University of Virginia Library

Women Can Think!

Virginia Women Stress Communication

By Michael Russell
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Departing from the male world
of the University, and crossing the
barriers into a quasi-coeducational
system can be somewhat of a traumatic
experience for the typical
Virginia gentleman, as well as enlightening.

Facing me in the lounge of Mary
Munford were five very pretty Virginia
misses. Thus the first of many
myths at this University finds its
dispatch; contrary to most opinions,
real live, pretty girls, are alive
and well in Mary Munford.

But I wasn't just casually meeting
with these women, in ulterior
motive was in the minds of all six
of us, We were there to discuss the
integration of the University by
sex, more plainly, coeducation.

Educational Opportunity

One might expect that any girl
faced with the opportunity to attend
Mr. Jefferson's institution
would jump at the chance. While
many of these girls felt that coeducation
was needed, (one pretty
blonde to the contrary however)
they didn't feel as though we,
meaning the male population, were
doing them any favors by allowing
coeducation to come.

The spectrum of girls ranged
from those with coeducational
backgrounds to those without,
from graduates to undergraduates,
and from pro-coeducation to
anti-coeducation. In other words,
these five girls represented the entire
field of thought on the subject.

Girls Think

Yes, girls do think (another
myth removed to the lands of its
forefathers) and from these five
pretty heads came some very interesting
thoughts.

Initial opinions were expressed
against coeducation by a graduate
girl. She felt that there was really
no impending need for all colleges
to go coeducational. Separation of
the sexes at least served this girl by
allowing her to build an awareness
of herself. College she felt, was the
last time that girls would have
the opportunity to make decisions
for themselves, and this substantially
added to their maturity.

Some vociferous objections to
her feelings were offered. Part of
the maturing process was felt to be
the evolution of personal relationships
between men and women, and
a system that advocated separation
also advocated impersonality and
stilted relations.

Separate Colleges

Relenting somewhat, the
anti-coed coed maintained that separate
colleges were advisable when
they were in close proximity. She
admitted that Virginia was unusual
in its relationships with 's
schools and that as a state institution
it should be coeducationalized,
or at least institute a co-ordinate
system that would combine the
best of both worlds. She also mentioned
that she had never seen such
blatant discrimination in all of her
life.

Conversation drifted into the
metaphysical world of the females'
opinions of the males' opinions
concerning women.

A ex-Farmville-ite commented
that the primary void centered
around the lack of personal relationships
between men and women.
Men at Virginia only see girls on
road trips or big weekends. Removing
the men from their typical
environment, as the present system
does at least in the area of dating,
proffers stilted relationships.

"We're not human beings, we're
sex," is the prevalent attitude of
males towards females. An attitude
these girls resented.

Lacking Stimulation

Intellectual stimulation lacking,
the feminine point of view (which
much to the surprise of most Virginians
does exist) lacking, engenders
and unhealthy state. "The common
reaction to an intelligent statement
by a girl is a roomful of staring
men."

Reasons for not going coeducational,
from the male standpoint,
revolves around the basic male insecurity.
Men have felt that too
many girls would be distracting or
would provide unwanted competition.
And as we all know women
are basically dishonest and conniving,
thus straining the revered
Honor System.

They felt that men suffered as
much as women by not developing
personal relationships and thus limited
themselves to girls who are
"fixed-up." The common male-female
relationship is the proud,
drinking, high-living Virginian and
the awestruck, envious, giggly female.

Girls at the University sensed a
definite hostility. One graduate
mentioned that in passing her, two
men commented that it might help
if she smiled. She almost turned
around and asked why they didn't
smile first. "Men wouldn't dare say
hello to us."

Uncommon Relationships

Classroom relationships are
again uncommon. To sit and rap
with a girl is unthought of and any
girl attempting to start a conversation
has her action interpreted as a
sexual advance. "They're afraid of
us," was the reaction of one girl.

Sorrow was expressed because
segregated men and women get
only half a look at the real world.
More interaction and talk is needed.
They conceded, however, that
many girls were scared of men who
talked, fearing that their motivation
was something other than friendship.

Moving from the real world into
the unreal world, the conversation
shifted to the subjects of Fraternities
and State Uism.

Some support for the anti-State
University feeling was found among
these girls, who seemed to feel that
the common state university was no
more than an over-rated high
school. The same cliches develop,
there is no broadening of attitudes,
and the same superficial relationships
that marked high school could
still be found among the college
students. The misconception they
felt, is that a state university would
or even could happen at Virginia.
The instate-out of state student
ratio being almost one to one, thus
breaking down the relationships
and large groups imported directly
from high school.

Fraternities and not coeducation
was seen as the greatest problem.

The next logical step they felt
for the educational process was
coeducation and to prevent a
State-University from forming the
phasing out of fraternities. "There
have been times when I've told my
date that if he planned to take me
to a fraternity party he could either
change his mind or find another
date. I'd much rather sit down and
talk to him."

Fraternity men bloat the images
they have of themselves as the
greatest swingers, drinkers, lovers,
and hell raisers the world has ever
seen. Their balloon was deflated by a
coed who merely commented that
every fraternity party she had ever
been to here was unsophisticated
and sophomoric.

Once again we returned to the
unhealthy effects of the segregated
system. Mary Washington girls who
sit around and say, " 'How-lucky
we are to be here,' hate it." "Some
girls get so weird that its disgusting."

Retrogressing again, expression
of a desire to be talked to made
itself known. "Men feel that girls
have all those people to choose
from so why bother trying to fight
the mob. The only problem is that
everyone thinks that way." Fight
the mob, it may be worth the
struggle.

Men they feel can be stabilizers.
Most men see black and white, and
the women can fill in the grey.
These girls felt that in order for
Virginia men to be able to cope
with women in real situations, they
needed coeducation.

The deep and lasting need they
expressed, was not that coeducation
must necessarily occur. They
all felt that there was a definite
need for a re-evaluation by most
men of their perceptions of women.
Dialogue, the sharing of thoughts
and emotions, is crucial. These women
emphasized the need for one
to one personal relationships, not
now formed in the Virginian environment.
The question is not whether
to co educate or not to co educated,
but whether to communicate
or not.