Due to a recent lack of funding despite the most successful Giving Day ever, Meredith College has decided to end its status as a historically women’s institution and become a coeducational or co-ed institution. This means that applicants for the Class of 2026 may identify with any gender or sex, including male. When The Herald asked Alison Bunce, ‘22, for her opinion, she stated, “I, for one, didn’t even know this was an all-girls school until my first day here. So I’m pretty excited for a couple of these changes that are coming around.”
However, in order to combat potential inequalities that may arise when switching to being co-ed, Meredith has decided to reimplement a dress code for all students. When in public or class, female-identifying students will be required to wear maroon colored, below-the-knee length skirts with a white button-up blouse and black shoes. Male-identifying students will be required to wear maroon pressed dress pants with a white dress shirt and black shoes as well. Nonbinary students may wear either iteration of the described dress code as they deem fit. Any violation of this dress code will result in immediate dismissal from class.
Additionally, Meredith has decided to reimplement a version of the chaperone policy that was in place at the original Meredith campus in downtown Raleigh. In order for female- and nonbinary-identifying students to leave Meredith College grounds, they must be accompanied by a pre-approved male-identifying person. This is being implemented to ensure the safety of all students and manage traffic in and out of campus.
Due to the school becoming co-ed, Meredith will now have an affiliated football team. Therefore, Meredith’s mascot will be changed from the Avenging Angels to the Avenging Eagles. Cassie Cubilla, ‘21, stated that “despite being a senior, I am so excited to have a football team — now I don’t have to post pictures of me at NC State football games with the caption ‘She doesn’t even go here!’ anymore.” While this may come as a shock to many in the Meredith community, the student store has been selling Meredith football shirts for multiple years now. Perhaps this was foreshadowing of the impending transition.
Any questions regarding these changes need not be directed anywhere as this is an April Fools' Day joke—
GOTCHA!
By Elinor Shelp-Peck, Co-Editor in Chief, and Kaylee Haas, Staff Writer