“The fact is, the college deliberately deceived the students,” said Pete
Carmen, of the Syracuse firm MacKenzie Hughes LLP and lawyer for the
plaintiffs. The suit alleges that while the college was actively
recruiting students for an all-women’s college, the college’s Board of
Trustees had been developing its plan to admit male students. The campus
tour guides were specifically instructed in their 2003-2004 campus tour
guide training manual to say “no” when asked if “Wells was going co-ed.”

“Having thoroughly reviewed the facts and law in the case, I am totally
confident that the students will prevail,” said Pamela Purcell, attorney
and mother of a current Wells student. “The college’s deception of these
and countless other students was inexcusable.”

The plaintiffs are asking for a preliminary injunction enjoining the
school from admitting men until the fall of 2008 (the fall after the
graduation of this year’s freshmen class).

“We’re asking for very limited relief,” says Pete Carmen. “We just want
the women who applied to and were accepted by a women’s college to be
able to graduate from a woman’s college.”

The Wells for Women Legal fund is collecting donations for the legal
challenge. Donations may be sent to 12975 House Road, Clayton 13624. For
more information see the alumnae-run website www.WellsForWomen.org.

A group of parents, students, and alumnae also allege gross
mismanagement on the part of the college’s current administration,
including the anticipated loss of a $14 million endowment from the
Richard U. Light Foundation if the college becomes co-ed. The Light
Foundation money has been used to fund scholarships for leaders for the
past several years.

Wells College is a four-year liberal arts college of about 400 women
located in the tiny village of Aurora, New York. It was founded as a
women’s college in 1868 by Henry Wells, founder of American Express and
Wells Fargo.

Protests against the co-ed decision have disrupted the normally quiet
campus for several months. Within days of the announcement by the Board
of Trustees, 217 of the 302 students resident on campus had signed a
petition supporting the protest against the decision. Dozens of students
occupied the administration building for a week. Alumnae from all over
the country came to campus to support the student protest, and nearly
800 have signed a petition challenging the decision. Many parents joined
the students for a protest march during "Family Weekend," and a majority
of parents support the continuation of the protest through legal action.

MORE INFO AVAILABLE AT:
www.WellsForWomen.org