• About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • The Wellesley (COVID) 100
      The Wellesley (COVID) 100
    • In memory of Professor Rebecca Summerhays
      In memory of Professor Rebecca Summerhays
    • Trans flag controversy: College power washes staircase after trans flag is painted over Harry Potter spray paint
      Trans flag controversy: College power washes staircase after trans flag is painted over Harry Potter spray paint
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • The News in Conversation: Wellesley Against Mass Incarceration
      The News in Conversation: Wellesley Against Mass Incarceration
    • Editorial Board calls for keeping up trans flag murals
      Editorial Board calls for keeping up trans flag murals
    • No, Elon Musk’s Twitter will not restore free speech
      No, Elon Musk’s Twitter will not restore free speech
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • Be/longing Centers Connection and Care
      Be/longing Centers Connection and Care
    • No image
      Birds Falling Upwards: Wellesley College Theater’s The Moors is a Must-See
    • No image
      Sometimes you just need to read a YA “Groundhog Day” to feel something
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
    • Books Before Boys
  • Health and Wellness
    • February Student Athlete of the Month
      February Student Athlete of the Month
    • Athletics Update
      Athletics Update
    • Victoria Garrick Speaks on Mental Health
      Victoria Garrick Speaks on Mental Health
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • The Wellesley Snooze
    • Wellesley News Leadership Changes Completely Peacefully Without Any Suspicious Disappearances At All
      Wellesley News Leadership Changes Completely Peacefully Without Any Suspicious Disappearances At All
    • Solve Your Connection Problems With Wellesley Insecure
      Solve Your Connection Problems With Wellesley Insecure
    • Mayhem strikes Wellesley as paper towels removed from campus
      Mayhem strikes Wellesley as paper towels removed from campus
  • Miscellanea
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
      Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
    • 50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
      50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Cheryl Wang The Wellesley SnoozeApril 7, 2022

Wellesley to Allow Male Applicants

Male applicant, in the flesh

College President Jaula Pohnson released a statement on April 1 that as of Fall 2023, Wellesley would start allowing applicants in the Class of 2027 and beyond who identified as male to apply to Wellesley for the first time in history, following the footsteps of fellow once-historically women’s colleges Vassar College and Sarah Lawrence College.

The decision was approved after several administrative-level meetings with the Board of Trustees. Upon being interviewed, Board Chair Wendy Wanda ’69 told The Snooze that “significant thought and care” had been factored into the ultimate conclusion.

“One thing that people don’t understand is that in the end, men earn about 1.2% more than women for the same labor,” Wanda said. “Discrimination or not, glass ceiling and all, blah blah blah, that still means that they have more money to donate to the school after graduation. In fact, if all our soon-to-be male alumni donated the extra seventeen cents they earn per dollar than women, we could potentially raise our endowment from three to four billion dollars. And instead of putting that money towards renovating our lead-contaminated dorms, we can construct another building named after a rich male CEO like every other elite college!”

Due to the expected rise in male enrollment, administration have begun plans to construct additional male restrooms throughout the College, raising the number of men’s restrooms in Sci from zero to a grand total of one.

“I’m just glad I no longer have to wait for 15 minutes every time I want to use the only gender neutral restroom on the Sci second floor because every other male faculty member in the building felt the call of nature at the same time I did,” Neuroscience Professor Robin Robinson said.

In contrast, many students are less than enthused by the new policy.

“I’m transferring to Smith,” first-year Wanda Wendy said. In addition to Pohnson’s announcement, Wendy cited other factors that attracted her to the fellow Seven Sisters college, including a startling lack of large bodies of water filled with arsenic.

Senior Wenda Wandy ’22 echoed Wendy’s negative sentiments.

“I don’t think this is the right step for the College to be taking, especially since so many students chose Wellesley because it gave them a space for them to empower themselves free of the prejudices of a male-dominated society,” Wandy said. “As painful as it is, I’ve decided not to continue my education here after this semester. This is a wake-up call for me that it’s time to move on from Wellesley.”

However, the decision would not significantly change the demographics of the student body, as is popular belief. 

In an unexpected twist, Pohnson revealed in a later follow-up email that the entire affair, from start to finish, was meant to be a publicity stunt intended to drive up applications to the College from male applicants who would then be automatically rejected by the applicant screening system, thus driving down the admittance rate of the school and raising its ranking on US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges.

“Wellesley has dropped two entire ranks from third to fifth best on US News in the last two years, mostly due to certain decisions made in the ranking algorithm that have resulted in certain factors being weighted more that may or not be embedded in heavy bias,” Pohnson said. “Instead of fighting against this unfair bias, however, we’ve simply decided to game the system. As they say in my alma mater, Radcliffe, if you can’t beat them, join them!”

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleStudent burns to a crisp after turning on dorm’s overhead light for the first time this year
Next articleMayhem strikes Wellesley as paper towels removed from campus

You may also like

Wellesley News Leadership Changes Completely Peacefully Without Any Suspicious Disappearances At All

Solve Your Connection Problems With Wellesley Insecure

Mayhem strikes Wellesley as paper towels removed from campus

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

Sorry. No data so far.

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2022 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top