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

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maintain an outstanding teaching faculty, and we can do that only if ue proyide the proper environment in which we can exist In addition to an improved academic environment, 1 believe there would be a greatly improved soaal environment. In mv lengthy report at the Mav Board of Trustees meehng I conveyed my subcommittee ' s conviction that coeduca- tion would result in strongly positive changes occurring throughout the soaal and extracurncular life of the University This conviction is shared not only by most facult - members but also by the administration and probably bv most of the students. Without questioning for a moment the sincerity and depth of feeling con- veyed to all of us by the dozens of alumni who have wntten to express their views, I believe that our responsibility as Trustees is not to protect the alumni ' s perception of what W L was like when thev were here — although I think we hope to do that Rather, it is to do whatever is necessary to foster an atmo- sphere and expenence which best results in our institutional purpose bemg achieved. After all, would not those same alumni who oppose coeducation so vocally now be even more upset if we permitted W L to decline in quality And are they not likeh ' to be more proud and supportive of a high-qualir ' coeducational universit)- than a mediocre all-male university! ' We must hnd a way, as Dr. Sidney M.B. Coulling (head of the department of English) suggested in his letter to President Wilson, to combine properly the concepts of being distinctive and distinguished We can be dishnctive as a coed institution if we dishnguish ourselves by the quality of our academic program and bv the encouragement and appreciation of the values and traditions which we all believe are so much a part of the W L experience we want to preserve and which frequently are not a part of the expenence found at other institutions. Therefore, when Jack Warner says, Dare to be different ' 1 would respond ' At what cost and at what loss of opportunity ' ' Do we invest our energy and our talent and our funds tr -ing to be better — or use them up tr ing not to get worse! ' Perhaps those who sav if it ain ' t broke, don ' t hx it are really saving that nothing has changed at Washington and Lee 1 But it If a change that the academic quality ' of our students is declining. Our SAT scores are down more than the national average and more than our competition. The comments about student quality contained in faculty letters to President Wilson, and subsequently conveyed to us, are alarming. 2. And It IS a change that, sociologically, the role of the female in the United States during this last third of the 20th century is dramatically different from what is has e ver been before in the history of this country — indeed, in the history of the world — and there is no suggeshon that this is the only a fad that will go away. In that regard, a case can be made and should be made that if is poor judgement (and maybe worse) to deny W L ' s special qualities to talented effective females who are and will be so important a part of the leadership of this nahon in the future. 3 And If is a change, demographicallv. that the number ot college-bound student will be in a dramatic decline for many years ahead and that the competition for that smaller number of students is increasing The financial aid packages available to students from pnvate and state universities are impres- sive and are an indication of what the marketplace will reflect even more intensely in the future 4. Finally, but importantly, it is a change, again sociologically, that there is less and less interest among college-bound students — especially males — in attending single-sex institutions In this environment, W L is increasingly perceived to be weird, not just different, and not |ust an educahonal alterna- tive. Young people today are more sophisticated and aware than ever before, and they feel a need to be compatible with this changed world What do 1 believe it will mean to Washington and Lee University ' to remain all male ' 1 Basically, that we will spend our energy and our funds simply tr -ing to hold on, trying to prove to the world and to ourselves that we are something special, and having fewer and fewer believe us as our own self-doubt in- creases 2. We will lose market share and be forced to take more students of lesser qualit -, then we will begin to lose our fine faculty, and eventuallv we will lose our reputahon Already we have alumni telling us that thev are not impressed by the fact that the company we keep in the all-male school category includes Hampden-Sydney, Wabash, a technical school, and two military schools w ' hile the company thev want us to keep includes the University- of Virginia, W ' lUiams, Dartmouth, Pnnceton, Amherst, Brown, Yale, Duke, Vanderbilt, and a host of others. 3. Finally, the same — and even more — alumni who said Don ' t go coed ' will begin to sa ' VVh% ' did ou let this happen to mv school It has been said that voung men choose Washington and Lee for every reason except for its gender. 