As part of the reaccreditation process, Wellesley held a Community Forum on January 26, 1998 to discuss two issues: Wellesley as a woman's college and diversity issues at Wellesley. Approximately half of the attendees were staff, a quarter faculty and a quarter students. At the community meeting, participants responded briefly in writing to questions on the two general topics. The cards were also available in the residence halls for additional student responses. This report summarizes the two sets of responses by question. Individual responses may fall into several categories. When they do, the person is counted in each. The number of responses is indicated on the left.

Question 1: What difference, if any, has it made to you that Wellesley is a women's college? If possible, cite specific examples.

Personal Growth

18	Confidence in expressing opinions (express and encourage ones ideas and thoughts; say yes or no without being intimidated or over-powered by men); have a voice in different matters and the opportunity just to have/find a voice in general
13	Builds higher self esteem and self confidence (important in order to succeed in what ever you do) Self development; sense of self, value of self...
9	Heighten awareness and opportunities for personal growth; growth in general
3	Made me a better parent to my children
2	Awareness/development of women thinking and sense of being
1	Learned new perspectives on things
1	Learning important skills outside of the classroom

Women's Issues

14	Strong female role models (female professors, faculty/staff, students, alumnae) and mentors are present everywhere on campus in the intellectual realm and campus life
13	Openly/readily devote time/energy to women's issues (which will have been unlikely somewhere else); more aware and perception of women in the world and the many women issues; greater sensitivity to gender issues
10	Women's leadership is advocated, promoted and developed (women are leaders in the Bursar's office, President's office, Dean's Office....etc.)
5	Made me more aware of diversity among women; enjoy living with a diverse group of women; great appreciation of the variety and range of women's abilities, dreams, aspirations and skills
4	More aware of women's distinctive way of thinking/being
3	Allows one to lay aside and break down gender socialization and stereotypes
2	Has allowed one to understand and examine how society will change as roles of women continue to change
2	Women's scholarship is valued/emphasized
2	Focus of research on women (the Stone Center and the Center for Research on Women); Cultural Theory of Women's Development - acknowledges women's strength
1	Increased curiosity and questioning of impact of women's values on culture and world at large.
1	People at Wellesley seek out answer to questions for the betterment and benefit of everyone in society, not just women
1	Has allowed me to explore the impact of society-imposed gender roles in my personal and professional life.
1	Made me feel more gender free as a result of increased awareness for my choices regarding gender behaviors
1	Wellesley has not moved in its view about feminism

Education; Teaching; Faculty/Staff, etc.

8	Changed style of teaching and perception of what teaching should be like (incorporate gender issues and perspective into teaching)
5	Has allowed me[faculty] to train and encourage young women to pursue careers in scientific areas where women and minorities are severely under-represented; fosters women skills and confidence in pursuing non-traditional careers (e.g. science); aware of the importance of having women in the discipline I work for where there are not a lot of women
5	Wellesley is very flexible with part-time people; understands the demands of family life; supportive to idea of maternity leave, etc.
3	Offers students and faculty and staff opportunities to explore and develop excellence in scholarship; faculty/staff work for common goal of making Wellesley College women the best
3	Teaching is rewarding; enjoy dynamics of students (conscientious, confident, focus...)
3	Feel as though I [faculty] am a part of helping educate women who will make a difference in our society; Wellesley develops women who will shape the future and our society as a whole. Specifically, these women will be capable of addressing the many social issues facing our society today
3	Faculty and staff value Wellesley's tradition and reputation in education excellence
2	Teachers examine and connect their lives with their work
2	The increase in men on faculty and staff at Wellesley College has been an important component of Wellesley (this was not true in the earlier times)
1	More passion for work due to familiarity with gender issues and the scholarship of this field
1	Wonderful opportunities offered to women in such departments as the sciences, economics and more.
1	Wellesley as a women's college validates the reality of women's experiences

Wellesley's atmosphere (school & classroom)

Positives:

