Features
A blast to the past: Revisiting Kirkland College
By Maura Colley ’19
February 2, 2017
Tags features
Only a week after the presidential inauguration, hundreds of people across the world have taken to the streets of major cities and staged giant marches in protest or support of President Trump’s political agenda. These marches have reached the front pages of nearly every news outlet in the US, and have spurred heated debates over issues that have dominated the political scene for years. One of the most prevalent themes of these marches has been the presence of strong female voices. Two of the largest and most highly publicized of these protests were “The Women’s March on Washington” and “The March for Life”—two events that were attended by thousands of people, and produced discussion over difficult topics. In light of all of this recent political activity and the emphasis that’s been put on women’s issues in America, it’s interesting to look back on our own college’s historical merger with Kirkland College.
Kirkland College, the private women’s college that existed separately from Hamilton College from 1968-1978, is an example of the Hamilton community’s historical presence as a competitive and progressive environment. For example, during Kirkland College freshman orientation, the students would receive the book “Our Bodies, Ourselves,” which was considered a radical book during the 1970s, as it was a collection of stories and thoughts shared by women about their bodies. After orientation set the tone, Kirkland students would continue to push the boundaries of their place in society, all while pursuing a progressive education. Burke Library still houses an array of archived articles written by Kirkland students, and records of their activities since graduation. The stark contrast between Hamilton and Kirkland students during the years when they were separate institutions in clear from archived student surveys.
Taken by students from both colleges, the surveys showed that the Kirkland students saw themselves as receiving a unique education that would prepare them for an increasingly complex and innovative world. Hamilton students also viewed their education as unique, but largely said the importance of the College’s reputation was more important to them. Kirkland College represented a progressive community of students who challenged the rules of institutional education and redefined their roles as female students. Hamilton students tended to major in hard sciences and go on to pursue medical and law degrees, while at Kirkland, more students were found to major in the humanities and the fine arts than in the sciences.
In the article “The Kirkland College Legacy,” written by Rachel Dickinson ’78, a graduate of Kirkland College, for the 2002 edition of the Hamilton Alumni Review, five professors talk about why they decided to teach at Kirkland, and what they thought of Kirkland’s merger with Hamilton College. Several professors spoke about how the merger positively affected the two colleges. Kirkland students were able to continue their education at a competitive school, and Hamilton students and faculty were joined by female students with new understandings of women’s place in society. While this presented a challenge to Hamilton’s all-male history, the professors agreed that after a transition period, the positive effects of joining the schools was evident. Some even said that the Hamilton College curriculum of today is increasingly similar to Kirkland’s in the 70s.
So amidst the political transition that the US faces today, it isn’t surprising that many Hamilton students have traveled to Washington, DC or New York City to participate in protests. Students even took action to hold their own march from the Hill into Clinton, in support of community members struggling with the changing political world. The environment that Kirkland and Hamilton fostered together is a community of students who aren’t afraid to speak their minds or think critically. During this time of transition, it’s heartening to look back at the students who, despite a complicated transition during their education, worked together to continue education and community.