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Show Monday, March 22, 2010 Page II Views&Opilli011 Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.aggietownsquare.com OurView „..MY WO'13111101VCALORIE RAN IG GUARAM NOT TO EXPAND YOUR WAISTLINE AN INCR. IN FACT, YOWL LOSE 401112s• IN TUCT TWOINEFK5,111 Women in history M arch is Women's History Month, a time when everyone feels the need to voice their opinions about the women's rights movement. In 1978, the public celebration called Women's History Week appeared in Sonama County, Calif., and included International Women's Day, March 8. Then in 1981, Utah's very own Sen. Orrin Hatch (R) as well as Rep. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) co-sponsored a congressional resolution proclaiming National Women's History Week. Finally in 1987, Congress expanded this week-long celebration to a month and, voila, March became Women's History Month. In order to appreciate Women's History Month, it's important to understand what it's here for. One reason for the month is to give more visibility to the cause of women looking for equality. Another is to celebrate great female leaders - such as Sojourner Truth, Mae Jemison, Deborah Sampson, Jane Addams - who sometimes get pushed to the side in discussions of history. However, they deserve their time to be recognized. Let's face it; one month out of the year is really not asking much. Women's history has been an area of study since before the 1970s, and USU is not exempt. Aggies can take part in the Women and Gender Studies Program, which the WGS Web site calls an interdisciplinary program that assists "male and female students, white students and students of color, heterosexual and sexual minorities, to understand the roles that gender plays in the world and in their careers and lives." The program does not just focus on the challenges women face, but it also discusses other issues such as stereotypes of masculinity and heteronormativity. Arguments against the month are populated with words like "feminism" and "femi-Nazis." Those against the month feel it oversteps what it is trying to accomplish, causing reverse sexism. Another argument against is if we have a Women's History Month, there should be a Men's History Month, too, right? Supporters may choose to rebuttal that every other month in the year is Men's History Month. The argument for the month has its roots in feminism, a word that has over time been given a negative connotation and is associated with radicals (think bra burnings). In reality, feminism is defined as "the movement advocating equality of women with men in all areas: social, political, familial, eclesiastically, etc." So now we've got this straight. Feminists are not (necessarily) signholding, peace-sign wearing, shower lacking, butch and scary females out to teach men a lesson, though every social group has its radicals. However, feminists can be found in kitchens (surprise), in the workforce, at universities and elsewhere, in both male and female form. The battles regarding women's rights movements are plentiful, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. No matter what your opinion may be, it boils down to one thing: respect, something everyone deserves. It's not a bad thing to give a little during Women's History Month. T Editor in Chief Patrick Oden News Editor Rachel A. Christensen Assistant News Editor Catherine Meidell Features Editor Courtnie Packer Assistant Features Editor Benjamin Wood Sports Editor Connor Jones Assistant Sports Editor Matt Sonnenberg Copy Editor Mark Vuong Photo Editors Pete Smithsuth Steve Sellers Web Editor Karlie Brand Getting back in the groove T his year was the first time I went on vacation for Spring Break. I got to travel back to my home in the great state of Texas. It was everything I imagined. I enjoyed all the luxuries of being home. Down south "crawfish bowls," playing horseshoes on the beach. The night life in Dallas was amazing. It is the world I want to be a part of. I was very close to sending my best friend home on the plane alone. Spring Break was just that much fun. When I got on the plane and returned to my little room in my big fraternity house, reality set in. I'm still in school! I still have a ton of things to get done so that I can enjoy my summer this year. I have to officially get back in my groove. This won't be too big of a deal for me because I made sure I had all my ducks in a row before I left for break, but I know some of you didn't and you are now embarking on freak-out mode. There is an easy way to fix this. Go see your professors and advisers to get your school work in order. Take it from me: summer school is not that fun. Currently, I have two research papers, three quizzes, a choir performance and vocal recital, master class training, detailed report of what I have done for my internship work and a bowling class league competition to complete by the end of this semester. This is all on top of my other responsibilities with my different organizations, looking for a paid internship and trying to find a car so I can get to the internship! I have to make sure that everything is on track at all times. So I go and talk to the people who control my future billions (OK, more like thousands) in the tips of their Bic pens. Professors can seem very intimidating at times. They stand in front of the room and bellow out facts about things we think we will never use, and then they test us on it and expect us to have paid attention. The strange thing is, outside of that classroom setting, these people are normal human beings. I make it a point to talk to my professors