34	Focus on community; supportive, nurturing (from students, faculty/staff, etc.) close-knit; willingness to help others; comfortable environment; support systems are ample and great
15	Dedication from students; very conscientious, confident; goal is to succeed; sense of competition and need for perfection; take risks; challenge themselves
11	Friendship is stronger and lasts for a long time; valuable lasting relationships with faculty/staff and students; friendship shape knowledge of women issues and other complex matters
8	Devotion of money, time, and resources on women and their development; women centered(e.g. curriculum)
5	Wellesley College makes women feel that not only some opportunities are available to women, but all opportunities; anything is possible for a Wellesley woman mentality; Wellesley offers opportunity to succeed and excel in whatever you do; opportunities are plentiful at Wellesley
4	Cooperation, group work, collaboration among students which is emphasized
4	Environment in which we can learn from and about other women
2	Single sex college - good because men hinder intimacy and shared knowledge that women have; men cause separation among women
2	Rigorous atmosphere; demand a lot from students
2	Less competitive
1	Fewer distractions being at Wellesley (no men); helpful for self development
1	Fosters women's skills and confidence in pursuing non-traditional careers (e.g. science)
1	Inclusion of non-traditional aged-women thorough the Davis Degree Program
1	Alumnae connection and contact is strong
1	Has allowed me to explain the pros and cons of a woman's college
1	Great setting to examine how society will change, as roles of women continue to change
1	Good/respectful learning environment
1	Serious, collegial, creative environment

Negatives:

8	Sheltered environment that excludes men from participating in feminist discussions that occurs at Wellesley; miss companionship of males and their distinctive way of thinking; makes teaching less exciting; sheltered environment in general
7	Wellesley leans toward conflict avoidance and conservative approaches toward problem resolution, thereby sidestepping dealing with difficulties arising from differences or multiculturalism; avoidance of competitiveness and confrontational situations needs to be addressed; there is passive aggressiveness - women are not socialized to argue or fight out conflicting view points. This creates tension.
3	Competitive environment works against what Wellesley stands for
2	Need common space for conflicts to be discussed and addressed (e.g. public bulletin is not a place where students should discuss conflicts. Some students say things that they will not necessarily say if the person where standing in front of them., hide behind the computer screen without thinking about the consequences of their words.
1	Careerism in Wellesley is too intense (success should be able to be defined in many ways; success does not just mean being a doctor or lawyer)
1	Fear of confrontation inhibits learning
1	Some students push the limit in order to make community active and open

Positives:

8	Less self conscious (speak out without male oppression, not caring how I look or act in front of males), more confidence (in class participation, personally...), more self confident of myself and of abilities, more assertive, confident, less shy or fearful of what others think (creates relaxed atmosphere and facilitates learning)
7	Supportive environment and community for women without any of the bitterness & tension sometimes found between women at Coeducational schools; faculty are very supportive of students, encouragement in class, relaxed community, non-sexist environment
5	Focus on women's issues, more aware of women's issues (sexism...), reaffirms women, realize that I as a female placed limits on what women can do, women centered environment
4	Feel physically safe (at women coeducational schools have to be careful walking alone)
3	Leadership mentality enforced at Wellesley - teach women to take initiative and to do something about their beliefs. An active-based, outcome-based environment; have taken on leadership roles
3	Feel more comfortable (Wellesley is right place), feel more comfortable around members of the same sex, feel comfortable in class
2	Enjoy classes - good to see people around you who share same interests (keeps your morale up); Will be hard to keep morale up if pursuing a field where everyone is of the opposite sex
2	Made very close and good female friends
1	Compared to coeducational schools, more expectation of articulate discussion and critical thinking- (e.g. being active in science classes and seminar)
1	Not concerned about physical appearance as much when on campus
1	Provides intensely focused academic environment, excellent academic program
1	No male domination (e.g. one of the students points out that while at a function at Harvard where different school organizations were present, none of the organizations had a female representing or speaking on behalf of the organization);
1	Gender issues are not the focus since there is no another gender to deal with. This gives us the opportunity to focus on other issues: issue of diversity, race and religion.

