On Sept. 26, a Tufts alum wrote an article in the Wall Street Journal lambasting female students at liberal colleges, and more specifically, at Tufts. Ashley Samelson recalls, with clear bitterness, the shock of joining the liberal community at Tufts after moving from the "reserved evangelical" community in her home town, Colorado Springs, Colo. She contrasts this college experience with her most recent college encounter, that of taking her younger sister to Hillsdale College in Michigan.
The main thrust of Samelson's argument is that women at more liberal schools have created an unhealthy environment of binge drinking and dangerous alcohol-fueled sexual encounters. In contrast, Samelson reports that friends who have "gone to schools similar to Hillsdale [schools with evangelical values] fondly recall their campus culture ... [Samelson's friend] still gets together with those friends for a support group in which they pray for one another and sustain each other through struggles."
It is always disconcerting when a person makes blanket generalizations based on his or her own experience, but in the spirit of Samelson's extensive research, I would like to chime in regarding my own experiences during my three-plus years here at Tufts. Though Samelson makes it sound like every weekend women are dressed as "hoes" and "secretaries," I have managed never to dress as either and still pull off some pretty great evenings. Also contrary to popular belief, I have never been pressured to drink — much less binge drink — by anyone at Tufts, male or female. Lastly, I would like to stand up from my pulpit of alleged moral filth and refute Samelson's accusation that "I was simply not used to hearing college women speak about their peers with such esteem." Ms. Samelson is wrong; some of the most incredible women I know are currently at Tufts or are products of Tufts.
In one particularly disturbing passage Samelson writes, "The posters on the walls in my all-female freshman dorm at Tufts offered information about eating disorders, what to do if you think you have been sexually assaulted, and suicide and depression hotlines. The Hillsdale walls that I saw were covered with advertisements for quilting clubs, charity opportunities and a listing of local churches." There is certainly nothing wrong with quilting, charity or church-going. However, it is appalling to use these activities as proof that Hillsdale, or any other college, has a healthier environment than Tufts.
A lack of campus support concerning suicide, sexual assault and depression does not indicate that these problems do not exist. Only dangerous naiveté could lead someone to suggest that a lack of visibility, information and awareness about eating disorders indicates that they are not a campus problem. There is no amount of quilting that will help a rape victim immediately after the crime.
The above argument is contingent upon Tufts and Hillsdale being on level playing fields, which they are not. What I mean is this: Tufts is located right outside the heart of metropolitan Boston, an area with a population of 5.9 million. The T transportation system allows all sorts of people to come through our campus. Alternatively, Hillsdale, Mich. is a sleepy Midwestern town of 9,000 people (1,200 of whom are students at Hillsdale college). Obviously, Hillsdale and Tufts must have seriously different considerations in terms of campus health and safety. Small towns have the benefit of social capital that we do not see in larger cities. This affords schools in smaller towns the privilege of worrying less about locked doors and sexual assault. It is foolish and unfair to accuse city schools of having harmful environments simply because they are dealing with the realities of their location.
On a more conciliatory note, we can look at the problem this way. Tufts is an open, liberal school. Based on Samelson's categorization of Hillsdale as "a school known for attracting conservative and religious students," I think it is fair to say that both administrations and student bodies are likely to approach things from different perspectives. Historically, liberals are more comfortable talking about things like sexual assault and it follows that open dialogue breeds more dialogue about a wider scope of issues. If it is more comfortable for religious conservatives to pray for one another or discuss issues over quilting, that is fine by me. However, don't judge or criticize me if I want posters with help line phone numbers in the halls of my dormitories.
Let's be fair. Whatever Samelson may think, Hillsdale is not free from the issues she enumerates about Tufts. Whether or not there are posters on the walls advertising it, there is irresponsible drinking, sexual assault and "girls behaving badly" on all college campuses. Despite this, Samelson's concerns about women are valid. Women certainly do put themselves in unhealthy sexual situations. Women definitely binge drink but women at Tufts also have a glass of wine with dinner. Women at Tufts do have healthy sexual relationships. Women at Tufts are allowed to make bad choices and learn from them. Women at Tufts are allowed to think independently and speak freely, to challenge their male counterparts and forge their own paths.
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Kate Cohen is a senior majoring in anthropology.
