The Idaho scimitar. [volume] (Boise, Idaho) 1907-1908, 1908-09-19
WOmdn'S PAGE
about COsEdUcdfiOn.

Dr. William N Rice of Wesleyan University sends
the following to the Springfield Republican:
AS one who has been and who still is thorough
going believer in the policy Of coeducat1on, need
not say that sincerely regret the attitude OF the
students and some of the alumni OF Wesleyan Uni
versitv in regard to the presence of IN col
lege regret for that matter the opposition TO CO
education which has manifested itself not only IN
Wesleyan University but in other eastern lnstitu-
tons in which the experiment OF co-educatlon mas
been tried and in some OF the institutions IN
the central and western parts OF the country
think however, the statement that the FACULTY OF
WESLEYAN encourage the students IN OBJ ect1on-
able conduct toward the women is unjust. 1t has
been well known for many years that there is
difference of opinion both in the faculty and IN the
board of trustees in regard to co-educat1on and
it has been inevitable that this difference of opinion
should affect the opinions and feelings OF the STU
dents But the faculty have never approved or en-
couraged any form OF persecution OF the women Oh
the part of the Overt insults to the women
on the part of the men have been rebuked or pun
shed For a number of years there has been prac-
ticaly no misconduct of this sort
The treatment of the women by the men has been
simply what might be called social boycott Most
of the men decline to recognize the women as &C
ot1antances and have no dealings with them This
conduct may be very foolish but 1t is KIND OF con-
duct which we have no means of dealing with ofhci-
ally We cannot put student under college censure
for not getting acquainted with the women IN his
class. AS regards the matter OF class day. thlnk IL
is altogether desirable that the women should have
a class day of their own, instead OF participating IN
the class day of the men, Class day belongs not to
the scholastic but to the social side of college life.
In this phase of college life the and the women
must be more less separate from each other, and
the fact that the women in recent years have had
a class day of their own is an altogether appropriate
recognition of the distncness of the social phase OF
their college life. 1t is not true that women have
ceased to apply for admission If there were only
two in the senior class last year, there five IN
the Junior nine in the sophomore and thirteen in
the freshman class.
deem it proper to say that President Raymonds
resignation was not due to any lack of harmony be-
tween himself and the members of the faculty, either
on co-education any other question OF college
policy.
The subject of co-educaton was discussed at the
annual meeting of the trustees and will be further
discussed at the winter meeting. 1t may be that
the decision will be to exclude women, or to organ
ize for them distinct woman's college. The lat
ter plan which has been adopted in several other col
1eges formerly coeducational would probably be re-
garded much favorably than the former by
most of the members of the faculty 1t would be inn
proper for to attempt any prophecy to the ac-
ton of the trustees But this it is safe to say So
long co-education is the policy of Wesleyan I'm
iversity the women who admitted, be they few
many, will be treated by the members of the fac
ulty with the utmost courtesy whatever differences
of opinion may exist to the wisdom of the policy
And the faculty of the university will in wise en-
courage countenance any ungentlemanly treat
ment of the women the part of the men.