Quantcast The Red and Black
College Media Network

The Red and Black

Search the Archives

 

THE X FACTOR: Keeping minority women on campus a priority

Abstract:
Editor's Note: This is the last in a five-day series exploring the status of women at the University. When Dawn Bennett-Alexander decided to leave the University of North Florida in 1988 to accept a job in the Terry College of Business, her sister had one question: did Athens, Ga....

  • Displaying 1 - 16 of 16

Fed Up

posted 12/05/08 @ 10:26 AM EST

How can a persons race, gender, and sexuality continue to be one of the most pressing issues in both academic and occupational spheres? I am well aware that discrimination still exists in both realms and would be among of the first to condemn it, but I fail to see the merit in continuing to harp on the matter. This past election year, Americans proved that they are ready to make an effort to move forward from the aforementioned issues. It is counter-intuitive to believe that continuing to revisit issues of affirmative action and why it matters is going to do anything in the name of progress. If we are to become a nation, a campus, and a community of open minded individuals we must look past issues like the these and strive towards a society that hires and accepts people on their merit not on which minority subset they fall into.
Post a reply to this comment

Rebecca Jones

posted 12/05/08 @ 10:40 AM EST

Must be nice and safe to say things like that as a straight white man. Correct me if I am wrong "Fed Up," but you are a straight white guy right? Because only someone who has never lost a job or an opportunity due to discrimination could suggest that moving beyond these issues is so simple. That's why we need to "harp" on things. Bigotry often blinds people, preventing them from seeing the merit that lies beyond the difference.
Post a reply to this comment

d

posted 12/05/08 @ 11:33 AM EST

Originally posted by

Rebecca Jones

 Must be nice and safe to say things like that as a straight white man. Correct me if I am wrong "Fed Up," but you are a straight white guy right? Because only someone who has never lost a job or an opportunity due to discrimination could suggest that moving beyond these issues is so simple. That's why we need to "harp" on things. Bigotry often blinds people, preventing them from seeing the merit that lies beyond the difference.


Well said, Rebecca. There is so much more work to be done. When I read articles like this, I always wish that it reaches someone who needs to hear it - and empowers those who work every day to fight for it.
Post a reply to this comment

Natalie Blackburn

posted 12/05/08 @ 1:56 PM EST

Good job R&B. You can't even get my last name right? I clearly spelled Blackburn for the reporter and somehow I still ended up Byrns? There's no "y" there. Not to mention that if someone individually called me "a male transgender student who identifies as female" I'd be pretty offended. I'm Female! That's the point of this series, right? To explore the experiences of women on campus?

I applaud you for being willing to go there. Really I do. But, surely getting it right isn't too hard, is it?
Post a reply to this comment

Zac Efron

posted 12/06/08 @ 3:33 AM EST

Originally posted by

Natalie Blackburn

 Good job R&B. You can't even get my last name right? I clearly spelled Blackburn for the reporter and somehow I still ended up Byrns? There's no "y" there. Not to mention that if someone individually called me "a male transgender student who identifies as female" I'd be pretty offended. I'm Female! That's the point of this series, right? To explore the experiences of women on campus?

I applaud you for being willing to go there. Really I do. But, surely getting it right isn't too hard, is it?


If you can't have babies, you're a man.
Post a reply to this comment

Natalie Blackburn

posted 12/08/08 @ 2:18 PM EST

Originally posted by

Natalie Blackburn

 Good job R&B. You can't even get my last name right? I clearly spelled Blackburn for the reporter and somehow I still ended up Byrns? There's no "y" there. Not to mention that if someone individually called me "a male transgender student who identifies as female" I'd be pretty offended. I'm Female! That's the point of this series, right? To explore the experiences of women on campus?

I applaud you for being willing to go there. Really I do. But, surely getting it right isn't too hard, is it?



That really is a closed-minded view of the gender system in our society today. I also wonder how infertile women and post-menopausal women with world over would take it when you inform them that they're actually men.

Believe me, if you saw photos, you wouldn't see "man".
Post a reply to this comment

c'mon...

posted 12/05/08 @ 2:21 PM EST

Disclaimer: I am a middle class socially accepted straight white male. oh wait...i guess that means i don't deserve an opinion on this matter. never mind.
Post a reply to this comment

oplease

posted 12/05/08 @ 2:28 PM EST

Please Rebecca, tell us the jobs you have lost because you are not a straight white man. With the rise of affirmative action, it's more likely that Fed Up has lost out on a job, or college admission, or whatever because he is in fact a straight white man. But please, continue to preach about victimhood, I'm sure people will never get tired of it.
Post a reply to this comment

Natalie Blackburn

posted 12/05/08 @ 3:33 PM EST

@oplease

I'm sorry, but you really can't pull the "reverse -ism" trick. The fact is that straight, white men are still the dominant force in most systems in this country. Women still make $.70 on the dollar and there are still congressmen who don't believe in equal pay for equal work. It's not that women (generally) think of ourselves as victims. We're more than happy to do equal work and play by the rules. The problem is when the rules are skewed against us.
Post a reply to this comment

