Mills College Students Protest Decision to Admit Men in 1991

Your article on the decision by members of the Board of Trustees of Mills College to admit male students (Part A, May 4), resulting in the loss of one of only three women’s colleges on the West Coast, brings into question the value of a single-sex education to a woman. As a student at one of the remaining women’s colleges, Mount St. Mary’s, I have had the opportunity to experience the advantages firsthand. Although it sounds like a contradiction, I believe that my education at a women’s college will better prepare me to deal on a professional level in a world in which men are the dominant presence.

Attending a women’s college and participating in a leadership program geared toward women allows me to develop assertiveness and take an active role in competitive situations involving both males and females. The confidence I have developed enables me to interact, non-aggressively, on an equal footing with my male peers. I am comfortable being an active presence in public situations.

Recently, I served as the Model United Nations head delegate at the national conference in New York City. In this situation, I was aware that in teams of delegates, consisting of male and female students, the male student generally got up and spoke or wrote the resolution, while the female team member looked and acted, in many instances, like a helper, not an equal. Obviously, when there are only women, this cannot occur, and the individual is compelled to develop the skills which will later seem natural in different situations.

I will leave college without fear of competing professionally with men. This is built on the knowledge and realistic expectations of my own abilities and strengths, and of the appropriate behavior in these situations. Based on my education at a women’s college, I feel self-assured and believe that I will be at an advantage when I enter the business world.

ELIZABETH C. KING, sophomore

Mount St. Mary’s College

Los Angeles