Negatives:

4	Social life is very hard, lack of social activities, no men
1	Have not gained anything from being here at a Women's college - classes do not feel that they are modified for women

Two questions were asked on Diversity

Question A: What is one thing that Wellesley does well in the area of diversity?

90	Student recruitment/admissions/student body
44	Attempt to address issues of diversity/make visible effort to be sensitive to diversity issues/ acknowledge and address issues/promote diverse community/celebration of diversity/committed administration/making it an ongoing process
17	Recruiting diverse faculty and staff
10	Provide opportunities for students to create multicultural organizations and different programs of interaction/accommodate needs of diverse body of students/appointing and supporting individuals who can act as guides to students from different backgrounds/ICAN/EEO office
9	Provides forum for different voices to be heard/share experience/informal discussions
8	Religious diversity (organizations and advisors)/multi-faith chaplaincy
7	Need blind admission/filter out class issue by accepting based on academic standards vs. SES
7	Encourage others to think about diversity/begin dialogue/keep issue at forefront of campus awareness
5	Diversity in the curriculum/multicultural requirement/curricula initiative
4	Advertise it/promote itself as diverse
4	Generally welcoming community/opportunity to meet people from different backgrounds/ valuing contributions of diverse community
2	Programmed cultural events
2	No grouped housing/imposes a residential living style on students
2	Students work very hard to raise race issues
1	Haven't been here long enough to say
1	Try to be politically correct
1	Art acquisitions from African, Asian, Latin Am. works
1	Strong commitment to equal opportunity and affirmative action

11	Student body/recruitment: race, sexual orientation, geography, creed
6	Commitment to being a diverse community/promote multicultural awareness and diversity/ICAN
5	Provide economic support for cultural organizations, which in turn teach and bring events to the rest of the community
3	Allow for open discussions on issues and differences/holding talks like "Straight talks" /addressing issues in the classroom
3	Nothing; besides providing a diverse student body, we are all divided/Wellesley is diverse, but not multicultural/aside from cultural organizations and multicultural requirement, nothing
2	Provide administrative support and as resource for issues on diversity/tries to be accommodating
2	Willingness to listen to another's opinions/openness for the expression of different views
1	Encourage people to acknowledge their differences
1	Recognizing many cultural holidays
1	Multicultural requirement and first-year programming
1	Scope of classes offered

Question B: What is one thing that Wellesley could do better?

Administration

14	Stop talking about diversity and start doing something about it/don't simply talk about major issues - show hope for change/keep people motivated if set goal and reach it
6	Administration does not seem to listen to students' wants and take what we say seriously/give students the feeling that their concerns will be addressed/support student initiatives
3	Less of a self-congratulatory attitude in area of diversity/less celebration of how diverse Wellesley College supposedly is
1	Use admissions numbers for marketing purposes, but fail to create real diverse communities once students reach campus
1	Connect with other colleges and compare their actions on diversity; and be honest and don't hide shortcomings
1	Not sure if it is up to Wellesley College or the students' initiative

Conflict, Differences, and Communication

33	Make environment a more comfortable place to express divergent opinions/provide opportunity for open discussion and conflict resolution/create a tolerant environment in which one can learn from mistakes/provide more opportunities in classrooms to explore viewpoints, experiences, and different voices/listen/encourage people to speak up/respect each other
27	Conflict resolution for faculty, students and staff to enhance communication skills/less denial of pain and conflicts which are the reality of all students' experiences/real discussions on fears, ignorance, and hostilities/explore conflict/articulate conflict as a norm vs. a "problem"/how to deal with conflict/conflict resolution into education experience/liberal guilt
17	On-going comprehensive training for faculty, staff, and students on diversity issues/educate, sensitize/help entire community learn more about different cultures and understand differences
12	More emphasis on community building/more communication/more formal interaction with staff/encourage students and faculty to share experiences/integrate diverse communities/don't lose feeling of community because of focus on difference
10	Integrate multicultural issues into open community discussion and small group discussions
10	Confront and embrace difference/be open and have pride in one's cultural background/little acceptance after entering Wellesley with pressure to conform and perform/difference and conflict are not the same/see people as individuals/include and respect differences/real tolerance
5	Work on interpersonal communication in the classroom
3	Draw people and resources from diverse backgrounds to resolve problems
2	Look for common threads instead of point out and accepting differences/don't let differences define relationships/talk about shared values in additional to differences
2	Difficult issue to address without being self-conscious/hard balance to strike/find tolerance for divergent points of view without leading to uncritical acceptance of dangerous stances/strive to strike balance between tolerance and honest debate
1	Tension among ethnic groups
1	Avoid too much emotional reasoning
1	Overreaction to particular hate-scrawls; talk when not in crisis

