Men's Colleges in America

Theodore Malvis is the name. Who am I? A tall, good-looking young black man who happens to be the hero of this story. Adventure is the nature of my game. Well, that's my hidden passion, anyway. In my everyday life, I'm a student at Graystone University. It's a small, private Roman Catholic school located in the small town of Graystone, Kansas. I found out about this school during the second semester of my senior year in high school. Back then, I lived in Boston,Massachusetts. I was a student at Boston Military Academy, an all-male private high school. My favorite professor, Mr. Shane, told me about Graystone University, his alma mater. I checked it out. I liked it. I applied and got accepted. The following September, I moved to Graystone, Kansas to pursue a major in Computer Science, with a minor in Criminal Justice.

Graystone University was founded in 1980, at the bequest of James Graystone III, last surviving descendant of Alexander Graystone, the Englishman who founded the town which bears his name in 1880. It's unlike every other school in America. Graystone University is a single-sex establishment of higher education. It has two educational institutions, Goodson College and Marie Anne Academy. Goodson College is an all-male college. Anne Marie Academy is an all-female college. They are both governed by the same administration, but on two different campuses. Goodson College is located three miles outside of the town of Graystone, while Anne Marie Academy is located in the heart of the city. Graystone University has a thirty-thousand-person student body, which is evenly divided between the sexes. The town of Graystone has a population of one hundred thousand people and most of the high school graduates end up attending Graystone University. I arrived at a town where everybody basically knew everybody.

Graystone University was so different. I'm a firm supporter of single-sex education. My father, Boston fireman George Malvis is a Morehouse College alumnus. My mother, Boston City policewoman Elisabeth Monroe Malvis attended an all-female college too, back in the day. If we had single-sex education in public schools, there wouldn't be such a disparity between the sexes in higher education. Men and women learn differently. Male students need to be taught according to their unique needs and strengths, and the same needs to be done for female students. There's no one-size-fits-all when it comes to education. The sooner all of us realize this, the better. I'm glad I chose Graystone University. It has quickly become home away from home.

What first impressed me about Goodson College, the all-male campus of Graystone University was how lively it was. I was in Boys Town. And I absolutely loved it. Finally, a place where a man could be himself. There's a certain anti-male atmosphere in many institutions of higher education. The authorities are very quick to blame male students for everything that goes wrong. The college man is vulnerable. That's political correctness gone too far for you. I'm glad I won't have to put up with it at my new school. The campus was diverse. The young men came from every walk of life. They were Black, White, Asian, Latin and Middle-Eastern. Young men could be seen walking about, going on about their business. What a nice change. At most college campuses, male students are becoming scarce. And those who attend don't get much out of the experience, thanks to empowered man-haters among the faculty and student body. You know what I'm talking about. You've seen them. If you disagree, you're either living in denial or completely biased.

I checked out the dorms. They were neat, meant to be shared by two students. I met my roommate. His name was Harold Jackson, and he came from Connecticut. A tall, good-looking young man with blond hair and pale green eyes. We shook hands, and he even helped me unpack my stuff. What a nice guy. Later, he gave me a tour of the campus. We checked out the Science, Mathematics, Liberal Arts, Engineering and Art Departments. Large brownstone buildings which looked imposing on the eighty-acre campus. At the center of the campus, near the faculty offices, was the Men's Center. A counseling service which was free to all students. Male college students had an alarmingly high rate of depression and suicide. That's why Graystone University created the Men's Center, to reach out to them. Harold showed me the Athletics Department. A large, steel-gray building that easily dwarfed all of the other buildings on campus. We went inside, and I was amazed. The place was something else. Massive, bright, and totally state-of-the-art. It housed the Basketball Courts, which doubled up as Wrestling Mats, the Indoor Track Courts and also the Swimming Pool. Outside, there was the Football Field, a massive complex designed to seat at least twenty thousand people.

