Rasheedah Phillips
Why Bryn Mawr?
As a young woman growing up in an urbanized setting and attending public schools all of my life, when the time came to start planning and searching for colleges, I searched for schools that I felt fit my persona, that I would be comfortable attending for some of the most integral years of my life. My search included schools such as Temple University, and Pennsylvania State University, higher education institutions that allowed me to challenge myself, but at the same time would put me in a setting where I would be with others just like myself, fitting into the standard American university fashion.
The thought of an all women’s college never once crossed my mind in envisioning my “perfect school”, and when it was introduced to me, it was through the prodding of a high school counselor who felt that my intelligence would be better realized and liberated at a school such as Bryn Mawr. After carefully researching Bryn Mawr and all it had to offer as an elite academic institution with stringent admissions requirements and its strong reputation as one of the best liberal art colleges in the nation, I had little doubt that, as far as my intellect and devotion to a rigorous curriculum went, I could run with the best of them. But I remained skeptical that, socially, financially, mentally, and to some degree, academically, I could fit in with the top women in the country who got accepted into a school such as this. I certainly had my biases about all-women colleges, and to find that Bryn Mawr was the best of the best certainly did not help to curb them; if anything, it created more.
My prejudices remained intact up until the day of my scheduled campus visit, overnight stay, and interview on October 7-8, 2001. Stepping up to the door of the admissions office, many of my resolves all but dissolved, as I was kindly greeted by several groups of women who guided me through registration, campus tours, alumnae speeches, and a most excellent dinner, attended by the College President and a presentation of classical music played by four talented young women. I was absolutely enthralled by the beauty of the campus, and pleasantly taken aback by the size, cleanliness, and grandeur of the residence halls. Though these things did help to curtail much of my cynicism about the “all-women college”, I believe that the experience that really attracted me to Bryn Mawr began when my hostess picked me up in the admissions office.
After centuries of exclusion from the rest of society’s tasks, women decided to voice their opinions about their rights. In the early 19th century, the United States decided to reform the educational institutions, seeking to raise their standards. However, male students were the sole beneficiaries of this reform; women were not admitted into universities. Emma Hart Willard, one of the most prominent voices for women’s education, ran Middlebury Female Academy: an institution where geometry, philosophy, and other topics were taught. She proposed to establish her school to New York and have it publically funded, but New York refused; she built her school there anyway. Two years later she founded Troy Female Seminary. Emma Willard’s courage provided opportunities for other women’s rights activists. Although there was an influx of revolutionary women, many women were excluded. African American and other minorities were not included in the fight for women’s rights. Emma Willard had many reservations about the institution of slavery. Like the Antebellum period, there was a sense of improvement, but still a repetition of
Roebuck, Julian B., and Komanduri S. Murty. Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Their Place in American Higher Education. Westport: Praeger, 1993. Print.
In this brief report, I will be examining common practices, policies and resources that support Black women attending Princeton University. Included is a brief review of national averages in regards to higher education attainment and a rationale for continued rhetoric on this topic. My interest in this topic stem from my experience at State University’s Women Studies Program. While the conversation around gender is necessary and crucial, little attention was given to discussions of how race and gender affect an individual’s lived experience. I was constantly aware of my lack of representation among students who were in those classes and the faculty who taught.
After being on the road for three years, I decided to check into returning to college at the University of Delaware and the University of Pennsylvania. Both universities informed me that I would have to retake my first two years that I had completed at Chattanooga State. I would have to commit for another four to six years of college. I did not have the time to do this. I wanted to be finished with my bachelor?s degree within two years if possible. So, later, when they realize that their choices are limited, their futures sealed or semi-gelled, they decide that school is where they need to be (Smith, 2001).
How imperative is it that one pursues a traditional college experience? Although it might appear that Charles Murray and Liz Addison are in agreement that the traditional college experience is not necessary for everyone, Addison provides a more convincing argument that higher education is necessary in some form. This is seen through Addison’s arguments that college is essential to growing up, that education is proportional to the life one lives, and that community college reinvents the traditional college experience. Not only does Addison have her own opinions about college, but Murray does as well.