Fed Up

posted 12/05/08 @ 4:03 PM EST

So penalizing me, the straight white man, is the acceptable solution? I'm quite sure it was some wise old straight white man (maybe one of the founding fathers????) who said two wrongs don't make a right. Affirmative Action has served it's purpose, like it or not. And as for the congressmen who you claim don't believe in equal pay for equal work, that is their ignorant constituencies fault for putting them in office, not mine. So again, don't penalize me. Also, I've seen those estimates of women's pay at around $.80 on the dollar and also I've heard possible reasons why. Women are not as likely to stay in the work force as long as men (for obvious traditional familial reasons) and thus have less time to earn promotions and raises. Also, women are more likely to work part time jobs, which traditionally pay less than full time ones. As oplease stated; the role of the victim is getting quite platitudinous.
Post a reply to this comment

Please!

posted 12/06/08 @ 6:22 PM EST

Originally posted by

Fed Up

 So penalizing me, the straight white man, is the acceptable solution? I'm quite sure it was some wise old straight white man (maybe one of the founding fathers????) who said two wrongs don't make a right. Affirmative Action has served it's purpose, like it or not. And as for the congressmen who you claim don't believe in equal pay for equal work, that is their ignorant constituencies fault for putting them in office, not mine. So again, don't penalize me. Also, I've seen those estimates of women's pay at around $.80 on the dollar and also I've heard possible reasons why. Women are not as likely to stay in the work force as long as men (for obvious traditional familial reasons) and thus have less time to earn promotions and raises. Also, women are more likely to work part time jobs, which traditionally pay less than full time ones. As oplease stated; the role of the victim is getting quite platitudinous.


Regardless of how you horrendously try to justify women's unequal pay (how ridiculous and disgusting!!!), there are tons of women in professional, full-time jobs that get paid less than a man at the same business and in the same position with the same responsibilities. Just look at the female professors' pay at this university. And trust me, I'm sure you won't ever be penalized as a straight, white man; in fact, you'll probably end up with better pay then me at the same job, so no worries. How nice it must be to know that you don't have to work any harder than someone else in order to get ahead. And please, the role of ignorant, discriminating asshole is getting somewhat tired.

Thanks!
Post a reply to this comment

oplease

posted 12/05/08 @ 5:47 PM EST

Natalie,

I'm not claiming "reverse"-ism at all. I'm just saying that Rebecca's victimhood whining is BS, because members of the majority can lose out on jobs just like she claims has happened to her. Maybe that's equality, but I'm not too worried about it. I've always found that hard work and self-reliance provide better results than whining.

I don't deny that straight white men still control most of the institutions in this country with the notable exceptions of the executive branch and the armed forces (straight black man) and the legislative branch (straight white woman).

That aside, maybe you do have some valid concerns, but I have yet to see any valid solutions.
Post a reply to this comment

Natalie Blackburn

posted 12/07/08 @ 2:38 AM EST

Originally posted by

oplease

 Natalie,

I'm not claiming "reverse"-ism at all. I'm just saying that Rebecca's victimhood whining is BS, because members of the majority can lose out on jobs just like she claims has happened to her. Maybe that's equality, but I'm not too worried about it. I've always found that hard work and self-reliance provide better results than whining.

I don't deny that straight white men still control most of the institutions in this country with the notable exceptions of the executive branch and the armed forces (straight black man) and the legislative branch (straight white woman).

That aside, maybe you do have some valid concerns, but I have yet to see any valid solutions.


Talking about it is part of the solution. Keeping people informed so they can't claim ignorance is part of the solution. I'm sorry if that sounds like whining.

Also, in all of your examples, those are recent developments. Obama isn't President yet, and Nancy Pelosi hardly has a single handed control over the Senate. Not to mention Dick Cheney who runs the House.
Post a reply to this comment

Jennifer O'Neill

posted 12/05/08 @ 9:20 PM EST

I strongly agree with "Fed Up". I am personally fed up with the attention people draw to themseves which keeps the issue in existance.
Post a reply to this comment

Rob

posted 12/06/08 @ 10:07 AM EST

Why is hiring people on the basis of their race less "racist" than not hiring them on the basis of their race? Affirmative action is a morally bankrupt and misguided system, and creates more problems than it solves. The obvious problem is encouraging mediocrity by promoting and hiring people who are not necessarily the best qualified, which damages the institution. Even when a black student or job candidate is highly qualified, people will assume he or she got the position on the basis of his or her race.
Post a reply to this comment

What a Shame...

posted 12/06/08 @ 6:01 PM EST

Yes, it is a shame that we have to use affirmative action in order to attempt to have a diverse group of highly qualified candidates in the workplace. Unfortunately, because people can't do this on their own, policies have to enforce it. Having diversity at work is in fact beneficial to the business because people from different backgrounds can provide different angles and ideas representative of the rest of the population.
Post a reply to this comment
  • Displaying 1 - 16 of 16

Post Your Comment

  • NOTE: Email address will not be published

Type your comment below (html not allowed)

  I understand posting spam or other comments that are unrelated to this article will cause my comment to be flagged for deletion and possibly cause my IP address to be permanently banned from this server.

 

 

Advertisement

Poll

Hmm, what to make of Kentucky vs. Georgia:
Submit Vote

View Results



Advertisement