Sweet Briar College - closing!

[Anonymous]

One hopes that the board will do their very best to help the students and faculty, and that state schools in VA will be especially open to those seeking to transfer. From the pictures included with the articles, it looks like a beautiful campus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sweet Briar had a very good junior-year abroad program in France. `Any French major worth his/her salt did it.

Yes! This one was the best program. Such a loss.

[Anonymous]

We were a group of students from large state publics - headed to the beach - we picked up our friend from Sweet Briar. She had to be signed-out. It had to be approved. It seemed so odd to us. She had to give lots of info: where she was going, when she would be back, who she was with. We were use to being spontaneous. Wondered what she wrote down. Our plan - since we were being cheap - was to all (men & women but no romances) to stay together in 1 hotel room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can't charge a lot of money and not have a lot to offer. I think we will be seeing this more and more. The single sex part was the nail in the coffin.

There are a number of quite good single-sex colleges remaining. But what will be the deathknell for them is the way they are twisting them selves in pretzel knots to remain women's colleges in theory while allowing trannies and "women in transition." Recently Mount Holyoke I think cancelled a performance of the play "the Vagina Monologues," not because it is insufferable, but rather because some might deem it insensitive to students who self identify as female but who have penises. If these schools are already accepting those who might accurately be called "girly men," then they might as well go ahead and accept men generally.

"Girly men"?

Tell me, are you able to buy shirts, what with your knuckles dragging the floor like that?

Oh, knock it off. This PP makes some excellent points.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It actually has one of the best acceptance rates to Vet school. Not surprising because of the horse culture but that is nothing to scoff at. It still has a good endowment. But the reality is that in general small liberal arts colleges are having a tough time. I think this will continue to happen and it won't just be single sex schools. Obviously that didn't help Sweetbriar since it was so small and so remote and then on top of that, it only accepts women. On the other hand, there are tons of very small liberal arts college who should pay attention because this is probably coming there way.

One point to consider. The school had enrolled Freshman for next year. So they had been going along, business as usual. I know a freshman there who was given nearly $20K a year in scholarships to attend. It sounds like the school was on cruise control and just doing the same thing as always to get people in and have warm bodies at all costs (lower academic scores, more scholarships) and finally someone decided to face the music. So students are being transferred out and new students will have some time to look elsewhere. In other words, the process will be as smooth as it can be under the circumstances. Some of the SLACS out there who are shoveling money into kids hands to get those kids to come should probably think about doing what Sweet Briar has done.

I do think it is sad. It was a unique place and beautiful. I hope that the campus is transformed into something. Maybe it will be the Radcliffe of Virginia and have lots of education opportunities for women but not be a college. That's right--Radcliffe stopped being 4 year school quite a while ago.

What exactly is Radcliffe then? Do they just offer classes but no degree? I thought a diploma from Radcliffe had both Harvard and Radcliffe on the diploma.

Don't think so. Radcliffe merged with Harvard in 1977. The last classes were very proud to have "Radcliffe" diplomas, not "Harvard" ones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can't charge a lot of money and not have a lot to offer. I think we will be seeing this more and more. The single sex part was the nail in the coffin.

There are a number of quite good single-sex colleges remaining. But what will be the deathknell for them is the way they are twisting them selves in pretzel knots to remain women's colleges in theory while allowing trannies and "women in transition." Recently Mount Holyoke I think cancelled a performance of the play "the Vagina Monologues," not because it is insufferable, but rather because some might deem it insensitive to students who self identify as female but who have penises. If these schools are already accepting those who might accurately be called "girly men," then they might as well go ahead and accept men generally.

"Girly men"?

Tell me, are you able to buy shirts, what with your knuckles dragging the floor like that?

Oh, knock it off. This PP makes some excellent points.

Really? Buried in all that snottiness is a point?

[Anonymous]

Continuing: you really think that the demise of small single-sex colleges is due to admissions (minuscule to date) of trans people?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can't charge a lot of money and not have a lot to offer. I think we will be seeing this more and more. The single sex part was the nail in the coffin.

There are a number of quite good single-sex colleges remaining. But what will be the deathknell for them is the way they are twisting them selves in pretzel knots to remain women's colleges in theory while allowing trannies and "women in transition." Recently Mount Holyoke I think cancelled a performance of the play "the Vagina Monologues," not because it is insufferable, but rather because some might deem it insensitive to students who self identify as female but who have penises. If these schools are already accepting those who might accurately be called "girly men," then they might as well go ahead and accept men generally.

"Girly men"?

Tell me, are you able to buy shirts, what with your knuckles dragging the floor like that?

Oh, knock it off. This PP makes some excellent points.

Really? Buried in all that snottiness is a point?

Yes, I think so. In a desperate attempt to attract more $tudent$ some of these colleges are being idiotically politically correct, thus turning off more people than they are actually attracting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can't charge a lot of money and not have a lot to offer. I think we will be seeing this more and more. The single sex part was the nail in the coffin.

