Tradition Shattered!
In my last post I discussed my impending trip to the archives at Santa Clara University and some of the questions I am hoping to answer through my research. I was planning on researching the way the university transitioned from an all boys school to a coeducational school. There were numerous collections at the archives full of articles written by the students of Santa Clara. Above is a picture of a very controversial article. The title answers some of my questions itself. It definitely gives off the feeling that the girls that were about to start coming to the school were unwelcome. While is is definitely true that many of the students and faculty were displeased with the administrations decision to accept girls, the article dives into the reasons why the administration decided it was the right decision.
The Way of the Future
The article provides a statement from the President of Santa Clara, Fr. Donohoe. In this he addresses the reasons for his decision. He claims that the board of trustees strongly recommended the change and cited a national trend saying
“One third of the Jesuit colleges in the United States are co-ed”
This paints a clear picture of why Santa Clara decided to transition into a co-ed school. It wasn’t because they personally felt it was the right decision, but because they were under pressure to do so. However, they became the first Catholic school of higher education in California to become co-ed. In this sense, Santa Clara was ahead of their time.
Unsurprisingly, as I learn more about the complexities surrounding the transition, more questions are raised. For example, what was the next Catholic school of higher education in California that became co-ed? Also, did Santa Clara initially attract many female students or did it take years before many were applying and choosing to attend?
I’m not the only person researching Santa Clara’s transition into a co-ed school, and these articles in the archives go a long way to answering questions that I, and my colleagues are asking.