‘A historic moment’: Richmond College elects first female senator

Senior Emma McCauley hadn't heard about University of Richmond's two-college system when she started at UR three years ago; now, she’s making Richmond College history, being elected as the Richmond College Student Government Association’s first female senator on Wednesday, Sept. 24.

“I want to bring a perspective Richmond College hasn't had before, one that broadens conversations, challenges assumptions and enriches the diversity of thought and leadership,” McCauley said to RCSGA senators in a candidate pitch at Wednesday night’s meeting.

In a body full of male-identifying Richmond College senators, McCauley is now set to be the only female in the RCSGA decision room. 

McCauley, a double major in leadership studies and psychology, was originally part of the predominantly female Westhampton College, until she decided her values aligned more closely with Richmond College and switched. Upon hearing there was a vacant senator position, she saw an opportunity to make a statement and a difference.

“I believe what defines a member of Richmond College isn't biological sex or what you look like, but the values, commitments and characters you bring to yourself, others, community and this place that we all get to call home,” McCauley said. 

UR has a two-college system with separate institutions, Westhampton College, which is historically female, and Richmond College, its male counterpart. The colleges merged academically under a single administrative system in the 1970s, according to the Richmond College webpage. 

While academics have been merged, the separate colleges still stand. As first-years enroll at UR,  they also get enrolled into Westhampton or Richmond College. Each college has different deans, student governments and traditions.

McCauley spoke about her leadership experience and passion for helping her community in her speech, highlighting her executive role in Phi Eta Sigma, her work as a fluency testing evaluator and completion of at least 25 hours of community service each semester.

McCauley said she sees this as a step toward empowering students into picking the college that aligns with their goals and outlooks on life. 

“If the university doesn't address the gender divide and students keep following the only role models that they are presented with, it could be years before the idea that ‘you can join any college you want to’ truly feels real,” she said during the meeting. “Words mean little without actions to back them, which is why I stand here today to turn those words into action.”

McCauley ran unopposed. The other candidate, senior Devin Morgan, did not appear at the meeting and was no longer considered in the running. Despite this, McCauley did not automatically win the seat. Sophomore Sen. Asa Mahn said Richmond College senators deliberated her speech, values and qualifications to see if they satisfied the role. According to Mahn, if they had decided she did not fit the qualifications, another round of elections could have occurred.

Mahn thought her speech exemplified why she fit the bill of a RCSGA senator.

“It was the best-oriented example of the values of Richmond College Student Government that I think I have heard in an open floor speech here,” Mahn said. “It was just very well laid out. She responded excellently to our questions. It was clearly a very well-prepared presentation.”

Senior Sen. Theo Johnson said it was because of her gender — not in spite of it — he was able to see how much McCauley encompassed RCSGA’s values.

“She dug into the fact that she was a girl, and used that for her,” Johnson said. “Like our mantra, ‘Take care of yourself, others and this place.’ Like this place [the University of Richmond] is a whole. It doesn't just encompass guys at Richmond College. This is something that she really wanted to be a part of, because of our values, and because she, as a girl, and as a student here at Richmond, it worked best.”

Dean of Richmond College Joe Boehman, RCSGA's advisor, said he looks forward to what McCauley will bring to the body and Richmond College.

“It's kind of a historic moment, you know,” Boehman said. “I think she'll do a great job. She's incredibly qualified to be a senator on this body, and I'm looking forward to hearing what she has to say.”

For decades, some students have sharply criticized the two-college system, calling it outdated, unrealistic and problematic toward women, transgender and nonbinary students.

In a 1990 op-ed published in the Collegian then-student Jay Carter, ‘91, pushed back on the argument that the two-college system gave space for women to hold leadership roles.

“Many of the arguments I've heard defending the system stem from the position that women need to compete against women before they can compete effectively against men.” Carter wrote. “The argument also seems to assume that women must be 'nurtured' before they can be contributing members of society. This is false, damaging and it tells both men and women that 'women must be protected from the real world,' thus perpetuating the myth that women are somehow inferior to men.”

Recently, a Feb. 11, 2025, publication of student-run social justice zine Caught in the Web Zines also criticized the separate colleges. The anonymous group wrote about the struggle transgender and non-binary students could go through when faced with a decision that does not align with their gender expression. 

“All of these aspects make our campus exclusive for transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming students,” the publication wrote. “By forcing students outside of the gender-binary to ‘pick a side.’ Trans students can feel dysphoric, like they are under a microscope, or not enough.”

McCauley said she believes the purpose of the two-college system is to honor UR’s tradition and to give students flexibility when it comes to choosing a dean.

“It's been a historical thing for Richmond to be divided into Richmond College and Westhampton College,” she said. “I also think being able to have two deans who can share their own insights and perspectives is huge for students. “

Boehman said the colleges already allow flexibility for students to choose what college they wish to be a part of. He said he hopes McCauley’s election as senator allows students to feel empowered in choosing their preferred college.

“I think that her being in this body is a very visible sense of somebody saying, you know, if I want to affiliate with the other college, there's an avenue for doing that,” Boehman said. “My guess is she might get some questions about, How did you do that? What was it about? What was it like?”

Contact managing editor Andrea Padilla at andrea.padilla@richmond.edu