Diversity: Representations and Definitions

9	Address class issue/economic diversity
6	Move beyond "white" reference point for diversity, the norm against which other cultures are labeled as "diverse"/raise conscious level on history and assumed cultural norms that work against a diverse community/rethink student experience from perspective of 90s realities/ encourage the sharing of experiences rather than the idea of the American Mixing Pot/stop assuming white, wealthy, heterosexual, able-bodied standard is the Wellesley way/create a rigorous experiment approach to live in a multicultural environment
5	More diverse student body
3	Address sexual orientation issues
3	Define terms such as race according to broader view beyond limited social science model/better discussion on what it means to be a diverse community/expunge word "diversity" from college vocabulary for a long time so that word will be meaningful again; overused
2	Use word "pluralism" more often/does not recognize other kinds of diversity besides race
2	More CE students/include Davis Scholars on class lists officially, so not inadvertently omitted from mailings, events, etc.
1	Set concrete goals and work towards them
1	Be brave and articulate institutional values
1	Disengage some of the "stereotypes" of women's colleges by being diverse in attitude
1	Physical handicap diversity
1	See very few African American art students
1	More diverse definition of success
1	Wellesley does not include diversity in the curriculum, programming and student programs of interaction well because many things are planned through separatist ideas

Faculty and Staff

15	Staff recruitment and retention/diversity at upper levels
10	More diverse faculty/examine and consider modifying FTE cap
4	Integration of faculty and staff/faculty tend to be elitist and look down upon non-senior staff/be inclusive of staff on issues of diversity
1	Be honest in terms of hiring practices for internal and external perspective employees
1	Show commitment to creating tenure-track positions to allow the expansion of core curriculum and the expression of silenced minority voices

Policies, Services and Support

25	More courses need to be offered/more diverse curriculum/examine curriculum; not only to add more courses, but also to develop venues for alternative points of view within existing ones
7	Capitalize on diversity of student body with diverse skills and experiences/"Diversity day"/more multicultural events/joint work projects/more activities at cultural pageants
5	Need institutional support for an increasingly more diverse campus/create a dean of multicultural affairs/two faculty "responsible" for organizing multicultural life are not on key councils/support minority students having academic problems
2	Cross-cultural mentoring program or personal relationships for students and staff
2	Address potent issues at first-year orientation to heighten awareness of diversity/more inclusion of diversity issues in the first-year program
1	More physical space for discussions and interaction/cultural houses
1	Provide guidance and instruction in being a part of an under-represented population
1	Understand that feelings of alienation are not limited to minority groups
1	Tries to "solve" diversity problems too quickly
1	Rooming: diversity an objective

Too Much

8	Political correctness (too much, too little): interferes with open discussions, things become watered down, silence some voices/open dialogue that "feels real" to people/administration is too non-confrontational
1	Worry less about manifestations of diversity tension
1	If focus on recruiting students with interesting intellectual backgrounds from all over the world, race should not matter
1	At holiday time it seem there is a conscious effort to ignore the fact that it is Christmas

Other

1	New at Wellesley, but what is being done is much better than anywhere else, no suggestions at this point

[It appears some students answered part B without realizing that it is related to part A.]

OIR 2/25/98