Coeducation at Dartmouth facts for kids

Coeducation at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire began in 1972. Coeducation means that both boys and girls attend the same school. Before 1972, Dartmouth College was only for male students. The college president, John G. Kemeny, helped make this important change happen. His decision allowed women to be admitted to the college year-round. This was a big step, but it also caused some discussion among former students and male students at the time.

How Girls Started Attending Dartmouth

The journey to coeducation at Dartmouth College started with a new summer term during the 1971-1972 school year. For the first time, women were allowed to take classes during this summer term. These classes could count towards degrees at their own colleges.

In 1971, President Kemeny formed a special group to plan for including women in a year-round program. This plan aimed to make Dartmouth a coeducational college all the time, not just in the summer.

By 1972, the Dartmouth board of trustees, who make important decisions for the college, officially approved the admission of women for year-round study. This meant that full coeducation began that same year, changing Dartmouth College forever.

Challenges for Early Female Students

Even though many male students supported coeducation, some were not happy about it. The first female students at Dartmouth faced some difficulties.

Some male students used unkind words to describe the new female students. In 1975, a song was created that made fun of the female students, which was not very welcoming.

Female students sometimes faced difficult situations, including criticism and harassment. One dorm, Butterfield Hall, which housed both male and female students, was sometimes damaged. Its residents also faced loud and disruptive behavior.

Many people believed these actions were an attempt to make the female students feel unwelcome. They thought it was a way to keep things the way they were before women joined. Some male students, especially those in fraternities, wanted to show they were still in charge.

Today, things are very different. As of 2015, about 50% of the students admitted to Dartmouth are female. Female students now have the same rights and opportunities as male students.