To President Gearan, as representative of the institution of Hobart and William Smith Colleges:
As the Women’s Studies Senior Seminar, we nearing the end of our undergraduate experience,
we are proud to soon become alumnae. Our time here at the colleges has made significant
changes in our lives through our identity as feminists. As we prepare to leave Geneva and enter
into the work force, we want to leave the following demands to further enforce policies such as
Title IX and strengthen the campus through equity, not equality. Below are changes that speak to
the needs expressed by students at our public forum held in the Scandling Center:
1. The resource and access for William Smith women to learn how to donate back to the
colleges in ways that they wished would have been done during their time.
2. The equalizing of funds between the Arts Department and the Athletics Department, both
equally being a part of the liberal arts education promoted here at the colleges.
3. Equal representation in faculty, resources, career services networking for all majors,
again a part of gaining interdisciplinary studies.
4. Increase in the variety as well as a decrease in the feminization of William Smith gear at
the college store to widen visibility of both sides of the coordinate system. These options
are not provided because we were never given them in the first place.
5. The resource and access for William Smith students to be provided "Graduated Women
Workshops" that give us the vital advice and information that is needed for our
preparation as females entering the workforce. Example: workshop on what questions are
legal and illegal of an employer to ask based on your sex and gender.
6. The colleges instated a co-curricular transcript to be a part of each student's resume that
we want to be seen enforced and utilized. William Smith students run the majority of
extra-curricular clubs on campus and have little to no recognition. With this transcript,
the school will be see what students are running school activities and which fake
participation for a resume builder.
7. Desire and strong effort from the colleges to assign a woman as president as well as
increase female representation in executive positions. With a history of over 100 years,
progressive change and opportunity for equal representation is needed from the colleges.
8. Acknowledge that the goals required of the school group together issues of race, class,
and gender and thus create an ill-informed student body on social justice and the true
meaning of equality.
9. Positive Representation and visibility of both Women Studies' and Men Studies'
departments to decrease the stigma attached to Gender Studies' courses and reinforce the
need to learn through a gendered lens.
10. Lastly, we want the colleges to promote and celebrate themselves as H & WS, a
coordinate system, to equalize the visibility of both colleges because we do not go to
Hobart, we go to William Smith and deserve to be equally recognized.
Each and every word stated above has been discussed, analyzed, and concluded by both William
Smith and Hobart students of the colleges. We thus find it in the institution's highest interest and
potential to acknowledge, recognize, and address these issues. We will cherish our growth into
phenomenal William Smith women and know that you understand these demands are not
women's concerns but human concerns.
Best Regards,
The Women’s Studies Senior Seminar
Spring 2011
Bullet Points from the Groups:
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Philanthropy
o majors
o clubs
o WS more involved, thus will give more
Arts Department equally funded with Athletics Department
Performing Arts Center
Equal representation and resources for all majors
Admissions: celebrate and sell the coordinate system
Administration: provide adequate and accurate definition of what coordinate means
H & WS not HWS
Wider variety in college store
Career Services
o workshops for WS women in preparation for the workforce as a minority
Re-vamp and reinforce co-curricular transcript
woman as president of colleges
recognition and resources for all that WS students do
visibility and equity in gender specific club funding
our schools stats compared to other schools
more william smith gear for both mean and women
more women in executive positions
encourage more men to take wmst classes
require a gendered lens study through all disciplines