St. Francis College alumna, Diane Trapp '75 gave her perspective on the merge of the college from male only to a coeducation facility. She was a member of the cheerleading squad which began in 1971 with Donna Wade and Joanne Trexler.
The cheerleading squad was created at the same time the college became open to female students and helped the 16 girls on the team build a reputation and name for themselves through the social transition going on in the college.
"We were originally under the supervision of the Student Activities Council and were given a budget of I think $50. This didn't get us too far, so we had to purchase our own uniforms and pay our own way to games. There was even one year we made our uniforms."
In Diane's junior year, she approached Athletic Director, Dan Lynch and asked him to accept the squad as an official athletic team. After he agreed, the team was able to buy new uniforms and ride on the team buses. Being an athletic team also provided them with a reasonable budget.
As an athlete during the merge of women into an all-male college, Diane says the ratio of men to women was 16 to one. In most of her classes, she was the only female.
Diane says she was nervous at first but "most girls sought each other out and helped each other get through the difficult times."
Her professors offered her help during the transition, and the small class sizes and family environment were very appealing to her.
When asked to advise the female athletes at SFC today, Trapp said: "work hard, have fun, be yourself and stay true to who you are."
Since her graduation in 1975, she has married her college sweetheart, also an SFC Alumnus, had two children and now has four grandchildren. Last year, Diane and her husband traveled to Assisi and visited the Basilica of St. Francis.
After describing the breathtaking beauty of the church, Dianne said "This was so befitting that a Saint taught us all the meaning of love, peace, and humility. Life has been good to me, and I feel very blessed."
