The University's recently released Women's Initiative highlights many of the issues facing undergraduate women--the Bryan Center "catwalk-way," pressure to carry the latest handbag and social influences to be thinner. However, while University officials suggested potential improvements to the social scene, they also stressed that any meaningful change must originate with students.
Administrators on campus, many of whom who also participated in the creation of the report, have planned meetings and retreats with aims of addressing the issues.
"We're already seeing an organic influence [from the report] in every one of our departments by simply thinking differently about gender," Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta said. Citing a campus climate embedded with hierarchical status determined by year and greek affiliation, the report describes an atmosphere for undergraduate women filled with pressures. "Undergraduates described a social environment characterized by what one sophomore called 'effortless perfection': the expectation that one would be smart, accomplished, fit, beautiful and popular, and that all this would happen without visible effort," the Initiative states.
The report discusses other issues often facing undergraduate women as the frequent occurrence of superficial sexual relations; concerns about safety; lack of leadership opportunities and a campus climate hostile to gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender students.
One such issue that administrators hope to tackle is the lack of a dating scene. "We did the research and one of the things we found was discussed among both male and female students was about the lack of dating and the [pervasiveness of the] hook-up culture," said Director of the Women's Center Donna Lisker.
"I don't think for a minute that I or the Women's Center can change that, because there's nothing students would dislike more than to have staff mandating their social life," Lisker said. "Students are going to have to tackle that one, with our support."
Lisker referenced to the possibility of ingraining into the social programming culture at Duke a "date night" like those found at other universities. "Maybe it was Emily [Grey, Trinity '03, chair of the Duke Inquiries in Gender and a Women's Initiative committee member] who said on some campuses, there was a date night where fraternities wouldn't have parties so it could be a date night," Lisker said.
Other student leaders found the report helpful and believed that its findings would influence their activities.
"[The Women's Initiative] will certainly influence the manner in which we distribute funds with our programming committee," said Anthony Vitarelli, president of Campus Council. "We are always looking for ideas that are innovative, and supporting the goals of the Women's Initiative is now a priority."
Elizabeth Dixon, Duke Student Government vice president of student affairs, concurred with Vitarelli. "I am using [the Women's Initiative] as a student leader to provide for new programming that encourages conversations about gender issues between women and men," she said.
Administrators stressed that rather than them dictating change, students must instead be the motivated force. Lisker recognized how administrators could not force a cultural shift on undergraduates without their support or involvement.
"It has to be a student initiative or it's not going to work," she said.
Administrators alternatively see their role as complementing student life and assisting students with the issues they face. "We need to figure out where the gaps are in terms of enhancing student life and then come up with a plan and a strategy for addressing those gaps," Director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Center Karen Krahulik said.
Karen Hauptman contributed to this story.
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