<p>I doubt there are many colleges around the country that have no blots on their records. Kids in college comprise a vulnerable, risk-taking population, living in a violence-, alcohol-, and sex-obsessed culture. Bad stuff will happen anywhere. I will admit that when a student was murdered when getting into her car in a parking lot at Colby one morning last year, it gave me pause about applying to the school, but we ended up not crossing it off the list because we could see that the crime had nothing to do with Colby itself. Similarly, I don’t think Smith in any way could be held accountable as an enabler of this rape. </p>
<p>Concerning the lack of guys: While this was a definite concern of mine when my D was putting her applications together, I’m seeing now that one benefit of not going to a co-ed school is that it is easier to form deeper friendships because people aren’t so preoccupied with their heterosexual relationships. It’s also easier to make the most of what the college has to offer when you’re not using up your energies in relationship angst. Of course it’s hard to appreciate this when you’re 18 years old.</p>