One of the great narratives in American culture is our quest to ensure that the "blessings of liberty" are given to all Americans, regardless of money, race, national origin, religious preference, sexual orientation or gender. Sadly, the most pervasive areas in which our society fails us is when it comes to promoting the equality of the genders.
The case for equality is clear. In the 21st century, women are still paid less than men are. They are underrepresented in the halls of our government and in our armed forces. At the same time, men face significant barriers to being able to take time off to care for an ailing family member. They face social stigmas when choosing certain career paths, and they are often assigned different tasks based solely on their gender.
We as a society must address these instances of gender inequality, and that change must come from our institutions of higher learning, where the minds and views of the future American public are shaped and taught to think critically. Neither Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., nor Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., got it quite right in their most recent debate; Martin Luther King and President Lyndon B. Johnson were both important to the passage of the Civil Rights Act, but it took a society to make that system work.
Thankfully, we attend a university where the sensitivity to inequality and a desire to change the status quo are very strong. AU has made some significant advancement in the realm of equality by enacting policy, creating research centers and by creating a positive work environment for faculty, staff and students.
One particular standout is the Women's Initiative. WI does a great job every year with its annual Breastival, its excellent Rape Aggression Defense training and its informative speaker program. Most importantly, WI helps to bridge the gap between academics and students. However, the problem is that there are many offices, departments and centers throughout the university that help address this issue. It is unreasonable to expect students working part-time for little pay to be able to connect all of the disparate parts of campus and help address this important issue.
Thankfully, the Office of Campus Life has stepped out and created an online Women's Resource Center. This Web site brings together research centers, health information and other issues of particular interest to women. The Web site is great; however, it does not provide the services and educational events that only physical offices can provide. The political reality is that the good work of the Women's Initiative office is just one senate session away from extinction. Like clockwork, there will be a movement towards the end of the spring semester to greatly cut back on the budget for the office, or possibly even dissolve it in favor of shifting the monies to broader student programming.
The community must make sure now that the Web site is not the final step, but rather a first one, in creating a gender-affairs office that will provide the programming and work that Women's Initiative currently provides and then some, perhaps even addressing issues men face when it comes to expressing their own gender identity.
I call upon student leaders, the student body and the university to start addressing this important issue and secure funding for a gender affairs office. A commitment from the university or a professional staff member and guaranteed funding will help ensure that issues related to gender expression and issues of gender inequality are addressed without fear of future budget cuts from a fickle senate.
Peter Brusoe is a doctoral student in the School of Public Affairs and the new campus affairs columnist for The Eagle.
