University of Virginia Library

Co-Education At Virginia

Va. Gentlewomen Meet A Man's World

By Laura Funkhouser

"Although the University is now
coeducational in name, it may take
time for it to be coeducational in
spirit."

This is the sentiment of many of
the first-year women, who are having
to brave the one-to-twenty ratio
both in the crowded classrooms of
Cabell Hall and in their dorm rooms
on somewhat lonely weekends.

They are excited girls, because
they will be the first class to complete
four years here. "Part of the
appeal of going here," said one girl,
"was the distinction of being one of
'the first.' "

Some girls have fathers and brothers
who attended the University so
they wanted to continue the tradition.
Still others have no connections
at all here, but wanted to
attend "because it's a good school."

Whatever their reasons for coming,
the first-year girls generally
agree that academically, they are
very satisfied. With the exception
of some required courses for freshmen,
most of the classes have only
a few girls and many boys.

Teachers Most Helpful

"The teachers are most helpful,
and seem to have no difficulty at all
teaching girls. "They neither single
us out nor ignore us."

Another girl said that the boys
were accepting girls as students, but
"with skirts on." "They still open
doors for us, but will listen intelligently
to what we have to say."

She added, however, "But it's
hard to meet anybody now in class.
In high school, I was used to a
noisy classroom up until the time
the teacher walked in. When you go
in class here, everyone is buried in
The Cavalier Daily and won't speak
to you unless they know you already.
We have to be somewhat
aggressive."

The most frequent remark made
by the first year girls is that it is
hard, and is going to become increasingly
harder, to meet boys to
whom you are not introduced.
They attributed this to several factors.

At the beginning of the year, the
weather was warm, resulting in a lot
of playing outside. There were several
mixers, including a rock music
concert in the new dormitory area.
Also, there were the beginning fraternity
functions.

"Although I don't generally like
fraternity parties, the smokers they
invited us to were the only chance I
had to meet guys other than
first-year men," said one girl. "Now
that these have stopped, and I'm
not being rushed, I'm only meeting

people through guys I met five
weeks ago."

"The upperclassmen steer clear
of us because they think we have it
made." This phenomenon of
first-year exclusion is partly a result
of the housing situation.

Only Classroom Contact

Because all the first-year girls are
in the new dormitories, their
non-classroom contact is with all
first-year men, and a few counselors.
In addition, the first-year men
in the so-called "ghettos" hardly
ever see a girl in their area. "I get
catcalls every time I walk through
Emmet," commented one girl.

Another expressed dissatisfaction
with knowing only
first-year men. "The first-year boys
are aggressive enough to come up
and meet you only when they are
drunk or stoned."

The housing has its advantages,
too. The girls in the coed dormitories
are particularly pleased with
their situation. "The guys downstairs
are friendly, helpful, and protective.
They carry up packages and
dissuade obnoxious visitors."

However, with the suite-type
floors, the girls have a hard time
meeting other girls. "We generally
avoid sitting together in class or
going around in boards, for fear of
scaring the guys off." She smiled.

Thus, a girl will often sit alone
at a lunch table in one of the
cafeterias. It is very rare to see a
boy go up to her and say: "Do you
mind if I sit with you?"

Because it is difficult for girls to
meet boys whom they did not meet
in the first two weeks of school or
whom they already knew before
they came, many of the first-year
girls are dateless on weekends.

One girl said "I was lucky in
that I met someone at the beginning
and we became really close.
Otherwise, I probably wouldn't be
dating much at all."

Few Steady Dates

Very few girls have steady dates
whom they left at home or who
went off to other colleges. They
came, expecting some difficulty in
meeting people, but hoping to go
out once in a while.

"We're not ostracized, just ignored.
It's kind of maddening for guys
to come visit you on Sunday night
and tell you what a good time they
had meeting girls at Sweet Briar and
Hollins."

"There is a definite lack of
social life for us," she added. "We
don't expect guys to spend money
on us, but we would like to date
them."

This sentiment was expressed
frequently: "It's going to take time,
but I know it will work out, "said
several girls. "After all, we're doing
a lot better than Princeton and Yale
did their first year."

'I Feel Welcomed'

Said another girl, "I am pleased
at the overall atmosphere. Before I
came, I heard some comments from
the 'old guard' who were very much
against coeducation. However, they
don't hold it against you personally.
I feel welcomed."

However, the first-year women

do not appear discouraged by this
particular problem. "That's not the
only thing I came here for," said
one girl. "Naturally I'm a little
disappointed, but mainly I'm happy
because I'm one of 'the first.' "

This same girl talked about what
change coeducation has had on
dating so far. "It has not affected
the 'Big Weekends' per se, but it is
affecting the boys. They are a little
more careful about how they act,
because they know they are going
to have to face you all the rest of
the year."