1 believe that we should offer an instituhon which both voung men and voung women choose for non-gender reasons. I believe we should emphasize academic qualify most of all — as found in close student-facult ' relationships and the diversity- and excellence of our academy- program — and 1 belie e we should emphasize the traditions and values which we have here and which we otter to all u .to are a part ot the L community 1 belie% ' e that we should make clear — beginning today — that it is our intention that those values and traditions found here are to be pursued and supported in a spint of renewed commitment, and 1 believe we accomplish this bv conveying in a tone ot conhdence, conviction, and canng, a decision to become coeducational at the undergraduate level of our academic program 1 believe we should announce that decision tf r alumni and our other constituencies in a positn e. torceful way with emp, ;asis on our belief that the best way to keep intact those special qualihes that ,T,ost alumni and faculty and students and administrators realty think are important, is to become coeduca- tional — and that this Board of Trustees believes this is the best way to insure our continued meaningful role as one of the better small uni ' ersities in this countr - I believe we should go to work immediately, carefully planning what we want to sav to our future male and female students, telling them ot the traditions, academic excellence, values and codes of conduct that are found at this special place, and hnally dealing from strength and not being afraid to do so, u e tell them what we expect relahve to their behavior and pertormance We communicate to our president, and ask him to communicate to his staff and faculty, that we are going to have a hrst-rate institution here — an institu- tion that reaches out to voung men and uoung iconicn who have exhibited the abilities and talents which we want to nuture and encourage here and we bring these voung people into this communit ' which we call Washington and Lee University We educate them splendidly We reintorce the values and traditions that we believe are so important — strong character, a sense of honor and integrit ' . responsibility, leadership, and most of all academic proficiency. And we send them out into this volatile, changing world to be successful individuals in their personal, family, and business lives, leaders in their communities and profes- sions — as W L pndes itself on doing — and we ask them to be loyal and generous to the institution which educated them and which reinforced the ideals that caused us to bring them here in the beginning, the same ideals that are within this Board and this administrahon and this faculty Deep down inside of me, I believe that a coeducahonal Washington and Lee will permit this to happen 1 believe that the academic, sociological, economic, and political realities of the world that we are living in — and will be living in — will not permit that to occur at and all-male Washington and Lee Will Washington and Lee change ' Of course it will, as it has done so man ' times in the past. Do I have concerns about our future ' Y ' es, I do. 1 I am most concerned that the disenchantment among man ot our alumni might be more severe than we realize and that the absence of support w ill be greater than we expect, not |u5t support of the pocketbook but support of the spirit. 1 take some encouragement from knowing that similar situations were overcome so quickly at other inshtutions, and I know of no reason why Washington and Lee alumni are less loval or less understanding than alumni of other institutions which we admire. 2. I am concerned that we will not make the transition as smoothly as we hope, that we won ' t plan for it as well as we should or execute it as well as we could, and that this will cause anxious moments. This concern must cause us to make doubly certain that it is not warranted 3- 1 think It is likely that we will lose a little of the intangible qualit ' that we have trouble totally defining but which we know is there and which we and so many alumni fear will be lost. But with these concerns having been expressed, it is mv hrm belief that the advantages and benehts and positive aspects resulhng from coeducahon will greatly outweigh the disadvantages and the problems and that this will become apparent to us quickly We have the burden and the pnvilege of being in a posihon to act at this time on this cntical issue. It will take courage to vote in favor of such a dramatic change, but in mv heart of hearts, I believe we will ha e made the right decision for the future of this inshtuhon to which all of us are devoted. — Rqmnted by pertyuffion from the July 1984 issue of the Alumni Magazine of Washington and Lee University. The Year on Car ipus 13

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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

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Freshmal Orientation September 3-5, 1984 Right, Freshmen are briefed on the merits of learnmg another language. Below left, David Sizemore and Andrew Caruther: discuss the Honor System near the Liberty Hall ruin. Below right. Freshmen receive Bibles after a session in Lee Chapel. Opposite, the last part of the swim test is the most grueling: can you tread water for five minutes? 14 The Year on Campus