Three students are hoping that by dedicating the 20th of each month to casual clothes and constructive conversation they will help draw attention to issues touched on in the Women's Initiative report.
Seniors Julie Kalishman, Ishar Carmichael and Jennifer Marron, a Chronicle photographer, are instituting a campus-wide "comfort day" this Thursday, encouraging the University community to take a "me first" attitude while discussing the report's findings inside and outside of class. The day will also feature a discussion panel, covering the first in an array of topics they hope to hold in months to come.
This month's panel is entitled "Balancing Career and Family," a concern raised in the initiative. The panel will be comprised of six faculty, including psychology professor Susan Roth, who chaired the Women's Initiative Executive Committee; Donna Lisker, director of the Women's Center; and Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek.
"We're very lucky to have a panel of people with different successes in life," Kalishman said.
The idea for the day came to the students when they were assigned a project in their leadership studies class taught by Public Policy Professor of the Practice Anthony Brown.
Brown hopes "comfort day" will realize the goal of the assignment--to analyze the issue of "effortless perfection" and come up with a specific action to address the problem.
"If it stimulates thought-provoking dialogue, it will be wonderful," Brown said.
However, he added that the success of the project depends on the community's reaction to it.
"'Comfort day' is [designed] to trigger discussion," Brown said. "Just having 'comfort day' itself doesn't get us closer to our goal."
Marron, also a photographer for The Chronicle, expressed similar sentiments, explaining that although some students may be frustrated by continued discussion that does not lead to action, implementing the project would encourage active involvement.
She also envisioned discussion being generated across gender boundaries.
"This is not meant to be a gendered event," Marron said. "We want guys participating in this as much as possible."
Marron added that both men and women face peer pressures and societal expectations and both could benefit from discussion about such issues.
Kalishman said the group is currently looking for a student group to assume control of the project when they graduate next semester. However she noted that they will be tracking the project's sustainability.
"We don't want to give someone a broken product. But we do have another semester to play around with it," Kalishman said.
The students also hope to make participants in "comfort day" more comfortable by encouraging them to dress as they please, and not conform to societal expectations.
"Everyone has that day when they don't want to put on real clothes," Marron said.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.