Category Archives: Uncategorized

Gender Equality: It’s about burning Jock Straps, too!

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For the past few days, I have been watching the Women’s Leadership Institute 2010 hashtag  (#WLI10). In the beginning, I was just lurking and watching from afar. But then I started to comment and Re-Tweet a few of them. At the urging of @EricStoller, I started “shouting it from the roof tops” that I was really enjoying watching and learning.

The idea of “hiding” my interest in the topic got me thinking; how do I support gender equality on a day to day basis? As the title suggests, it is not enough for women to be the only ones fighting for gender equality (along with a play on a historical symbol of feminism). This isn’t just a women’s issue, it is a human issue.

I have to admit, prior to about 6 months ago, this question didn’t really enter into my mind. I thought I was enlightened, I supported equality, of course women are equal to men, its 2010 after all. That all changed when I arrived at my current position. When you are directly responsible for a 300 bed all-male hall, and a 120 bed all-female hall, you are in the trenches of the gender equality battle. Looking back, I am thankful I was placed here, because it opened up my eyes to an issue that I can no longer afford to stay silent on and not work towards on a daily basis.

Thankfully, I have a supervisor that encourages me to address issues like this. So I began to develop a program with the goal of fostering alternative views of masculinity in my all-male hall. Now, while that may seem counter-intuitive to support equality by fostering masculinity, I can assure you it is not. This was an incredibly well thought our program, in which participants would examine the social construction of masculinity and develop their own idea and identity at the end, devoid of external pressure and a view that valued women as equals (can you sense the young professional idealism present here?). After two separate attempts, I had a total of zero people show up to the programs. I still think the lesson is strong, and have the programs already thought out should the opportunity present itself.

My next idea was to work with the Bystander Intervention program we have at my institution, Green Dot. My initial interest came from hazing prevention and the role bystanders play in that, but it grew the more I found out about the potential of these programs. It was as if a light bulb went off over my head.

The way to stop gender inequality is to stop watching it happen and say something about it. If one of my students makes an off-color joke about gender, I talk to them about it afterwards. I make an example of myself, and point out that I enjoy cooking, baking, and an occasional romantic comedy not featuring Seth Rogan. I watch my own language and don’t use terms like “rule of thumb”, “man up”, or other phrases like that (I still do have the bit of Philly in me that says “You Guys” when addressing a group, nobody is perfect).

Just being aware that I have the ability and responsibility to promote gender equality has made me feel more comfortable addressing it. Even my “failed” program on masculinity has created an opportunity for people to come talk to me about gender issues on campus. From that, I was also asked to submit a program proposal for the Southwestern Black Leadership Conference, something that I never thought I would have the opportunity to do.

I am in no ways an expert in this, but the important thing to remember in promoting equality is that you don’t need to be an expert to help. As they say in the Green Dot program, no one needs to do everything, but everyone needs to do something.

So how about it, how are you working to promote gender equality in your day to day interactions?

One Quote to Define Us?

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“Dreams are what students are made of. If you want to predict the future, ask what students are dreaming” – Melvene Hardee

So the title of this blog may be a little strange, until you know the context. I think I shall dedicate this first blog to explaining that context.

Why is it that we seem like everything we do, our philosophy on life, work, love, etc., needs to boil down to one quote? When you do ice breakers in a group, one of the questions that is inevitably asked is, “What quote/lyrics/motto do you feel describes you and why?” With that mindset upon entering graduate school, I decided I had to pick one quote that summed up not only me, but my philosophy in working with students.

I was attending Florida State University (Go Noles), and the Higher Education Program there was founded by a woman named Melvene Hardee. For most of my first year, I simply looked at her as a person who had their picture in the office that the faculty used, and started this thing called the LifeNet, a way for alumni to stay informed about the program and the current students.

It wasn’t until the beginning of my second year when I heard the quote that would go on to define my professional work, which is seen at the beginning of this post. It was read simply, and could have been forgotten had something on that day touched me with it, and I realized that all I hope to inspire in students is dreams. Dreams of what their involvement can look like, of what their community will accomplish, of how their programs and initiatives can be bigger and better.

And then it hit me… I am in the business of making dreams come true (maybe I was Walt Disney in a prior life). My ability to directly affect the University I work at is limited to the number of students I can inspire to dream bigger. Be that in small groups, 1 on 1 meetings, advising, supervising, or just remembering a student’s name, every interaction is an opportunity to make a life better than it was prior to your involvement.

So while I have left the program and the institution that has direct connection to Dr. Hardee, I can take her message of inspiration to a new group. I guess you can say that I am trying to live through that, and create an environment where student dreams really do shape our future. While I never had the chance to meet Dr. Hardee face to face, I like to think she would approve of her message going to anyone who gets an e-mail from me.

So what are your students dreaming, and how can you help them be better than they think is possible?