at least twice a semester. Since I have started doing this, not only have my grades improved, but I have gotten to know some pretty awesome professors. They aren't all out to get us. Most of the ones I have worked with have really helped me to do well in their classes. Now this may sound crazy, but it's their job to teach you so that you can graduate. My suspicion is if they teach you and you graduate, when you come back and unload money on the school, the professors get a kick back. Now that's only hearsay from me, but I wouldn't be surprised if "20/20" did a report on it soon. Take this next part to heart. If I had the knowledge at the beginning of my college experience of how powerful a good relationship with your advisers can be, well someone else would be writing this article. I have to take a moment and highlight three of the best advisers in the game. Krystin Deschamps offered me sound advice and sometimes a stern wake-up call as a matriculation adviser for the Retention and Student Success Office. Beth Walden of University Advising walked me through each class that I needed to graduate so that I wasn't running wild from building to building. Mary Leavitt in the HASS Advising Office has helped me keep on pace and find classes that are not just the same boring requirement courses, but classes that are fun, and in one of them I got to shoot a paper rabbit! Here is the thing, these professors and advisers can help you in and out of college. Professors and advisers give some of the best letters of recommendations for summer internships and jobs, especially for those students in specialized majors. My advisers have been ever present in helping me locate different scholarships and grants so that my mind was focused on the academics of school, and not just paying for it. So gird up your loins and pick up the phone or drop an e-mail to your professors and advisers and set those appointments, and instead of planning your summer school courses, you can plan a trip to Texas with me. Earnest Cooper Jr. is a junior in interdisciplinary studies from Dallas, Texas. Cooper is a member of Pi Kappa Alpha and the Black Student Union. Cooper volunteers with GLBTA, is director of the Council of Student Clubs and Organizations and is a member of the Student Advisory Council to President Stan Albrecht. Comments may be left at www.aggietownsquare.com . A way forward on marriage equality he gay rights movement needs to strengthen its ties with the black community. To do so, it should be wary of claiming that marriage equality is the civil rights issue of the 21st century. Such a claim is a big turnoff, according to a new study from the Arcus Foundation. It's supremely tempting to liken the struggle for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights to the civil rights movement. The comparison lends moral authority and historical legitimacy. But this approach isn't working. According to the Arcus study, many black people see the term "civil rights" as referring to a specific political movement, which peaked from the 1950s to the early 1970s. To them, another movement's adoption of the term dilutes the power and uniqueness of their struggle. Moreover, that struggle remains unfinished. Black communities continue to fight voter disenfranchisement, predatory lending, bias in the criminal justice system and labor discrimination. There are plenty of openings, however, to strengthen the connection between black and LGBT people. Hundreds of thousands of people belong Aboutik to both communities. And people of color are adversely affected by homophobic laws, often more so than whites. For instance, in 2004, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute exposed the fact that black women are disproportionately discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." What's more, most blacks support the goal of equal rights for LGBT people. The Arcus study notes that a majority of black people surveyed overwhelmingly support protection for the LGBT community from hate crimes, job discrimination and housing discrimination. To the extent that they show less support for gay marriage than on other issues, black people seem influenced by their religious beliefs, just as whites are. And the lingo of a "new civil rights movement" gets in the way. Let's dispense with that, and focus on how to advance the goals of both groups. First, both the LGBT and the racial justice movement need to shed more light on the racial impact of homophobia. The double prejudice adversely affects many people in both communities. Second, the movements need to work reciprocally. If LGBT leaders want more support from the black community on marriage equality, the gay rights movement should include demands for systemic changes that blacks and other people of color identify, including on issues of affirmative action, voting rights and the criminal justice system. Third, supporters in both movements need to drive resources toward LGBT organizations of color so their vital work can reach more people. By working together, the black and LGBT communities can generate the kind of broad social movement that can expand equal rights for all of us. This column was written by Rinku Sen who is president and executive director of Applied Research Center, a think tank on racial justice, and publisher of ColorLines, the national newsmagazine on race and politics. She can be reached at pmproj@progressive.org. She wrote this for Progressive Media Project, a source of liberal commentary on domestic and international issues; it is affiliated with The Progressive magazine. 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