There is an urgent need for the development of intercollegiate spirit among the colleges for women. Men have their intercollegiate athletics, clubs and debates andin every phase of college life they keep in touch with college men, not only of this country, but with those of other countries also. For college graduates, men and women, there are the associations of intercollegiate alumni, the college and university clubs in most of the large cities, but in the undergraduate life of women this intercollegiate spirit is lacking in a large degree. That such a spirit is helpful, in fact necessary, scarcely needs discussion. Every organization, however small, now has its conventions and gains strength in the comparison of its methods with those of others working for the same ends. College presidents and trustees meet in educational conferences for the discussion of general college problems, but the students themselves have no direct representation. Fraternity men and women meet in fraternity and inter-fraternity conventions. The Young Women's Christian Associations from different colleges send delegates once a year to the Silver Bay Conference. These various conferences have done much towards the development of an intercollegiate spirit, but they represent only a part of the student body, and their object is the discussion of only a few of the phases of college life. What, then, is to be done? The general sentiment is at present averse to intercollegiate athletics for women. That will probably be done away with in time, when athletics at each college are more fully developed and better organized. Intercollegiate debates have been tried, but with no great success. Intercollegiate student government conferences have been called and resulted in much enthusiasm and mutual help. THis is one step in advance, as are also the women's leagues now being organized at the different colleges for the regulation of dormitory life. Another might be the organization of an undergraduate student conference- representing the entire student body- to meet together at stated times for the discussion of problems relating to intercollegiate life, such as "INtercollegiate Athletics," "The Development of the Social Life of a College," "THe Regulation of College and Dormitory Life," and so on. These questions have all been discussed in educational conferences and magazines, but the students have had little part in them. The formation of a new intercollegiate organization would not be necessary if the undergraduate body of women could send delegates to the general educational conferences and gain representation and mutual help in this way.
In the meantime our college papers can do much toward furthering this intercollegiate spirit. Our College Bulliten, we are proud to say, has to some extent taken up this work. Could not the KALENDS also do much along this line and add a department of "Intercollegiate Notes," in which might be added news of the different colleges and questions of intercollegiate interest to be discussed? A large college can support several magazines and so meets the demands of the various interests of its student body - literary, athletic, daily news- but in a small college, where the student body supports but one college paper, why restrict this to the literary efforts of the few, instead of making it a college paper in the true sense of the word- a college paper in the broader meaning- containing articles of literary merit, and discussions of undergraduate and alumnae life, not only of its student body, but those of others as well? In knowing others we learn to know ourselves.
ELIZABETH DEBOW, '03.
