Boys at MCC! Mount Carmelites say this is the end of an era

Boys at MCC! Mount Carmelites say this is the end of an era

For over seven decades, Mount Carmel College in Bengaluru was home to numerous women, who, over the years, went on to make a mark in the world. From lifting each other up as women to making friendships that have lasted a lifetime, Carmelites, wherever they are today, look back at their time at MCC with love.

Now, in a move to “achieve greater diversity on campus”, the college, is set to turn co-ed. To celebrate its diamond jubilee, the college has announced that they will open up admissions for the academic year 2024-25 for men as well. And Carmelites have mixed reactions. Here’s what they have to say:

I understand the reason behind the decision, but it feels weird: Anu Prabhakar

106597192From the moment we heard the news, my friends and I had only been talking about this. We’re all feeling a lot of emotions. I understand the college’s decision to include men, but as a Carmelite, I find it weird, especially after 75 years of being recognized as an excellent women’s college. From now on, when you ask a boy where he studies, and he says MCC, it will sound off. I mean, the only time boys were allowed inside the campus was during our fest, Kala, but for them to be there all the time is a weird feeling.

It is the end of an era at MCC, but it is what it is: Madhu Nataraj

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I moved to Bengaluru from Delhi, and not calmly, I might say. I was brought here kicking and screaming! It felt bad that I was moving from a happening place to an idyllic city, but the nuns and women at MCC gave me a new lease of life. Soon, I began to recognise the cosmo multicultural gene pool of Bengaluru and MCC was a microcosm of that. Back then, we women were in the ivory towers of the college and men always aspired to be a part of it. I’m all for diversity and MCC’s decision is just about providing more space for people to seek education.

It’

s a good thing if boys also get the privilege of graduating out of MCC: Vasundhara Das

106597208I’m experiencing a mix of emotions. On one hand, it’s been an amazing experience having graduated out of there, and if boys are going to have the same privilege, it’s a good thing. However, there was a kind of intimacy among the women in college, and that dynamic will never be the same. This is something to wrap our brains around, it will be strange to suddenly see students that aren’t women. There are stories of it being a daunting place for men to enter, that was the first thought for me. There’s no one way to think about it, it’s a multi-dimensional thing, especially now with people identifying as different genders. We open our minds and hearts to allow people to embrace who they are, so it’s timely.

I think it’

s time we normalise sharing space with people of all genders: Sharmeila Mandre

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I’m not sure if this is a bad thing; I think it’s good, in a way, because if I ever have kids, I wouldn’t want them to be in an all-boys or all-girls school or college. I believe they should learn how to interact with all genders. Having said that, both my school and college were all-girls, and I loved every moment spent there. But, we’ve always had this “oh my god, those are boys” feeling but I believe it’s time we normalise it. I only began working with the opposite gender once I finished college and it took some getting used to.

We have been contemplating this change for a few years now: Principal

The transition will be gradual as it takes time to accept the college as a co-ed institution. Even while we had opened some of our PG programmes for boys, we received only a handful of applications. We’ve been contemplating this change for a few years now. One of the major reasons is we are likely to fulfil all the criteria meant to attain a deemed-to-be-university status.

— Lekha George, principal

We should engage both genders when looking at a transition: Registrar

As a university, it is important we reach out to all sections and bring in diversity on campus. After 75 years of history — what we call herstory — where we have done tremendously well, we should engage both genders when we are looking at a transition. Any higher educational institution known for its vibrant campus and academic rigour has a fair balance of both boys and girls and this move will strengthen ours too

— Suma M Singh, registrar (academics)

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