Monday Open Line


Colleges and universities with both male and female students are the norm today — but in 1833, only a few women went to college and the idea of coed classes was a social innovation. On this date that year, Oberlin College in Ohio opened its doors to both sexes. At the time, the school had 44 students — 29 men and 15 women. Now, Oberlin has a student body of close to 3,000 and boasts one of the most comprehensive libraries of any college in the nation. For many decades, more males attended college than females. Today, over 56 percent of all students in higher education are women — almost 11 million, compared with just over 8.5 million men. Oberlin’s student body today closely matches the national picture. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.