A Lavender's View of Higher Ed.

After seeing the “Dear White People” trailer and discussing critical race theory in our diversity class, I saw an article posted by a student at our local university, UVA. It is a student’s experience at a public ivy institution, which is also a predominately white institution. Particularly, it is her experience as the only Black person in Black Studies classes. It is a quick and interesting read. You can find it here.

So, as many of you know, I attended a women’s college in Roanoke, Hollins University. Hollins frequently has been in the news about it’s policy for transmen students and it was mentioned in a news article yet again this week. The article can be found below:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/19/magazine/when-women-become-men-at-wellesley-college.html?partner=socialflow&smid=tw-nytmag&_r=3

I thought it was an amazingly well-written piece that the New York Times did on the issue of gender diversity at women’s colleges. Especially covering all the nuances and challenges that face the schools. Each women’s college has handled it differently. Hollins’ policy that gets so much press and hate was formed about 8 years ago with input from the student body as a whole, but more importantly, trans* students. That is something that the news stories frequently leave out. Overall, I have to admit that I am not sure the best way to handle this topic for women’s colleges, and it will be an ongoing challenge as we as a society challenge the notion of gender and sex.