Over 18 months, focus groups of Kenyon alumnae met with the Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement to discuss the upcoming 50th anniversary of coeducation at the College. The yearlong celebration will include many events and programs that offer a chance to discuss issues in depth. Alumnae from the Class of ‘73 through the Class of ’17 suggested themes to keep in mind as the Kenyon community honors this transformative moment that led to steadily-improving inclusion efforts at the College.
Kenyon’s first tenured female professor arrived on the Hill at the same time as the first full class of women, and Kenyon’s anniversary events will also honor the College’s first sorority, its first female coaches in athletics, its first female chair of the Board of Trustees and its first woman president.
The first women on campus were, on paper, admitted to a “coordinate college,” not Kenyon itself, and they were not allowed to sign the Matriculation Book. Residences were not ready for them, and some College buildings lacked restrooms for women. Some men were allies of the first women, but other men actively resisted the change.
Just a few years after women were admitted to Kenyon, the federal Title IX act to required equality in collegiate athletics, and women began running for political office in greater numbers. The dialogue surrounding Kenyon’s 50th anniversary should include the larger historical perspective without generalizing. Multiple viewpoints of feminism should be heard and celebrated.
Kenyon is increasing its efforts to create pathways to professional success for its alumnae — especially in easing the post-graduation transition to new cities. Julia Tidona ’14 and other energized volunteers in New York City, in coordination with Dean for Career Development Holly McCormack, began work on this network last year and efforts are now expanding to Washington, D.C., and Chicago. A formal online group is now part of the Kenyon Career Network.
The 50th anniversary of coeducation is a chance to plan Kenyon’s next era of expanding inclusion and equality. The focus groups asked that women be further integrated into volunteer roles within the College and that sororities and other groups without legacy membership get more assistance from the College.