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Originally published Oct. 10, 2000 on studentadvantage.com. This is the ninth in a series of articles and columns on the lives of women in college today.
It's back to school for most colleges. After a month of classes, students are getting into their routines, finding the right classrooms and finally getting there on time. Every college has welcomed a new batch of freshmen into their student body. Well — every college but ours. Actually, we've never had a freshmen class. We have freshwomen. Welcome to Meredith College, one of four women's colleges in North Carolina. When I enrolled here two years ago, I wasn't sure what led me to choose this place. From the looks on most people's faces when you say you attend a women's college, it's obvious that they don't know either. Their raised eyebrows indicate their suspicion of your alternative sexual preference (a common myth) or their surprise that these colleges actually exist. In the latter case, their next question is if your major is home economics or if you're going to be a teacher. Granted, both of these are fine choices, but I am saddened that people think Meredith is a training school for the next generation of nurses, teachers and moms. There's a lot more to this college than that. Our motto is "empowering women to excel." It's more than just a catch-phrase on a T-shirt; it is empowering to be among women who are being heard in the classroom, in organizations and in the workplace. It's not a rare occurrence; it happens everyday. Many women in coed environments don't realize that, even when they're gutsy enough to speak up in the classroom, they're not getting a second glance. Here, we're helped to recognize the value of our voices and are then taught how to make them heard. As I ran through a list of extra-curricular activities at a nearby university, I couldn't help but notice how many Johns, Michaels and Steves were holding leadership positions. Women have no choice but to lead here. If you don't take advantage of the leadership offered, the next woman available will. It has given me an entirely different perspective on female leaders. The past few decades have held many leaps for women. We do want it all. We want the opportunity to work, to lead, to stay at home, to learn — we want choices. Because of the fights we've made for equality, we're working harder to prove just what we're made of. Like all students, we're working on that resume and getting it in top form before sending it off. Get an internship, make impressive grades, join a club — or, better yet, start one — take women's studies, be prepared, and get involved: that's the advice that echoes through these halls every day. Who better qualified to lead 3,000 women than — you guessed it — a woman? Last year, we inaugurated our first female president to take us into the millennium on the right foot. One of the inauguration events was a symposium made up of a panel of six local college presidents — naturally, all women. They shared their triumphs and their crashes. This was a group of women that shared choices they made in their professional and personal lives. They showed no limits and did so in a way that was not imitative of a man, but deliciously feminine and gracious. They set an example for us. They showed that we can be sexy and smart. We can be wives and computer engineers. We can raise children and run businesses. We should be encouraged to find our passions and fuel them. Perhaps the best thing about Meredith College is the sisterhood here; I haven't witnessed anything like it anywhere else. We are united under a unique goal: to leave this college as stronger women. We are not spoon-fed feminist ideas that promote male-bashing and bra-burning. Feminism is defined as a movement that advocates political and social rights equal to those of men. That makes me a feminist — and it may make you one, too, just for wanting to find out what goes on at a women's college. More than anything, we are called on to keep our integrity, keep our joy, keep our family and friends first, and keep a commitment to other women. We will lead, we will cure, we will invent, we will touch lives. Love this column? Hate it? Tell us all about it. The
copyright to this column is held by Student Advantage, Inc. The Women in College series: The
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