Harold told me all about the sports programs. Goodson College was an athletic powerhouse which not even Kansas State University could touch. We have Men's Intercollegiate Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Wrestling, Swimming, Water Polo, Crew, Fencing, Gymnastics, Ice Hockey, Tennis, Golf, Lacrosse, Track, Bowling, Football, Volleyball and Rifle. I was impressed. At a time when many colleges and universities were cutting sports to cooperate with outdated gender quotas set up by the federal government, Goodson College was beefing up its sports programs. This year, they added Men's Soccer and Nordic Skiing to the program. They had sports clubs in Men's Cycling, Boxing, Horsemanship and Sumo Wrestling. Goodson College was the only school in America with an all-male riding team. The Goodson College sportsmen were collectively known as the Red Lions. Man, was I in a good school or what? Man, this was the school of the future. I wish more colleges were like this. Harold told me that Graystone University was a school which cared about its students, instead of screwing them over like so many others routinely did. I was elated!

We left campus and got into Harold's Volkswagen. He drove us through town, and we went to Anne Marie Academy, the all-female college which served as counterpart to Goodson College. The first thing I noticed about Anne Marie Academy is how loud it was. You'd think an all-female campus would be a lot quieter than an all-male campus. Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but women are louder. I looked far and wide, and as far as my eyes could see, there were women. Women, women and more women. Every shape and size. Every race and ethnicity. How about that? Since Goodson College and Anne Marie Academy were governed by the same administrative body, students from both campuses could mingle anytime. It's only the classes which were single-sex.

Harold handed me a brochure, and I turned it down. Why look at a damn brochure when I could see for myself? We walked around the campus. Again, so many women. I got distracted. I mean, I saw tall, athletic types and curvy gals and in-betweens. Pretty girls. Very pretty girls. Not-so-pretty girls. And ugly girls. Yeah, the entire spectrum. Muscular girls. Chubby girls. Lean girls. Hot damn. I liked what I saw. Harold was approached by a tall, sexy young woman with long black hair, light bronze skin and gray eyes. She wore a crimson letterman jacket. Harold smiled and kissed her, then introduced us. The young woman looked me up and down. Claire Kesson was her name. She was a member of the Women's Intercollegiate Rugby team at Anne Marie Academy. Damn, a sexy female jock. Harold was a lucky man.

I congratulated Claire on how neat and lively her campus was. She smiled, and told me all about it. The college was lively, and she described some of her classmates as catty but said it was nothing she couldn't handle. She came from a family full of guys, many of whom were college football players. Apparently, Claire's brother Lawrence played football for Kansas State University. Claire herself played varsity football in high school and was the captain of the Women's Rugby team at her college. I was really impressed. Anne Marie Academy was the first college in America to create a Women's Rugby team at the varsity level. They had a good sports program as well. Anne Marie Academy sportswomen were collectively known as the Red Lionesses. Anne Marie Academy offered Women's Intercollegiate Basketball, Softball, Wrestling, Squash, Cross Country, Rugby, Gymnastics, Fencing, Nordic Skiing, Volleyball, Field Hockey, Ice Hockey, Soccer, Equestrian, Rifle, Pistol, Track, Swimming and Water Polo. They had sports clubs in Women's Cycling, Boxing, Sumo Wrestling and Ultimate Frisbee. As was the case with Goodson College, Anne Marie Academy's sports teams competed in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division Three.

Later that day, Harold and Claire invited me to dinner in a little Chinese restaurant off-campus. We sat down in this nice little bistro, ordered some Chinese food and talked about college life. Harold had one more surprise in store for me. He was a member of the Varsity Football team at Goodson College. How about that? I looked from him to Claire, then shook my head. The waiter brought us our food. Harold and Claire were both college athletes so they watched what they ate. Me, I'm a Cyber Athlete. The original web geek. Cyberspace is my gridiron, my court and my field. No working out required, except in your fingertips. I ordered me some orange chicken, shrimp-fried rice and a coke, delighted to splurge, especially on someone else's tab.

I smiled and listened as Harold and Claire told me how they met. They were both Graystone University freshmen at the time and bumped into each other at a Basketball game. That's when the College Football stud and the Women's Rugby star fell in love. Two years later, they were engaged and still very much in love. I must say, they really made a cute couple. And they were so devoted to each other. Claire made a point to always attend Harold's Football games and he always came to her Rugby matches. Man, that's devotion for you. I told them that I found their love touching and refreshing. they smiled at each, and kissed. I smiled too. Man, I'm one lucky dude. It's my first day of college, I've made some cool new friends and I'm living the good life. Can things get any better?