To boy or not to boy, that is the question
St Hilda's unique status as the university's only surviving all-female college is once again under threat, with the recent revelation of covert SCR discussions on the issue fuelling the debate and causing a great deal of controversy amongst the college's undergraduates.
Founded in 1893 as an all-female institution, St Hilda's has stood alone as the university's sole remaining college of its type since Somerville went mixed in 1994. Viewed by some as an outdated relic of Oxford's stuffy past, the issue of the college's single-sex status remains hotly debated and has divided friends and acquaintances at both Junior and Senior Common Room level.
The latest controversy stems from the continuing discussions by senior college staff regarding the college's status, which the JCR claim they were never invited to partake in or even officially informed of. JCR President Helen McCabe said: "The college's consistent disregard of the views of its students is unacceptable. The ethos of this college is being discussed behind closed doors, in a manner that is indicative of the obstructive policies of the SCR." Students are now calling for an open and honest discussion of the complex issues which surround the question of the college's all-female status, including the implications that this has for the social and academic wellbeing of its undergraduates, as well as for college finances.
In a referendum held earlier this year, and heavily featured in the national press, 57 per cent of the 311 students who voted desired to keep the college single sex, compared to 43 per cent believing that it was finally time for St Hilda's to become a mixed institution.
With the new intake of freshers this year, it appears that the balance may be tipping the other way, with the majority who spoke to The OxStu in favour of opening the college's doors to men. One complained that St Hilda's "offers neither a balanced social nor academic environment", and several felt that they had struggled to mix on an inter-collegiate basis, feeling stigmatised by outside impressions of the college (as "unattractive, socially inept lesbians" one told The Times earlier this year), and their branding as "Hildabeasts".
Another fresher pointed out that a large proportion of students did not apply to the college, but instead "ended up" there as a result of making open applications. Indeed, the most recent admissions statistics suggest that two candidates applied to St Hilda's for Theology for every five places available, compared to two places per five applicants for the same subject at St John's and Keble.
Ella Lister, a second year and member of the Union Standing Committee, argues that the continuation of St Hilda's is in fact detrimental to any feminist cause. She asks: "Surely women should want to be able to thrive in a mixed environment rather than admitting defeat by proclaiming Hilda's as necessary to the academic success of their sex?"
The arguments put forward by college fellows and staff in support of an end to the single-sex status are far more focussed on a financial and academic agenda.
Being consistently in the bottom third of the Norrington Table, currently ranked 24th, is evidence for the relatively poor academic performance of students at the college, which fellows argue could be vastly improved were St Hilda's to become mixed, as long as males continue to be awarded more first class degrees at Oxford.
Though the JCR had voted against change, a proposal to allow male undergraduates to enter was widely supported by the Governing Body; the ballot taken by the SCR failed to gain the constitutionally required two-thirds majority among fellows by just a single vote.
However, a sizeable body of staff along with students remain firmly in support of maintaining its status. A current OUSU campaign, run in conjunction with Cambridge University Student Union (where three colleges remain all-female) aims to secure the future of single-sex colleges at the two universities, and many would agree with this sentiment. OUSU President and ex-Hilda's student Helena Puig Larrauri told The OxStu that the college "provides a choice for those women who would prefer to study and live in a community of women".
The college's role in welcoming those with families of religious or cultural backgrounds that prefer a single-sex atmosphere is also highlighted. One student told The OxStu: "St Hilda's offers education to many women who would not have been able to study in mixed colleges."
Although undergraduates appear heavily divided over the question of going mixed, their desire for greater communication and information relayed from the SCR to the students appears virtually unanimous, rather than discussion by the governing body being "kept behind closed doors". Many suggested that the SCR has the responsibility of involving both the JCR and MCR in this discussion, whilst fresher Rachel Standing claimed that "the way in which certain members of the governing body have acted in such a secretive and underhand way is completely out of order".
However, one student told The OxStu that although the SCR's policy was constitutionally questionable, excluding the JCR was entirely understandable after the "Lilac for Ladies" protest reduced campaigning to "intimidation and smear tactics", with "the JCR incapable of behaving like adults". Governing Body stated that whilst taking students' arguments into consideration, it "reserves the right...to hold discussions in confidence". Unlikely to satisfy the JCR, more active campaigning and the resultant media circus again seem imminent.
Photo: James Cloyne
30th Oct 2003