future and well-being of their alma mater I think, as the year went on, as more and more factors were brought out into the open, ttiat some of that sharp antagonism tended to soften y — Why did you take so long to express directly your opinion on the issue? A - Let me say this, that my opinion was formed, again, over an evolutionary process over time I had a meeting with my staff up on the mountain in July of last summer Of course. I ar- rived in January My faculty conversations began then in earnest. I had had fall conversa- tions with staff about vario us aspects of university life Then when I got here, I started these faculty conversations and then my senior dinners went on that spring And by May I had learn- ed enough from the admissions side about the quality and declines in the key areas It is not easy to dismiss the fact that we have fewer students from the upper quintile of their high school graduating classes today than we had 15 years ago. remarkably fewer, you can ' t seem to want Washington and Lee ' s doors no longer will be closed to women . ' o longer will we have to turn away more than 50 percent of the population No longer will the fine education of Washington and Lee be available to men alone Tfiat. I believe, is the crucial point What right does lor did) Washington and Lee have to deny an education to a woman ' ' Those tourists this weekend, those Summer Scholars, ob- viously found the Washington and Lee campus and atmos phere enjoyable and enlighten- ing Several female Summer Scholars promised to apply here next year for the fall of 1985 They realize that the first few classes of women at Washington and Lee may have difficulties, but they were willing to risk that for a chance to participate in the Washington and Lee experience And we have no right to deny them that opportunity, based on a philosophy that became out- dated in the mid-l900s and seems archaic today The Board of Trustees made the right decision this weekend — the decision that had to be made In many cases, they may have put their true personal feel ings aside for the betterment of this university The debate over coeducation undoubtedly has been long It has lasted sporadically for more than 15 years Opinions have fluctuated wildly Students, faculty and alumni have disagreed on the issues There has been a great deal of discus- sion about this university and its place in American collegiate society But this introspective discus- sion, whether for or against coeducation, has been helpful We have undergone a rigorous process of self-examination and have found faults with the system in areas other than those related to coeducation Without question. Washington and Lee has lost something by the deci- sion — but we have gained more With the settlement of the coeducation question, we can now turn to fixing those other problems Now is the time to put aside the arguments and the bit- terness. the slogans and the bumper stickers We all must join together, so that Washington and Lee can stride txildly and aggressively into the future — as the two great men who gave us our name would have wanted us to do. just say. ' Well, heck ' That ' s an important factor in keeping this place strong and in keeping the respect of the school When I spoke to the alumni association in May, I said. ' I ' m gomg to mention something you ' re not going to want me to mention but It ' s something I think we ' re go- ing to have to look at ' That was in May. but I was still a long way from knowing what my own mind would be Last summer, when I was up on the mountain with my staff — just the ad- ministration, we spent two days up there — and that was only one topic, but it was the last one, and we talked it all through At that point, I said, I really do think this IS something that the board ' s going to have to look at ' But I am not sure even then that I was then tending toward a positive evaluation of the pro- spect But I have — oh, I can ' t remember how many alumni groups I ' d met by that time, there were rot all that many, it was in the next year that I went out to some 30 or 40 I talked to people from the paper I wrote in October, I started to get feed- back And that ' s when you start to question yourself 1 had self- doubts about this all along I did think It was right to raise the questions associated with it But I was perfectly prepared, for ex- ample, to have the board say. I think It ' s the right thing to do. probably, but this is the wrong time to do it or that the alumni disaffection might be so strong as to make it not wise ' So 1 didn ' t declare myself early because I hadn ' t really made up my mind m any firm, fu-m way until fairly recently It was pret- ty widely known that I wouldn ' t have permitted the subject to arise at all if I had found it an ab- solutely unacceptable alter- native to the university That ' s what upset some of the alumni They assumed that I must have come here with my mind made up I came here, having talked with the board about it. the board committee on presidential search, and that committee said. ' How do you feel about coeduca- tion ' ' How do you think about coeducation ' ' ' We talked at some length, and I said I thought that the insbtution ' s decision in the earlier years not to endorse coeducation was admirable if it was proud of what it was doing and if It was healthy and it was expert at educating men in isola- tion, then I had not any logical difficulty with that If. on the other hand, we entered into difficulties. I said that then I wouldn ' t hesitate to raise it with the board And they said. ' Well, we would want you to do that ' Q. — Which of the advantages of coeducation was the most impor- tant to the board? A — The academic quality, without question, Q. — Even more than the demographics? A — Oh. yes The question that the board asked is ' How can this institution improve its academic standing, ensure its reputation of academic excellence ' ' ' That was the question And by re- maining all-male, what chances dowehaveof thaf By changing, what