Sights worth a second look
In March of 1978, students at then-Western Maryland College founded the Feminist Alliance to “provide the college community with services and support in response to the needs and concerns of women in today’s society.” Welcoming men and women, the group hosted speakers and organized “consciousness raising groups” to discuss gender issues.
By May, they had published “A Woman’s Guide to WMC,” a handbook now preserved in the college archives as a snapshot of what students were thinking about in 1978. It lists resources like on-campus gynecological and counseling services and a selection of further reading on feminism.
It also includes student viewpoints for “a brief sketch of some of the different people at WMC and their attitudes concerning the campus and the women here.”
Some anonymous and some controversial, the viewpoints created quite a stir among students, as reported in the campus newspaper. The views ran the gamut of college living: Greek life, dating, academics, friendship, and speculation on how the new Decker Student Center (now the Roj Student Center) would bring students together.
After a vigorous first semester, the Feminist Alliance falls out of the record by 1979, but its surviving handbook represents the passion of the campus community for a moment in time.
Do you remember the Feminist Alliance’s handbook? Share your memories in a letter to the editor at ocm@mcdaniel.edu.