Is `alumni `the Correct Spelling For The Female Version?

Question

Is `alumni `the Correct Spelling For The Female Version?

3 Answers

Answer Question

Answer 1

It is possible that one might in fact need to differentiate between male and female alumni...for example, in referring to the graduates of an all-female university. The specific forms are as follows:

One female graduate = an alumna
Multiple female graduates = alumnae
One male graduate = an alumnus
Multiple male (or mixed male and female) graduates = alumni

Political correctness is all well and good, but it shouldn't get in the way of using the proper words when appropriate.

Answer 2

Anonymous answered

Alumni

Answer 3

You should not distinguish between male and female alumni
in the English language, as is done in the Latin languages like Italian where a female professor, becomes a professoressa, and a doctor, doctoressa.
A graduate is the same in both male and female genders, in English.
Therefore it follows that, alumni should follow suit.
There are those people that refer to woman students and male students, however the political correctness of saying, just, students, seems more logical, unless it is necessary to stress due to the context of the situation, that they are male or female, in which case it seems natural. In other cases it seems an uneccessary division