Then allow me to amend my remarks: There are families who would not send their kids to W&L no matter how much money they are offered.
4 Likes
That is true for every school in the country.
5 Likes
And that’s my point. 
Thank you. I’m super confused by posters’ roles here. It’s great to engage with people who are alums, have kids at, or are considering/considered/had an admissions or touring experience with the school. This thread seems to go beyond that.
1 Like
Any user is free to contribute to any thread on this site within the confines of Forum Rules. As such, this thread is not limited to those with an association to Washington & Lee.
2 Likes
I’d like to add a detail to give context to the social class claims that are often associated with today’s W&L based on my visit last week.
After our tour, we ate a meal at a restaurant in town. Our waiter and another waitress were both current students at W&L. We didn’t even mention to them that we had an association with the school at all. We were not wearing logo wear. We simply spoke with them as any patron in a similar establishment would anywhere. It was a bar-and-grill type restaurant.
When we left, I remarked to my travel partner that when I attended all those years ago, “students working in town” was not something that I remember seeing when I was in college with the exception of one student. To see multiple students doing that is a sign of progress for the reputation of the students in the community and a sign that working while in school is socially accepted at W&L today. That has not been true of every college town/college we have visited with DS24. While an outsider perspective, it gives needed context to the socioeconomic diversity that W&L attracts, and my student would really prefer to be at that type of a college. That was a significant reason why the college moved up in his preferences.
3 Likes
Interesting. My husband and I both worked at restaurants in Lex during our time at W&L in the 90s.
3 Likes
It very well could have been a statistical aberration for me and just the people I knew best there. I think the students who worked mostly worked on campus at that time. They probably chose to. I was there a little after you. Glad to hear it was normal to work in town in the '90s, too!
For everyone interested in W&L, especially with those focused on the name change, and with Black perspectives on the institution, this is a valuable and interesting listen:
2 Likes
I listened to the podcast. While I enjoyed it very much, I was hoping there would be a discussion of the name change controversy and the experience of Black students and professors at a college so steeped (historically, at least) in the history and ideology of the Confederacy. While there was a reference to the importance of “truth telling,” the podcast steered well clear of any potentially controversial subjects. I’d have loved to have heard the professor’s opinion on the name change, but of course that question wasn’t asked.
I’m curious . . . other than this being an interview with an interesting black professor who studies Africana literature, what does it tell us about the issues being discussed here?
One point I did find particularly interesting and perhaps indirectly relevant was about how desegregation in public schools took much longer than is usually taught, and in reality wasn’t complete desegregation at all. In particular, I found interesting his older female relative’s story about attending a “desegregated” school. In reality, the female relative and one other person were allowed to attend a white school. Two kids only.
Regarding W&L
- It “desegregated” in 1966, when a single Black undergraduate and a single Black law student were admitted.
- According to the most recent CDS (2021-2022), there were only 71 Black undergraduates at W&L, out of 1857 total undergraduates. One out of every 26 undergraduates is Black.
- For comparisons sake, fifteen years ago, there were 75 Black undergraduates at W&L, out of 1752 total undergraduates. About one in every 23 undergraduates.
2 Likes
I expect WL is proud of this year’s black Rhodes scholar, who was also a Johnson scholar. She stated she was happy. I wouldnt presume to speculate about the attitudes of other students attending regardless of race.
1 Like
Kind of ironic that WLU, then known as Liberty Hall Academy, was where the first African American college student John Chavis enrolled at in 1795, completing studies in 1799 (by which time the college changed its name to Washington College). But subsequent history of the school regarding Black people between then and the 1960s was not something to be proud of.
3 Likes
I saw that too. The unfortunate thing about all of these individuals online and in the media who are consistently pushing the inaccurate racist narrative about W&L is that they are, ironically, putting these very students in the uncomfortable position of having to be showcased to show that the internet and media smearing is just that.
I speak here because that is a burden that should not be placed on only the shoulders of students and alumni of color. Or faculty of color, for that matter.
W&L attracts attention, positive and negative, because it is reputable. If it wasn’t, this thread would have been abandoned days ago.
2 Likes
One might accord more weight to the opinions of those currently enrolled, like Ms. Rhodes Scholar
2014 was half a lifetime ago for this cycle’s HS seniors and bringing up the number of Confederate flags on campus 9 years ago (yet again !!) Is simply a straw man. I would “suggest” that discussion of any shortcomings focus on the present, as I don’t believe the OP started the thread to debate past failures.
8 Likes
Agreed. Furthermore, the OP is a self-identified member of an “affinity group”. No need for the other parents to buttress an already glowing review of present-day W&L.
1 Like
Leaving 2015 back where it belongs.
Nevermind. Back to the present.