chances do we have of thaf ' The tioard committees all reported out in due course The Campus Life committee con- cluded in Its examination that co-curricular life. extra- curricular life would on balance be better with men ajid women together The Academic Affairs committee report said on balance, in fact, the academic quality of our students would im- prove and the quality of discourse in the classroom and the whole ambiance of the academic side of hfe Q. — ' ou said that Washington and Lee was unique in ways other than being all-male. Now that we are coeducational, what are some of those other ways in which we are unique? A — Of course, any institution can make claims of that sort, but I do think there ' s a pattern of success here that is traceable to a heightened sense of mutual caring I don ' t want to exag- gerate that, but I think the students have a lot of respect for each other and look out for each other and have a lot of respect for the faculty and vice versa, so that creates an environment of, we call it civility, but of mutual trust That translates still fur- ther into an absolute willingness by the faculty to meet with students and to be of help to them, in their personal hves as well as in their academic work, and that, in turn, I think, has managed to contribute to the cultivation of self onfidence, and ultimately we have a greater measure of success in the world I think that it is im- portant for us to try to recruit classes with the same human qualities in our women students that we ' ve managed over the years to have represented m our male student population In other words, I think character and integrity and honor and a desire to learn — all of these things are important parts of Washington and Lee and I am most anxious to ensure that those qualities are enhanced by our women students Q. Do you think we ' ll h«ve any problem recruiting women? A I think the whole admissions area is going to tie very difficult for all colleges and universities, when the University of Penn- sylvania opens a West Coast of- fice of admissions, and Oberlin ends out messages to its alumni )iat new admissions efforts are oing to be required to get Jirough this decade — these are strong insbtutions, coeduca- tional institutions — I have no doubt that our work will be cut lilt for us think this decision will help us in that work, but I don ' t think it will provide some quick solution. 10 The Year on Campus

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A Personal Perspective Thoughts on the Coeducation Deasion trom a Member of the Board By ]. Thomas Touchton, ' 60 (Before the Trustees cast their votes on the coeducation resolution on July 14, each member of the Board was given an opportunity by the Chair to make a summary comment on the issue After the decision was reached and announced, sei ' eral Trustees recommended that the reniarks made tn Trustee j Thomas Toucliton. ' 60. of Tampa Fla . be carried m the Alumni Magazine. Mr Touchton. who played a very active part m the Trustee ' s coeducation study as a member of both the Budget and Audit and the Campus Life Committees cf the Board, consented to our reijuest to use his statement to help our readers achiei ' e a better understanding of the Board ' s study and suhscijuent decision. — Ed.) When the coeducation issue began to be considered again last year for the third time in 15 years, 1 did not really know what 1 personally would decide on the issue, I am a traditional, conservative person who is comfortable with traditional male-female roles and who, in l ' 7? w hile on the Washington and Lee Alumni Board, said that I would be opposed to coeducation unless it was the onlv way to maintain the academic quality of the institution When the issue was raised by President Wilson, we were coming out ot a period of inactiyit that occurred at the end of a long capital fund drive and after one and a half ' ear transition to a ne ' president I believe President Wilson saw quickh ' the magnitude of a problem (as con e -ed to him by the faculty and the admissions ottice) and sought to act quickly to hnd a solution While there has been concern about the manner in which the issue reached the Board of Trustees, 1 do not doubt the need for the issue to have been raised President Wilson was correct in saving to us in his initial communication last October that we are worried about maintaining the quality of this place worried about tr ' ing to make a fine university better. He then siad, I earnestly believe there lies a serious danger for the future health and usefulness of this venerable inshtution And as a member of the Board of Trustees, sharing with mv colleagues a deep tiducian responsibilit ' tor one of America ' s precious assets, I teel dut -bound to place mv calculation ot that danger squareU ' before ' ou ' It ,gives me no comfort to question the timing when I consider the nature and magnitude ot the problem During the last 10 or so months, I have; • Read and considered e en. letter sent to me b alumni, facult , students, and friends of W L • Read virtually ever - word of the 1471) and 1475 coeducation studies as well as the multiple pounds of other material sent to us That matenal included reports from the Academic Affairs, Campus Life, and Budget and Audit committees as well as numerous other reports ot man kinds • Spoken on the telephone or in person with dozens of W L alumni around the country • Visiteci with several do en other persons u ho are or ha e been a- sociafed with Sevvanee, Davidson, Williams, Amherst, Dartmouth, Colgate, Prince- ton, Harvard, Notre Dame, the University ot irginia, lale, Haverford, and others, all of which are institutions that have become coeducational in the last 15 or so years. The persons with whom I spoke were tormer trustees, univ ersi- ty presidents, alumni, admissions representatives, and students • Finally, 1 have spoken with a tew individuals who are college admis ' -ion-. counselors at public high schools and private preparatorv schools 1 have