Twenty-seven people--Men, women, people of various races, columnists and non-columnists of The Chronicle, greeks, independents, and even Duke parents--gathered in the Women's Center Wednesday night for a discussion about the various stereotypes of women presented in The Chronicle.
The crowd brought attention to the fact that women are often depicted as either one extreme or another--either the sorority girl or the bra-burning feminist--without any happy medium.
In addition, an overwhelming majority of attendees at the discussion believed that the women represented in The Chronicle's editorial pages do not accurately represent women or women's issues on campus.
"Just because some women are not in The Chronicle everyday does not mean their voices are not heard," junior Priscilla Mpasi said. "It's heard by people who need to hear it. It's not how loud you are, it's what you have to say."
Mpasi also noted the need for minority women to have a voice in the editorial pages. "Black females experience totally different things," she said. "People push me back because I'm black, on top of that I'm a woman, so I get pushed back even more."
Most everyone also agreed with the claim that women do not get the same respect for their efforts that men do.
"Women back [the campaign boycotting] Mt. Olive Pickle's and [join] Students Against Sweatshops--men go to DSG, which does less, but looks better on a resume," said Meghan Valerio, a senior and columnist for The Chronicle. "Women don't parade themselves around [the way men do]. They do powerful things, but work in their own way."
Senior Liz Tabone noted that women often act for change in ways that have a smaller, but more direct impact on society, and that such efforts should not be ignored.
"We shouldn't marginalize women who do things on a micro-level. [There are many] women who want to be teachers and change children's perceptions on race and equality," she said. "We need to respect the choices that all women make career-wise, whether they choose to be a CEO or teacher."
Most people at the discussion took issue with the many columns written by female students that only discuss social or greek issues, a topic the group said alienates minorities, homosexuals and those not involved with the Interfraternity or Panhellenic Councils.
Freshman Shadee Malaklou, also a columnist for The Chronicle, held firm to her notion that women need to be emancipated from the norms of Duke society.
"Women at Duke have problems with being individuals and independent on their own," she said. "My main agenda is to create a discourse; self-promotion is not my goal. I may seem tactless, flamboyant and without self-control, but I want people to take things into consideration."
Although Malaklou's column has sparked controversy on campus over the past four months, some members of the group remained appreciative.
"The fact that a freshman is noticing and writing these things on campus should be valued," said Anna Fisher, a senior and program organizer for the Women's Center. "It's like the child who noticed the emperor without clothes."
The group also pinpointed one of the main problems holding women's empowerment back. "What scares me the most is not that men are holding us back," said Katie Mitchell, a senior and former president of Delta Delta Delta sorority. "It's women who are knocking [other] women down."
Mpasi analogized women's issues at Duke to a struggle in which would-be allies are turned against each other. "It's like crabs in a barrel," she explained. "All of the crabs are clawing at each other, but nobody is offering any support to anyone else."
Although at times participants strayed from their initial topic, the discussion ended with a challenge.
"We need to work together instead of pulling each other down," Fisher said. "There is a divisive way to produce discourse and a constructive way. It's important to know the difference between criticism and critique."
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