elitism

From a class discussion in Introduction to Critical Feminist Studies I, a student at Bryn Mawr College, became interested in the possibility of the attitude of elitism not only existing on campus among students but also being fostered by faculty, administration and other influential people at the college. The Compact Oxford English Dictionary gives as a definition of elitism: "noun 1 the belief that a society or system should be run by an elite. 2 the superior attitude or behaviour associated with an elite (elitism)." From this I gathered that I was more interested in the first definition and that I needed to know what 'an elite' was. The same dictionary