Through the Lens
The Story of Lafayette Coeducation through Photography
As part of the campus-wide celebration of the arrival of women students in 1970, the College Archives showcased photographs, documents, and memorabilia commemorating this remarkable period of social change at Lafayette. This exhibit recognized and honored the students, faculty, staff, alumni, and leadership whose accomplishments have helped shape the College’s transition to coeducation and subsequent success. With courage and commitment, the First Women and their champions helped build the foundation for a more diverse student body, faculty, and leadership at Lafayette College. Today, women represent 52% of enrolled students and nearly 50% of faculty members are women.
Items in this glass case include from left to right: a scan of the September 18, 1970 issue of The Lafayette student newspaper, the original football from the 1971 Lady Leopards powder puff football game, photo of the members of the 1971 Lady Leopards team, photo of two female students taken in 1970, and a scan of the original Lafayette Admissions poster listing application deadline information.
During the 1970s, single sex colleges and universities throughout the United States were becoming coeducational at an unprecedented rate. In May of 1967, the Lafayette College faculty urged President K. Roald Bergethon to assemble a special committee to consider the possibility of becoming coed. The committee, consisting of faculty and alumni, recommended in March of 1968 that the College admit women. In order to assess the climate for change, the College distributed a survey to 14,250 alumni. Of the 20% that responded, 56% felt that the college should remain all male. The Student Council conducted its own random sample poll of students, which indicated overwhelming support of coeducation at Lafayette. Of the 400 respondents, 77.3% were in favor of coeducation. The Board of Trustees met on June 27, 1969 to vote on the issue. The vote was 19 to 9 in favor of admitting women and in September of 1970, Lafayette College welcomed its first coeducational class. In 1971 the Lafayette-Lehigh football rivalry extends to include coeds and the Lady Leopards crush the Lady Engineers 30-0.
This display is among several in Skillman Library featuring books and print publications authored by Lafayette alumnae in celebration of the 50th anniversary of coeducation at the College. This particular display features a selection of quilt making books and magazines authored and co authored by alumna Liza Lucy ’74 ’12P ’15P, along with Kaffe Fassett, MBE, an American born artist living in London who is well known for his still life paintings and colorful designs in the decorative arts.