There are a number of quite good single-sex colleges remaining. But what will be the deathknell for them is the way they are twisting them selves in pretzel knots to remain women's colleges in theory while allowing trannies and "women in transition." Recently Mount Holyoke I think cancelled a performance of the play "the Vagina Monologues," not because it is insufferable, but rather because some might deem it insensitive to students who self identify as female but who have penises. If these schools are already accepting those who might accurately be called "girly men," then they might as well go ahead and accept men generally.

"Girly men"?

Tell me, are you able to buy shirts, what with your knuckles dragging the floor like that?

Oh, knock it off. This PP makes some excellent points.

Really? Buried in all that snottiness is a point?

Yes, I think so. In a desperate attempt to attract more $tudent$ some of these colleges are being idiotically politically correct, thus turning off more people than they are actually attracting.

Nonsense. The colleges that are failing are not the ones accepting trans students.

[Anonymous]

I thought it had closed decades ago, tbh. Along with Hollins.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can't charge a lot of money and not have a lot to offer. I think we will be seeing this more and more. The single sex part was the nail in the coffin.

There are a number of quite good single-sex colleges remaining. But what will be the deathknell for them is the way they are twisting them selves in pretzel knots to remain women's colleges in theory while allowing trannies and "women in transition." Recently Mount Holyoke I think cancelled a performance of the play "the Vagina Monologues," not because it is insufferable, but rather because some might deem it insensitive to students who self identify as female but who have penises. If these schools are already accepting those who might accurately be called "girly men," then they might as well go ahead and accept men generally.

"Girly men"?

Tell me, are you able to buy shirts, what with your knuckles dragging the floor like that?

Oh, knock it off. This PP makes some excellent points.

Really? Buried in all that snottiness is a point?

Yes, I think so. In a desperate attempt to attract more $tudent$ some of these colleges are being idiotically politically correct, thus turning off more people than they are actually attracting.

Hey, look at that fact that you just made up!

Don't be absurd. My women's college alma mater just came up with a very sane and balanced policy regarding transgender students and applicants and I don't know a single alum who did anything but applaud. And I'm an old fogey. Believe me, young people care even less.

[Anonymous]

My grandmother went to Sweet Briar, as did one or two of her sisters. It was apparently quite the place in those days (this would have been the 20's).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can't charge a lot of money and not have a lot to offer. I think we will be seeing this more and more. The single sex part was the nail in the coffin.

There are a number of quite good single-sex colleges remaining. But what will be the deathknell for them is the way they are twisting them selves in pretzel knots to remain women's colleges in theory while allowing trannies and "women in transition." Recently Mount Holyoke I think cancelled a performance of the play "the Vagina Monologues," not because it is insufferable, but rather because some might deem it insensitive to students who self identify as female but who have penises. If these schools are already accepting those who might accurately be called "girly men," then they might as well go ahead and accept men generally.

"Girly men"?

Tell me, are you able to buy shirts, what with your knuckles dragging the floor like that?

Oh, knock it off. This PP makes some excellent points.

Really? Buried in all that snottiness is a point?

Yes, I think so. In a desperate attempt to attract more $tudent$ some of these colleges are being idiotically politically correct, thus turning off more people than they are actually attracting.

It's a small minority of bigoted alums who are upset about the schools being trans-inclusionary. The schools are better off without them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've never even heard of it, and I'm one of those people who brought a horse to college (albeit to the University of CT). Clearly their marketing wasn't stellar.

Their former riding coach was the coach for the US Olympic Team. Dedicated riders knew Sweet Briar.

+1
I can't believe there would be any equestrians, especially on the east coast, who wouldn't have heard of Sweet Briar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It actually has one of the best acceptance rates to Vet school. Not surprising because of the horse culture but that is nothing to scoff at. It still has a good endowment. But the reality is that in general small liberal arts colleges are having a tough time. I think this will continue to happen and it won't just be single sex schools. Obviously that didn't help Sweetbriar since it was so small and so remote and then on top of that, it only accepts women. On the other hand, there are tons of very small liberal arts college who should pay attention because this is probably coming there way.

One point to consider. The school had enrolled Freshman for next year. So they had been going along, business as usual. I know a freshman there who was given nearly $20K a year in scholarships to attend. It sounds like the school was on cruise control and just doing the same thing as always to get people in and have warm bodies at all costs (lower academic scores, more scholarships) and finally someone decided to face the music. So students are being transferred out and new students will have some time to look elsewhere. In other words, the process will be as smooth as it can be under the circumstances. Some of the SLACS out there who are shoveling money into kids hands to get those kids to come should probably think about doing what Sweet Briar has done.

I do think it is sad. It was a unique place and beautiful. I hope that the campus is transformed into something. Maybe it will be the Radcliffe of Virginia and have lots of education opportunities for women but not be a college. That's right--Radcliffe stopped being 4 year school quite a while ago.

It really is a beautiful place. Maybe a coed college will purchase it and revive it. What a shame if the campus is destroyed.