In the 23 years since coeducation, women have gone from a small minority to almost exactly half of the student body.
As the female population has grown, the College also has greatly expanded support networks and services available to wome, in and out of the classroom.
A variety of organizations and programs like Older and Wiser for Women, the Women's Resource Center, the Women's Studies Department, the Women in Science Project, the Women's Health Center provide women with support and opportunities to explore women's issues.
This year's class in particular represents an even bigger milestone for women at the College. For the first time in its history, Dartmouth accepted more women than men for an incoming class.
Although the number of women actually attending Dartmouth this fall, 516, is less than the number of men, 533, the numbers represent a recent trend -- more and more women are applying to Dartmouth
According to Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Karl Furstenberg, the number of women applying to the College is increasing faster than the number of men.
Furstenberg attributes this to a growing "perception of Dartmouth as a place that is hospitable for women."
He said many women on campus are "represented in leadership positions" and achieve "notable success on campus." For example, next year's Student Assembly president and Senior Class president are female.
Furstenberg said the College is working to correct the misperception of Dartmouth as a male-centered campus by offering more support for women.
"I certainly think that things are heading in the right direction," he said. Being male of female "doesn't make any difference. You are a student at Dartmouth."
Mary Childers, director of equal opportunity and affirmative action and former director of the Women's Resource Center, said "I think it is very significant that Dartmouth has the highest percent of tenured women faculty in the League."
"That makes a difference in the education in male and female students, of course, but it is most significant to women students," she said.
And, she added, "Most female students I know report that they feel as though they have equal access to college and classroom resources for the most part."
One of the earliest programs created to help women adjust to College life was Older and Wiser for Women.
The program pairs freshmen women with seniors who can offer advice and support.
Another large program designed for women is the Women in Science Program.
Created in 1990, WISP is an academic program aimed at getting more women to take science courses, to major in science and to pursue science-related careers.
WISP sponsors speakers, lunches, workshops, panel discussions, seminars, a mentor program, tutors and paid research internships for freshmen.
"It's probably been one of the more successful things for women," WISP's Director Mary Pavone said.
The Class of 1994, the first class to participate in WISP had 100 science majors, more than double those in the Class of 1990
Last year 800 women and 130 faculty members were involved in WISP. There were 300 freshman women in the program and 100 received internships.
The freshman internships in fields like physics, math, engineering, computer science, biology and chemistry are sponsored by funded in part by large corporate donors like Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Microsoft.
WISP allows women to meet women professors and scientists and. "It reinforces things that will stay with you as a person," Pavone said.
Many of the organizations that deal with topics like women's health and sexual assault work in conjunction with the Women's Resource Center, located in the Choates dormitory cluster.
Formed in 1988, the center supports educational programs dealing with gender and women's issues like health and sexual assault. Women's groups like Women in the Wilderness, a part of the Dartmouth Outing Club and the Women of Color Support Group meet at the center.
Several groups that address AIDS, rape and sexual assault work in conjunction with the center to run workshops, put on programs and train and counsel students.
Interim Director Sandy Spiegel said the Women's Resource Center serves as gathering place for women. The center is open for drop-in assistance and reference and is a place for women to go to speak with and meet other women.
Spiegel said the center provides a "way of being in contact with other women on campus."
The center does not have any specifically defined role, Spiegel said, but its "role changes based on what is needed."
For women who would rather get involved in politics, there is the Women in Politics group.
Created last year, the group meets weekly and holds lunches and workshops with female administrators, politicans and professors.
There are also various forums for women to express their opinions and tackle women's issues publicly. Spare Rib is a campus publication that deals mainly with women's issues and the Untamed Shrews, presents plays and skits on women's issues
Besides the academic and the extracurricular, women also have seen a growth in the athletic opportunities available.
To comply with a federal law barring institutions that receive federal funding from having programs or activities that discriminate on the basis of gender, the College recent made two additional women's teams fully-funded varsity sports.
With the changes there will be an equal number of male and female varsity sports.
Women can also take a course in self-defense and rape prevention for physical education credit.
The College's health service also offers a special program for women.
Created this past fall, the Women's Health Program at Dick's House, which houses College Health services, provides more personal care for women.
Staffed by Director Janice Sundnas, a nurse practitioner and a physician's assistant, the program provides services specifically for women including annual check-ups deal with diets, exercise, relationships and sexual issues.
The program is also geared toward educating women on health and sexual issues.