agonized oyer many aspects ot the coeducation issue and have examined and re-examined my feelings and thoughts 1 would try to write a case for remaining all male, then one tor going coed, then pick them apart and start over. Like the rest of you, I have spent hundreds ot hours talking, thinking, and wondering what is best tor this special place Even Trustee tmentus lack Warner, whose generositv to this mshtution which he loves is among the greatest of all of W L ' s sons, chal- lenged me with his letters While I siiarplv disagreed with the nature and quality ot hjs comments, his letters lorced me to re-think, re-examine, look deeper, and think harder about all aspects ot the issue In that sense, his letters served a positive purpose . ' bout two months ai;o, 1 reached mv conclusions, and I made no secret of my feelings at the May Trustee ' s meeting It is mv intention to vote in favor of coeducation, because 1 believe hrmlv that it is the correct decision for us to make for W L in 1984, There are what 1 would call positive and negative reasons for support- ing mv decision It is verv hard to separate them from each other since all are valid but represent different viewpoints of the problem The negative reasons relate to believing that we should respond to wornsome demographic trends as well as increasing competition trom other universihes tor students in a shnnking market and also the recent trends relahve to the quality of what is referred to as our student body ' s soggy bottom, In addition, I do not believe that W L should go coed solely to add the female point of view to the campus, although 1 believe it would be a plus to have it I also do not believe that W L breeds a chauvinistic or warped view of the world. Finally, it may be a negahve reason to support coeducation on the basis that if we have to reduce our inshtutional size, we will spread our hxed costs over fewer units, thereby increasing our costs of production, so to speak, as compehtive pressures nse — and we do this in a world that is likely to remain very volatile and in which nsk-taking can quickly create eccmomic disasters. Shrinking our size is not a viable option 1 do not call these reasons negative because they are not true (They do remind me of Satchel Paige ' s addage, Don ' t look back, someone may be gaining on you! ) Rather, these are negative reasons because they do not permit proper attention to be given to fosifii ' t ' reasons for becoming coed. That IS to say. It IS a way of saying, Look what happens if we don ' t become coeducational instead of saving, Look what happens if we do The positive reasons for becoming coeducational are strong indeed, in my opinion I believe that our mission here is an educational one — splendidly expressed in our Statement of Institutional Philosophy with which we are all familiar and which it is our dut ' as Trustees to see implemented in everv aspect of university life 1 believe that we should aspire to be the best small university in the South, and one of the best in the nation, not elitist in a negativ e sense, but a tint ' school with a strong human as well as educational values. I believe we have generally been successful in the past m doing this and that this is a great part of the intangibles to which so many refer It is signiticant that a great ma|ority (admittedly, not all) ot the people to whom we entrust the teaching, training, and care of our students are in favor of coeducation. And it is signiticant to me that while t 0 percent of the alumni who responded to the surxev expressed opposition to coeducation, 94 percent believe quality of the faculty is a most important factor in their considera- tion of W L ' s reputation; that 87 percent believe ' academically selective in admissions is a most important factor ; and, that 8b percent believe W L ' s goal should be continued academic excellence, regardless of the gender ot its students. On the other hand, I must confess that 1 am sorry to learn from the survey that 23 percent of the respondents are willing for W L to remain all male even it it would require some downward adjustment of W L admis- sions standards — a preference that is unacceptable to me as a Trustee Relative to student attit udes toward coeducation, it is signiticant to me that even though 53 percent of our current students are opposed to coeducation, f 2 percent beheve coeducation is in the best interests ot the institution while onlv 25 percent believe it is not Finally, it is significant to me that ot the dozens of persons with whom 1 spoke who have a relationship with institutions that became coeducational there were only tivo who believed we should remain all-male — and their reasons were more nostalgic than any other — and none expressed to me that they regretted their institutions had become coed; most said it was the best thing that had ever happened and that the net effect of the change had been extremely positive 1 strongly believ e that the educational experience at W L will improve it it becomes coeducational at the undergraduate level. The overall student quality will improve as a dramatic increase in applications permits a more selective admissions policy. These better students will be more motivated and will be better able to respond to the tougher curriculum that already is planned to be implemented. Most important, the absence of academically poor students who are less motivated and less participating in the life of the University will result, I believe, in a lessening of the disillusionment that is growing among faculty members and which is reducing the effectiveness of the educational process. The better classroom experience will encourage the facultv ' and bring better motivation and competition to all aspects of campus life and behavior Not least, it will serve to strengthen the close faculty-student relationships about which we talk so much but which are being damaged by the poor quality of academic performance and social behavior presently on campus. We must 12 The ear nn Car ipus