Haverford College did not begin as the institution that it is today. A group of concerned Quakers constructed the secondary school on the premise that it would provide a fine education for Quaker young men. On its founding day in 1833, the Haverford School's notion of a "liberal and guarded education for Quaker boys" became a reality. Jumping forward in time to 1870, a decisive change was on the horizon: the faculty and students had voted to go coed. However, the Board of Managers did not concede and Haverford remained single sex for over a century after the students and faculty had spoken. It wasn't until 1980 that a freshmen class comprised of both men and women entered Haverford. Yet it is the decade prior to 1980 that is the topic of this paper. The series of about 10 years before a Haverford female student would unpack her belongings in her room to settle down for four years of an intense and demanding education, both in and out of the classroom, was a time of much reevaluation and consideration on the part of the students, administration, and faculty.
A college education is something that women take for granted today, but in the 1800’s it was an extremely rare thing to see a woman in college. During the mid 1800’s, schools like Oberlin and Elmira College began to accept women. Stone’s father did a wonderful thing (by 19th century standards) in loaning her the money to pay for her college education. Stone was the first woman to get a college education in Massachusetts, graduating from Oberlin College in 1843. Her first major protest was at the time of her graduation. Stone was asked to write a commencement speech for her class. But she refused, because someone else would have had to read her speech. Women were not allowed, even at Oberlin, to give a public address.
Humans from the coast of West Africa arrived to the New World as slaves. Stripped of everything familiar, they brought with them their traditional ways of using music to record historic events, expressions, and to accompany rituals. While toiling in the tobacco fields of Virginia, slaves were not permitted to speak to each other. So, they resorted to their African tradition. They sang!
Ragtime takes place at the beginning of the 20th century. This was the Progressive Era. Even though Ragtime is fictional, it still says something about history and shows real people and events that happened. Ragtime gives an accurate picture of what New York City was like at that time through the people, industry and events in history. “Fiction by the pointillist method: Drop by drop, color by color, Doctorow builds up a wildly shimmering portrait of New York City at the beginning of the twentieth century. Like many other historical novelists, he mingles real and fictional characters. His originality here is one of scale and energy; several invented families find themselves entwined with (among others) Henry Ford, Emma Goldman, Harry Houdini, J. P. Morgan, and Emiliano Zapata.” (Byrd, Max) It shows a city separated by class, but changing due to the changes happening in mass entertainment, industry, and government. Moral reforms, the women’s suffrage movement and Americanization of immigrants was taking place. The musical helps depict the social changes in American Society. Based on 3 families from 3 different stations in life. One group is from the rich white neighborhoods of New Rochelle, NY. They live sheltered privileged, entitled lives. Another group is the African -American. The last group is an immigrant family that came to America looking to better themselves.
It was once called “the people’s music”, and “the delight of children (Koenig).” America’s development of ragtime is no doubt a representation of the blending of different cultures and influences. Germanic instrument’s influence on ragtime was a result of the development of new instruments overtime, the availability of new musical instruments to African Americans, and America’s significant blending of diverse cultural sounds.
Sawhill, Isabel V., and Stephanie Owen. "Why We Still Think College Isn't for Everyone." http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/up-front/posts/2013/05/13-college-for-everyone-criticism-response-owen-sawhill. Web blog post. Brookings. The Brooking Institution, 13 May 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.
Many African immigrants came to the United States from West Africa, they arrived by force and were seldom permitted freedom of expression, and as a result, songs were used to voice their subjugation and desire for autonomy. As stated in class, in 1619 the first African immigrants arrived in Jamestown, Virginia, the expansion of the plantation system in the southern colonies required cheap labor, but the work was taxing. Countless slave owner’s repressed African culture (this included foreign language and dancing), they wanted to foster a docile attitude and thwart potential revolts. African slaves had a natural affinity for musical expression, the traditional and cultural roots of West Africa were assimilated into the musical styles of African immigrants in America, the music of West Africa provided social solidity and many songs were sung with merriment and unified daily life.
The women that come to MU mostly would take one out of the three pathways: primed to party, cultivated to success and motivated for mobility. Women who are primed to party are mostly affluent and out of state. They are directly drawn by “party school”. Women who cultivated to success are mostly affluent and from out of state. They come to MU for academic reason. Women who are motivated for mobility are from working class and low-middle college class family. They dream to escape their hometown and economic status
"The first women to enter this male-ordered campus were venturing into unmapped terrain." (Sadker 229) Not only does gender inequality li...
Women have had quite a few hurdles to get over since the 1950's. In 1958 the proportion of women attending college in comparison with men was 35 percent. (Friedan,