Finally.
When Valley Forge Military College in Pennsylvania begins its fall 2006 semester, women will be able to attend classes alongside men for the first time in the school's history.
For some, this represents an end to an archaic practice of separating men and women in educational environments.
For others, it represents the end of a tradition. Society is becoming more integrated in terms of race, religion, ethnicity and gender. Just like schools can't deny the admittance of a student based on race, neither should they deny students because of sex.
Valley Forge is an all-encompassing environment, including a middle school, high school and college. For an educational institution that requires its male students to live, eat and socialize in one setting, a single-sex environment could put them at a disadvantage upon entering the "real world."
For smaller institutions, where school is from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., a single-sex environment might be less harmful. Social interaction can take place outside of school. When students attend a single-sex school, they don't learn how to cope within a diverse society.
Women are, and should be, allowed to join America's armed forces. This means they're allowed to attend any of the government-run military academies, such as the U.S. Naval Academy or Military Academy at West Point.
Valley Forge is a private military academy and doesn't follow the same rules as public institutions. It must be made clear that any change made by a private entity is voluntary.
If a private institution chooses to limit its enrollment to only men or women, it is its right to do so.
People can then decide for themselves if they would like to be involved in that sort of environment.
Not all institutions in society need to be integrated. There are specific organizations and clubs that only include one portion of the society while excluding others, such as private schools, Boy Scouts and sports teams.
It's a great effort by the institution to allow women to join itsranks — one that will greatly help its students.
