January 30, 1892

When some 200 alumnae gathered in New York City for the annual winter meeting of the alumnae association, the largest concern—with the possible exception of salaries for women that were equal to those of men doing the same work—was the treatment of Vassar students in the popular press. “Indignant protests were made against the alleged humorous paragraphs and the sensational stories which purport to depict the life of the girls at Vassar…. The articles were a direct injury to the institution. It was decided to appoint a press committee, whose duty it should be to furnish the truth to newspapers on college affairs. The alumnae, it was said, better than any one else, could tell to the public how the girls behaved and what their studies and amusements were.”

The New York Times