By way of background, I am a former University College/School of Continuing Studies student who tries to keep up with what is going on at UR. This past Saturday, my wife, daughter and I were on campus to see the new stadium and the Weinstein International Center. When we got home I looked at the online Collegian (always an excellent college newspaper, both online and hard copy). As for my reason for writing this, I noticed a responding letter from a Ms. Gehlbach who was replying to a debate about the coordinate residential college system. She said that she did not feel comfortable with the Westhampton College initiation ceremony because she did not relate to various factors about it, and so forth. That brought to mind a suggestion I had respectfully submitted to the UR administration back when University College changed to the School of Continuing Studies. Sadly, my suggestion was not implemented; however, Ms. Gehlbach's letter in The Collegian made it seem to me to be a good idea to bring my old idea back up again since UR seems to nowadays have a strong emphasis on diversity.
Well, finally getting to the point: when University College was renamed the School of Continuing Studies, I had suggested to the UR Administration at that time that it might be a good idea to create at least a THIRD "residential college" to go along with Richmond College and Westhampton College. I think that Ms. Gehlbach's opinion probably supports this idea. Simply for the sake of equality, as well as to offer an alternative to students, like Ms. Gehlbach, who might not feel comfortable in a gender-based residential college, and to be inclusive of students such as graduate students, law students, undergraduate evening students and those who, for whatever other reasons might prefer it, it might be a good idea to create a third residential college.
Perhaps such a third college could be called "University College" since it would embrace students from the rest of the university community. Also, those students who graduated from UR via the old University College (which became the School of Continuing Studies) might feel some comfort in having a University College in existence again at UR since their diplomas do mention the old University College. Upon enrolling at UR, law students, graduate students and School of Continuing Studies Students could be assigned to the "University College" as their residential college, and traditional day students could, as happens now, elect to be assigned to Richmond College or Westhampton College based on their gender or could elect to be assigned to the University College if that is their preference. As a cost-saving measure, perhaps staff already at UR, for some appropriate additional compensation, could be designated, as the "dean" and subordinate officials of University College, space in an already existing building found for the College headquarters, and so on and so forth. Perhaps, each fall, some sort of initiation ceremony could be conducted for University College students, in one of the buildings at UR or even out of doors, weather permitting.
Again, this all might serve to help students who are not part of Richmond College or of Westhampton College feel more "included" as University of Richmond students. I know that when I took classes at UR, through University College/School of Continuing Studies, I often felt somewhat like a "second-class citizen" at UR, and, at times, some of my evening classmates openly complained about having the same feeling. Perhaps having at least a third residential college might help UR better live up to its ideal of promoting diversity and of being inclusive.
Whatever UR does in this matter, I wish everyone there all the best. I will also be continuing to cheer for the Spiders athletic teams in the years ahead. GO SPIDERS!
At the request of the author, this letter has been edited for brevity.
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