In coming to Lehigh, I hadn't thought much about what the atmosphere would be like, but it quickly became apparent how unnatural and unpleasant the all-male environment was. I was embarrassed by the comments a girlfriend or sister would receive during a weekend visit; the classroom environment was strange, missing the different points of view that women could bring to any conversation; the social life on campus was bizarre. I was, therefore, encouraged that there were serious discussions about going coed. At the same time, it was appalling that many alumni, and even some students and faculty, were opposed to admitting women.
The first group of women arrived at the beginning of my sophomore year in 1971 and included a number of transfer students. As a result, my class, the Class of 1973, had the first women graduating from Lehigh's undergraduate schools, while the Class of 1975 had the first group of women who had spent all four years of their undergraduate studies at Lehigh.
I don't think any of us knew what to make of the first group of women that arrived. I thought they were incredibly brave and wondered what spirit of adventure would draw them to be among the pioneers at Lehigh. In keeping with the unnatural environment on campus, during the first weekend of school, there were groups of male students who would walk over to the Centennial dorms where the women were housed to simply stare.
Over my remaining two years at Lehigh, it was good to see how the campus environment began to change. True, the numbers of women were still small during those years, but their impact was fully felt in the classroom, in campus social life, and in simple day-to-day interactions. The women I met were all bright, frequently much brighter than many of the men that I knew, and always had something to say and to contribute. The school had begun on its path to a normal and natural environment.
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