Caroline Muniz ‘23
Features Editor
Dinand Library celebrated the 50th anniversary of co-education at Holy Cross with a special exhibit in Dinand Library and online!
September 2022 signifies fifty years since the first group of female students arrived on the Hill as official students of the College of the Holy Cross. There were approximately 300 women within this group. These women became catalysts for gender equality within private, Jesuit, collegiate institutions.
The library staff has created a case display with news clippings, photographs, and other dedications to important female figures who have impacted the school. One exhibit exemplifies the importance of women in the Holy Cross community through many different examples of “Female Friendship.” One specific piece of co-education history lies within the organization SPUD (Student Programs for Urban Development), the largest student organization on campus. This organization was formed only five years before the first co-ed class came to campus; therefore, it was able to become the program it is today through the contributions of both men and women.
The case also displays “Female Firsts,” which shares many examples of important women who have greatly impacted the college by being the first to accomplish so much in various fields and subjects.
A digital exhibit was also created that shares a digital timeline with a variety of articles delving into the history of co-education at Holy Cross. The web exhibit includes five different sections that provide a deep look into the school’s history. The first three sections account for the times before, during, and after the wars that took place in the early twentieth century, adding great context for the ways in which this movement came to be.
The fourth section specifically focuses on the entire process that took place in order to bring women to Holy Cross as students. It took many years for the change to take place. The last section includes a definitive timeline of the accomplishments of women at Holy Cross. The digital timeline creates a cohesive story of the great contributions of women. This timeline begins in 1963 when Maureen Begley Zlody became the first female faculty member.
The exhibit is accessible within the library as well as online on the Archives webpage:
Categories: features
The Spire 