Special Edition Fall 2021: Through the Looking Glass ... and the Decades
The Katie experience for different generations
My name is Kate Yapp, and I am a dupliKate in my junior year. Now closer to finishing my undergraduate education than starting it, I can't picture myself having spent this time anywhere else. But just three-and-a-half years ago, I was telling my mom I would never attend her alma mater. I did not think that I, an outspoken 21st-century woman used to learning in a co-ed classroom, would benefit from attending a historically all-women’s college or staying so close to home. I also did not think there would be enough to do on campus— my schedule every week says otherwise. This is why I am always interested in why other people decided to come to St. Kate’s and the different experiences each person can have here. For this edition of The Wheel, I thought: Why not interview some Katies whose experiences preceded mine?
Current university president ReBecca Koenig Roloff attended St. Kate’s from 1972 to 1976. By the time she was my age, she had witnessed the end of the Vietnam War, several high-profile assassinations, Watergate, and an earlier iteration of the women’s movement. While she remarks that students now seem to be more engaged in social issues, it is interesting to reflect on how all of those crises would have played out differently had there been more women in positions of decision-making and leadership like they were at St. Kate’s.
Foreshadowing the present, she was involved with student government, serving as Vice President of Academic Affairs. President Roloff fondly remembers organizing “Women’s Week” on campus where speakers came to talk about women in the church and reproductive rights. She sees both the integrated learning series and The Wheel as important continuations of these discussions today.
President Roloff says that “When you are around young people, your perspective becomes more like theirs.” She balances her memories as a student with the current community’s experience because “you have to be careful that you are dealing with the students’ lives now and not your own, virtues don’t change but the concerns do.”
History Professor Jane Carroll, PhD, attended St. Kate’s shortly after President Roloff. Dr. Carroll originally started at the College of St. Benedict, the all-women’s partner school of St. John’s. She attended a women’s high school, so she was accustomed to a predominantly female learning environment. She left St. Ben’s shortly after starting because while St. Ben’s was technically an all-women’s college, having an affiliated men’s school meant it was not the same as her high school or St. Kate’s.
Carroll transferred as a commuter student in January 1977, back when they still required students to take classes for three of their four January terms. Carroll remembers the first class she enrolled in: “Simone de Beauvoir’s Second Sex.” She felt immersed right away, both in her environment and the mission of St. Kate’s. While January classes also consisted of subjects like wine-tasting, Carroll appreciated how academically-committed St. Kate’s was and continues to be. She thinks a large part of that is the community amongst the mostly female faculty and their freedom to design classes around their interests and current events. She thinks this all culminates in a very engaging and meaningful educational experience for young women, even if they commute like she did.
Although she met her husband when he was an Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities (ACTC) student in her same history class at St. Kate’s, Carroll realizes the value for women to be in classes with primarily only other women. She attended a larger co-ed university for graduate school where she observed that men tended to speak even when they did not know what was being discussed, while women held back even when they knew what to say.
Carroll remarks St. Kate’s is special because, “It provides a sanctuary for women to just be themselves and feel liberated from gender norms, expectations, and stereotypes of larger society and just be human beings without reference to men.” This allows actual content, not ego, to be the center of focus and study.
Another alumna on our faculty is business professor Julie Nelsen, PhD. She attended St. Kate’s for her undergraduate education from 1987 to 1991. Even before she was a student, she was attracted to the abundant leadership opportunities on campus that would aid in her future career. She also admired the beautiful campus and its location within the Twin Cities, something she has in common with President Roloff and Dr. Carroll and something I did not fully appreciate until this past year.
Nelsen came for the opportunities, and opportunities she found. Like my mother, Mary Ruda Yapp, Nelsen held several totally different campus jobs. Additionally, Nelsen was a member of the inaugural LEAD team, double majored, and led three clubs (something I can relate to the pains and joys of). She credits the amazing mentorship she had from faculty as well as the support of other students as helping her achieve all of those things.
Nelsen recommends that Katies “take the time to get to know your classmates. Extend the relationship beyond the classroom and the residence hall. Keep in contact after graduation. You'll be better off having these amazing women in your life long term!”
The strong community was a factor in her decision to return to teach here. Nelsen thinks our university is stronger because of the commitment alumnae have to future generations of Katies. She considers St. Kate’s to be “a hidden gem,” and wants “every woman in the five-state-area and beyond to consider getting their education here.”
As a marketing professor, Nelsen claims that in order to achieve this “we all need to become the leadership, communication, sales, and marketing advocates for the University...We have so much to offer the world, and the world needs strong female leaders.”
This is especially important since President Roloff considers “each student educated at St. Kate’s to be one step closer to achieving world peace,” relating to the goal of our institution to take the passions women have and develop their skills to make this world more equitable, respectful, compassionate, and knowledgeable.
Ellen Whitted is one of my mom’s friends from her time at St. Kate’s in the 90s. They still get together monthly, almost 30 years after their graduation. Whitted’s reflection on her time here at St. Kate’s echoes what was said by President Roloff and Professors Carroll and Nelsen, as well as what I have heard personally about my mom’s experiences. She agrees that social community is just as important as academic community. Some of her favorite memories include moments when she and her peers could really let loose, afforded to them by the liberation from societal expectations Dr. Carroll commented on, such as the “suitcase dance” (when students got hints about what to pack in a suitcase and a winner was picked to be sent on a mystery vacation).
In regards to why it is so important to have a space where women can lead in all areas, Whitted acknowledges that “it is important that women have a voice at the table, in the conversation, in the decision making WITH the room to make mistakes, re-evaluate, and try again,” reflecting Carroll’s earlier point: the safety to be vulnerable and try again is possible when women are liberated from gender dynamics.
For my mom, St. Kate’s offered an opportunity that may have never happened at a co-ed college: to take a Biology of Women class. I have always known her treasured story of measuring the shedding rate of tampons inside the body. It was eye-opening to learn about her body and how to make the best choices for it when so much of the medical field and society is dominated by the male perspective. Being equipped with the information to make decisions for herself was an important moment in her journey to becoming the confident woman she is today. Just one of the many reasons she felt St. Kate’s empowered her to recognize that “it is important to take care of yourself and do the things that you want in life.” Being able to make informed decisions with confidence meant she was also able to find her voice and affirm that she mattered and what she had to say was valid. She used this voice to contribute to The Wheel as a student photographer.
The legacy of not only the university, but the students, alumni, curriculum, community, events, and The Wheel is incredibly evident. Our school is a hidden gem that has greatly enriched the lives of many people in a wholly unique way. It makes sense then why these alumni are so passionate about making sure the legacy continues and more women have access to such a great experience. The university should steward the fondness that current students and alumni alike have, and continue improving their admissions and marketing tactics so our school can be recognized for the great place it is and serve many more students in the future.
