What are women to do in Notre Dame's "Old Boys' Club"?
JACQUELINE BROWDER
In Vogue
Is Notre Dame still an "Old Boys' Club"? This may seem like an odd question. After all, there are clearly women at Notre Dame that are paying tuition and living on this campus.
However, the other day a certain saucy professor of mine pointed out that the only women commemorated on this campus are a sinner (the women by the well in front of O'Shaughnessy) and a virgin (Mary on the Dome).
He then alluded to the presumption that the women of the Notre Dame community, and women in general, fall under one of these categories. Now that's certainly not something I remember reading in the Notre Dame brochure.
In my opinion, there has never been such a great time to be a woman. Sinners or saints, we certainly have the freedom to choose our path. Women can be mothers, doctors or both.
No longer are women defined by the men in their lives. From the PTA to the CIA, women are everywhere. However, before we raise our fists triumphantly in the air and run our proverbial victory lap, we must remember that there is still work to be done.
Notre Dame has been co-ed for thirty years now. It has survived the feminist movement, the bra burnings and even the horrible blue eye shadow of the `80s. The male-female ratio is almost equal, and yet, it seems that the campus still caters to men.
Outwardly, the women of the Notre Dame community have broken the mold. We have elected a female student body president. There is a woman marching with the Irish Guard. Our women's basketball program is phenomenal. Saint Mary's remains one of the best liberal arts schools in the country. We're a smart, talented bunch of girls.
However, we're not there yet. The women of this campus may have proven themselves bright, beautiful and independent, but we still encounter a social barrier obstructing our road to success. Although we've maintained excellence in many areas, there are still several issues facing the Notre Dame community that must be improved upon.
To begin, I find it amazing that with all of the emphasis on protecting the female population of Notre Dame, enforcing stricter rules regarding dorm security and avidly promoting women's issues, it took a story in "Cosmopolitan" to generate attention to rape awareness on this campus.
The details of the incident weren't provided in the article, therefore it is difficult to determine exactly who is to blame for the breakdown in communication. However, in an environment where we are almost encouraged to look the other way, now is the time to realize that rape is an issue that can potentially affect everyone on campus.
There's also the persistent issue of critiquing the way women on this campus dress. Every year, earnest contributors to the Viewpoint section debate both sides of the issue, using fashion as a means for breaching the question of sex at Notre Dame.
Whether or not you think black pants, tube tops and glittery eye shadow equal sin and debauchery, I've never seen an article discussing the khakis, baseball caps and Timberlands found on the men of Notre Dame.
And then there's the argument over the "rivalry" between the women of Saint Mary's and Notre Dame. Why is this even an issue? We're women — not militia from conflicting, war-torn countries. When it comes down to it, the only true difference between us is going to be the signatures on our diplomas.
Sinners or saints, we are the women of the Notre Dame community. We've made great strides, but we're not there yet. In some ways our school is still an "Old Boys' Club," catering to the men it educates.
However, all is not lost. When it comes down to it, let's not forget our great University's namesake — after all, it's a woman who stands above the Golden Dome that is Notre Dame.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
All Scene Stories for Wednesday, March 28, 2001
