University of Virginia Library

Problems Remain
For University Coeds

By CHERYL FUREY

Who would have ever
imagined that finally having
women on an all-male campus
would cause problems other
than a lack of dates to go
around?

Things that were never
needed before are suddenly
found to be in great demand and
the process of truly co-educating
the University has begun.

It started when women moved
into the dorms designed especially
for men. The slight inconveniences
found here such as no shower
curtains were soon remedied.

Female Frustration

There were other things, though,
such as security problems, lack of
sufficient lighting, lack of honor
societies for women, male
dominance in the gym during
classes and after hours, and most
importantly, a feeling of frustration
sometimes experienced by both
sexes regarding how to meet each
other in an informal, relaxed
atmosphere.

Many problems surfaced but so
did solutions from many concerned
sources. Attempts to being out the
problems included letters to the
editor; open requests for specific
changes, which were usually
well-received; opinion polls and
research.

Another source was the
Women's Committee of the Student
Council, organized in the spring of
1971. This was the first
formally-organized attempt to
handle all these problems. The
group consisted of female students
who felt that it was up to the
women to recognize and tackle
their own problems and to move
forward with their ideas and
suggestions as a true part of the
University.

Women's Committee

The committee consists of seven
subcommittees, including
University Relations, which deal,
with extracurricular activities and
organizations; Housing, which
handles dorm-related questions;
Social; Special Projects; and
Publicity, to get word to all women
on and off-grounds about events
and issues of interest.

The committee also includes
subcommittees concerned with
athletics, to foster an interest in
gym classes, intramurals, and
general use of available facilities;
and Student Health, to circulate
information about the many
different services available through
Student Health and the Hospital.

The Women's Committee was
organized to accelerate a feeling of
unity within the University. This
be achieved in part by working in
conjunction with already existing
organizations. Another purpose is
pass on information and
experiences accumulated during
previous years by women and to
enable the first-year women to
learn from these mistakes and
successes.

United Coeds

The committee is new and
searching for ways to help women
become an integrated, informed,
working part of Virginia. Every
woman becomes a member of this
body upon matriculation and will
hopefully start immediately with
questions, suggestions and a helping
hand.

The success of the committee
rests not only upon the support it
receives from women but from all
the men, professors, and staff
members concerned with the
future of the University.

(Miss Furey is a third-year student
in the College and Chairman of the
newly-formed Women's
Committee.)