Wells College Allowed to go Co-Ed

Article, CNN, December 17
http://www.cnn.com/2004/EDUCATION/12/17/womens.college.ap/index.html

The New York State Supreme Court recently ruled that Wells College's decision to accept male applicants was lawful. A suit was brought against the college by two current students, who claimed that the college's decision amounted to fraud and a breach of contract.

The students wanted the college to suspend coed admissions until the current freshman class had graduated, thus maintaining the status quo for all current students who matriculated at the college with the understanding that it would remain an all female institution.

The acting Supreme Court Justice Peter Corning said that the bleak financial situation of the college weighed more heavily than the complaints of the two students who brought the suit. The college claimed that it was losing over $5 million a year due to declining enrollments, and that it hoped to reverse that trend by admitting males.

The school publicized their decision to admit males in the class of 2005 earlier in the school year. The announcement drew extended protests by students, numbering over 150 at times. The school was established over 136 years ago by Henry Wells, the founder of Wells Fargo. This will be the first time in its long history that the college will admit men.