

My Dream College Won't Accept Me Because I'm a Woman - sk2code
http://m.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/01/my-dream-college-wont-accept-me-because-im-a-woman/267290/

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notatoad
Mens only colleges are not acceptable, but these are okay?

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_colleges_in_the_Unite...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_colleges_in_the_United_States)

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w1ntermute
And there are "historically black universities". But if someone even mentioned
the idea of a "historically white university", they would get laughed at and
immediately branded a racist.

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dgabriel
HBUs accept people of all races. And, certainly, no one would argue that
Harvard or Yale were NOT historically white, unless they were blind to
history.

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zallarak
One shouldn't place so much of their identity/desires on getting into a
school; if you want to learn, knowledge is always there.

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betelnut
Agree with this 100% - we need to get past the consumer-oriented "dream
school" thinking.

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enoch_r
Diversity of academic institutions is accomplished by being unique on a huge
number of axes. I sympathize with this woman, but at the same time, the same-
sex restrictions at Deep Springs probably deeply influence the culture there--
there's probably not nearly as much point in getting drunk and partying every
night if there's no chance of hooking up with someone at the end of it.

It's not "fair" that no similar all-girl or co-ed institutions exist. But I
think some level of status-quo bias and knee-jerk conservatism is actually
necessary to preserve the uniqueness of an institution like this.

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mindcrime
No, it's not "fair", but ya know.. none of us were ever promised that life
would be totally "fair" and clearly it would be unreasonable to expect it to
be. It's not fair that we all have to die at some point, that some of us come
down with crippling health problems in the middle of our lives, that we
weren't born into great wealth, or born with better genetics, etc., etc., etc.
It's not "fair" that we can't find the perfect mate, get married, settle down
and live a fairy-tale ending. It's not "fair" that I can't have a career in
the NBA because I was cursed by fate to be white, short, fat, slow and lack
anything resembling ball-handling skills.

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Rickasaurus
All I could think in reading this was "Brokeback College". Going to an all
male college as a straight guy sounds just awful. Plus, cowboy hats.

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mindcrime
I'm sympathetic to her plight to a degree, but I can't help but think that
organizations _should_ be able to set themselves up as "all male", "all
female", "all black", "all white", "all gay", "all straight" or whatever. As
long as it's a private institution that's not funded using public dollars,
that is.

I'm no fan of racism, sexism, ageism, homophobia or any other form of bigotry,
but free individuals should be free to form groups where they choose to
interact with - or not interact with - others on whatever basis they choose,
as long as they aren't initiating force or using violence to violate someone
else's rights in the process.

Of course, people should also be (and are free) to use public pressure, shame,
and all their other free-speech rights, as well as market forces, to try and
effect change when they are unhappy with the status quo. Again, as long as
they aren't using force or violence to achieve their end, it is fine.

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rayiner
I'm just going to put this here, re: trust law:

"I set out on this ground which I suppose to be self evident, "_that the earth
belongs in usufruct to the living_;" that the dead have neither powers nor
rights over it. The portion occupied by an individual ceases to be his when
himself ceases to be, and reverts to the society."

(Letter from Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 1789,
<http://lachlan.bluehaze.com.au/lit/jeff03.htm>)

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w1ntermute
Wow, Deep Springs sounds pretty awesome. I would've applied if I'd known about
it when I was in high school.

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drallison
Deep Springs is an awesome college. They should reconsider.

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rhizome
What a horrifying reflection of anti-affirmative action screeds.

