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Introduction: 

This exhibit portrays the impacts of coeducation at Washington and Lee University, a small, private, liberal arts university in Lexington, Virginia, through evaluating its effects by comparing the university's social climate before and after the decision to become coeducated. As we explored coeducation at Washington and Lee, we found that the impacts of becoming a coed university extended beyond the simple fact that there would be both genders present on campus. As you search through these next pages, you will be taken on a journey about the decision of going coed, the numerous differing opinions on coeducation, the impact on Washington and Lee in the second half of the 1980s, and the lasting effects on the university even today. 

Thesis Statement: 

Although the decision of coeducation was highly controversial amongst alumni and students at the time, it changed the social community and atmosphere of Washington and Lee University by bringing the campus closer together.