The New York Times released an article suggesting women at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and several other colleges and universities might struggle to find a date on campus this year.
The article which discusses the 60 percent female population on UNC’s campus, talks to women about their dating struggles as a result of the lack of dating options on campus. However, many UNC women disagreed with the article stating it did not accurately represent North Carolina’s female population.
“Yes, as a journalism major, I see more females in my classes, but there is definitely a male presence on campus.” UNC junior Alison Amoros said. “You can find them everywhere: in the clubs, roaming the quad, in all of our fraternities on campus. It’s not that bad.”
The University of Nevada, Reno, with a student body of nearly 55 percent women, is just one of the many universities in the United States with a large female population like UNC. Women have represented 57 percent of enrollments at American universities since 2000, according to a report by the American Council on Education. Researchers say there are many reasons for the gender difference: women tend to have higher grades, men tend to drop out in disproportionate numbers; and female enrollment skews higher among older students, low-income students, and black and Hispanic students.
Many women at UNR acknowledge that you can see the larger population of women on campus, but agree with the UNC women that men are still present on campus regardless of the gender gap.
“Yes there is a larger female population on campus,” Stephanie Maddox, a junior in the Reynolds School of Journalism, said. “But it’s not enough to matter too much. Depending on where you go determines the amount of men you see.”
Although male presence is still apparent to these women on UNR’s campus, the search for a Friday night date is still difficult.
“Guys are rarely single for very long here because it seems some girls are always trying for them,” sophomore Kelsey White said. “You find girls acting sluttier and trying to do things to get attention from guys because of the lower male ratio.”
Needless to say, this puts men in a position to play the field. Men on campus know there are plenty of options according to Brandon Fragger, a senior communications major.
“I thinks men are in a different position than women because of the larger female population,” Fragger said. “They have more options to pick from.”
These dating difficulties are not confined to the University of Nevada, Reno, an academically rigorous engineering school. The gender imbalance is also pronounced at many other public universities in states such as California, Florida and Georgia. The College of Charleston, a public liberal arts college in South Carolina, is 66 percent female. Some private universities are also experiencing the large presence of females on campus like New York University and Lewis & Clark in Portland, Ore. The University of Vermont, with an undergraduate student body of 55 percent women, in its hometown of Burlington is commonly referred to as “Girlington.”
Lack of testosterone is not universal among every American university. Ivy League universities are either largely equal in gender or males have more of a presence on campus. Some schools are trying to equalize the gender imbalance, but have met complaints about less-qualified men being admitted over more-qualified women. In December, The United States Commission on Civil Rights moved to subpoena admissions data from 19 public and private colleges to look at whether they were discriminating against qualified female applicants.
Faculty and administration at UNR are well aware of the gender demographic issues facing many American universities but are not concentrating on equalizing the gender gap by increasing male enrollment. Instead, the Department of Admissions is focusing on keeping enrollment numbers similar to the national average and admitting the most qualified applicants into the university.
“We’ve seen the trend change over the years from 50/50 to where it is now,” Dr. Stephen Maples, director of the Department of Admissions, said. “We are not at all concerned about it because right now we are close to the national trend because if you look at students in high school, women perform better in high school so that determines a lot about who gets into the university.”
Dr. Maples is aware that male students are enrolling more than ever, even though it is still insufficient to equalize the gender gap soon. With female enrollment growing faster among non-traditional-age students, a category in which women outnumber men nearly two to one, by 2014 the gap will reach 3.3 million according to a 2004 study done by the Department of Education. The non-traditional students are whom the Department of Admissions is focusing on more according to Dr. Maples.
“We are not looking into changing any ways to increase male attendance because of the national demographics,” Dr. Maples said. “We are looking at underrepresented groups such as first generation college students, which are mainly Latino and African American students by looking in proportion to the state population. Those two demographics are the two that need to be more representative at our university.”
The gender gap dilemma has been an academic inquiry formally and informally. Richard Whitmir, author of “Why Boys Fail,” believes the gender phenomenon is due to the lack of verbal skills among men.
“Most girls adjusted nicely to the intensified verbal skills demanded in early years,” Whitmir wrote in his book. “Most boys didn’t. We have to keep boys on track with reading and writing skills. Boys are failing because the world has got more verbal and they haven’t.”
Researchers have also found the gender imbalance does make it more difficult for women to find a romantic relationship according to author Kathleen A. Bogle who wrote “Hooping Up: Sex, Dating and Relationships on Campuses.”
“Women do not want to get left out in the cold, so they are competing for men on men’s terms,” Bogle wrote. “This results in more casual hook-up encounters that do not end up leading to more serious romantic relationships.”
With UNR thought of as a relationship oriented university among some women, some men on campus believe the math is still skewed in their favor.
“There are men on campus who want serious relationships,” Kyle Leigh, a sophomore engineering major, said. “I think most men on campus are looking for someone. But men will still play the field because they can. When there are more women, there is no need to settle down immediately.”
Nevertheless, women are not letting the gender demographics at UNR stop them from going out on the weekends, regardless if they have a date or not. Women are finding things to do together whether it be forming study parties or going out together on the town.
“We find ways to have fun,” Marie Rossi, a junior in Orvis School of Nursing, said. “It’s not like we’re sitting at home pining for a boyfriend. We go out to local bars or stay in and study. No matter what we have fun.”
However, the hope that the “Mr. Right” may be out there is present.
“I see happy couples all over campus,” freshmen Katie Shrake said. “I want that too. I still have three more years at UNR so I’m keeping my fingers crossed someone will catch my eye.”
