At a panel discussion Thursday night, six women spoke about the evolution of coeducation at the College during the last 22 years.
The panel was the second event in the year-long Student Assembly-sponsored "Women, Leadership, and Activism" symposium.
It was designed to "stimulate intellectual conversation on coeducation," said Lischa Barret '95, who moderated the event.
Panelists included chair of the Assembly's Intellectual Life Committee Shakari Cameron '96, Cara Abercrombie '97, History Professor Judy Byfield '80, Associate Dean of Faculty Mary Jean Greene, Associate Dean of Thayer School Carol Muller '77 and Associate Director of the Hopkins Center Marga Rahmann '78.
The panel began with the showing of a 1991 film, "Not Men of Dartmouth," a senior project that documented life at the College before coeducation and during its earliest years.
The film showed bus-loads of women coming up for Winter Carnival and featured interviews with several women from the first female classes, including one who told of being raped.
After the film, the panelists discussed the progress of coeducation at the College since 1972 and the issues that still need to be addressed. Most of the audience's approximately 12 members participated in the discussion, which took the form of a question and answer session with the panelists.
Rahmann, who was a member of the second graduating class of women, said the support network available for women today is better than what was available when she was a student.
Green, who began teaching at the College in 1973, said female students had to look to faculty members for support. But she said the faculty felt overwhelmed by the responsibility.
Nada Payne '96, who helped organize the discussion, said she hoped "people would be able to see how far we've come [in coeducation], what has changed, and what still needs to be worked on."
Despite the low turn-out, the panelists said they felt the discussion was productive and informative.
"I thought it was interesting to look back on our experiences, and to compare them to the experiences that students are having today," Byfield said in an interview during the weekend. "I think reflection is always useful."
"Although turn-out was low, I think [the symposium] was helpful to those people who did attend," Cameron said.
The Assembly's Intellectual Life Committee initiated this year-long symposium "to enhance the level of conversation on women's issues at the College," Cameron said. The Fall term intends to focus on women in academia.
African-American scholar Angela Davis will speak at Dartmouth Nov. 12.
If the symposium is successful, the committee would like to organize a similar symposium for incoming students next year, Cameron said.
