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Diversity is as Diversity Does:

Seven Sisters Colleges Put the Non-Traditional Into Their Tradition

Every year, representatives from Mount Holyoke College and Smith College get into a van and head on a tour of community colleges in New England and New York. At each stop, they hold a luncheon for select groups of female students who they seek to recruit for their programs.

These programs specifically try to bring diversity to the mostly-white campuses of the “Seven Sisters”, a group of traditionally women’s colleges that offer educations at an Ivy League level. According to directors of the respective programs, they’ve found that non-traditional students bring a much-needed different perspective to the classes. The professors appreciate the input because it forces students to see things outside of their limited worldview.

“We are looking for someone who is determined and has intellectual curiosity,” said Robin Gaynor, the Wellesley recruiter attending the luncheon. It is this hope that diversity can benefit both the college and the minority students that has led to the creation of programs that recruit non-traditional learners.

Still, not everyone feels that diversity is good for everyone.

According to sociologists Stanley Eitzen and Maxine Zinn, in their book Social Problems, “Although many colleges actively recruit students of color, many factors contribute to [colleges] having low retention rates.”

Zenn and Eitzen continue, “Students of color often confront a range of discriminatory barriers. Studies have consistently found they are more alienated than white students and drop out more often than white students. Discrimination by whites on and off campus is a recurring problem.”

Each of the Seven Sisters colleges has a program that is especially for students that are considered non-traditional. These are students who are older and sometimes members of minorities. Community colleges traditionally have a higher percentage of students who don’t fit into that 18-22 year-old mold, according to HCC’s enrollment records. So when recruiting for the various programs for older students, transfers from community colleges seem like a logical place to start.

The various programs for older women at Wellesley, Smith and Mount Holyoke aim to avoid some of this discrimination by giving the students as much support as possible through the creations of special houses and networks not available to every student. “[The non-traditional students] learn quickly that they can depend on the strength and humor of other women in the program,” according to the Smith website.

Sidonia Dalby, Associate Director of Admission at Smith College and one of the recruiters on the tour, said that 90% of the Francis Perkins students are fully funded through scholarships, loans, grants, and work study programs. There is even a program that allows mothers with children under the age of twelve to be given a grant in place of work study.

Diversity Web, which describes itself as “an interactive resource hub for higher education,” supports this optimistic view. It says that “[a] survey of the most recent research suggests that, indeed, campus diversity is leading to significant educational and social benefits for all college students.”

This year, Wellesley joined Smith and Mount Holyoke on their tour, and on Wednesday, October 27, visited Housatonic Community College.

Each college has a program that is similar in tone to Smith’s, but named after different distinguished women. For example, at Mount Holyoke, it’s called the Frances Perkins Program, and at Wellesley, it’s the Elizabeth Kaiser Davis Program and Smith has the Ada Comstock Scholars Program.

The largest of the Seven Sisters, Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, has 2,600 students. Only 230 of these are a part of their Ada Comstock Scholars program, which was started in 1975 as a way to help older women complete their college educations.

Speaking of what these non-traditional students have to offer Smith College, the web site says that “[Ada Comstock scholars’] strong motivation and commitment provide an example for students of traditional college age; the diversity of their life experience enriches the classroom and their expectations challenge the faculty.”

The Frances Perkins program website says that “a Mount Holyoke education should be available to any talented woman who could benefit from it.”

Even the professors benefit. Each recruiter was careful to point out how much teachers appreciated the perspectives these students brought to class.

Peggy Delfino, a former HCC student, is now a part of the Francis Perkins program at Mount Holyoke College. She commutes up to Western Massachusetts twice a week, two hours each way.

“I have found the adjustment from a diverse, multi-age, multi-cultural school like HCC to a predominantly young student body the most difficult challenge so far,” Delfino said.

“The first month was the hardest in terms of feelings of isolation and displacement. We are different...and must accept that. We are older. We are coming from a different socioeconomic background than most of the traditional students,” said Delfino, “However, [we] bring a different and unique outlook toward life to the table which enables us to make the connections we need.”

Carolyn Dietel, one of the Associate Directors of the Francis Perkins Program, and the recruiter representing Mount Holyoke, said, “Peggy [Delfino] is a wonderful example of someone who never thought this was possible with her lifestyle. She didn’t let the commute stop her, and she is thriving and doing beautifully.”

From Housatonic Community College To Smith College

Two Different Worlds

By Amanda Evans

Date: 11/22/04