Lucy Cavendish Student Union suggests plans to host a male-only formal

Lucy Cavendish College, once a college for mature women attending the University of Cambridge, is now a college that admits students of all ages and genders. Plans to hold a men-only formal dinner are a herald of the transformation the college is currently experiencing.

In a manifesto detailing roles in the Lucy Cavendish College Student Union (LCCSU), the position of Men’s Officer was described as “a new role [LCCSU] has implemented this year to accommodate male students’ needs and ensure their representation.”

The manifesto released by the incumbent SU also stated that “one of the first tasks will be organising a men’s formal dinner.”

Student reactions were divided. An anonymous female student at Lucy Cavendish explained that they “understood why [the men’s formal] was necessary” and that they believed it would “make men feel more welcome at Lucy, which is important.” A male Lucy student was overheard questioning why the entrance to formal halls was being restricted on the basis of gender.

Lucy Cavendish Library and Marshall House (once home to noted economist Alfred Marshall). Image credits: Wikimedia Commons via the Creative Commons License

Presently, plans for the men-only formal at Lucy are still under development. The college’s plans to expand for the future, however, do not diverge from traditions in that Lucy Cavendish College is still committed to ensuring the representation of students from underrepresented, non-traditional backgrounds.

The college is currently constructing a new, carbon-zero residential hall (“Passivhaus”) at its main site to ensure that the influx of standard-age students and men does not lead to the substitution and decline of opportunities available to mature women.

Featured image credits: Vedika Mandapati