Let’s be real; in a male-dominated school, it often feels harder to voice concerns as women, and I’m fairly positive that there are a multitude of shared experiences that come with this gender dynamic. I can think of not being taken as seriously in group projects where I’m the only woman, as one instance. It often feels harder to have a voice here as a woman, and that is where the voice and historical record of the school comes in, The Stute. As the primary source of information across campus, The Stute carries great responsibility and serves as the chronicler of Stevens’ history, recording how stories are remembered for generations to come. So now I pose the question: why is it so significant that we, the Stute e-board and minor board, are primarily women?
To start, it is empowering to contribute to the main voice of Stevens as women, since that has not always been the case. Even though many years have passed, at the end of the day, we are a school with a 30 to 70 women-to-male gender ratio, and there is still a concern about not having enough representation. Since there are women in charge shaping the perspective, choosing the headlines, laying out the page perfectly, and deciding what stories are worth telling, it shifts what gets recorded and valued. We get the choice. Experiences that may be brushed aside or not even acknowledged in the first place are now going to be accounted for.
For example, I chose this week’s feature theme to be Women’s History Month and put out article ideas I believe are important to women as a woman myself, and through columns like Girl(ish) Talk and HerStevens, we get personal perspectives from those who truly live and experience these realities. It creates a shared community through these columns that might not always be easy to bring up normally, and makes women feel less alone. For the past five years, we have had only female Editors-in-chiefs, which I find pretty cool. Of course, this is not meant to discredit the others who help write and publish The Stute each week, but rather to acknowledge and value the hard work of the women behind it.
From communicating with writers, writing columns, handling production, budgeting, and creating events, every single responsibility is deeply technical. Yet women are often not considered technical, even when we are doing all of this behind-the-scenes work diligently. I recently learned in my Women and Gender in American History class that women have often been at the forefront of change. From the suffrage movement and the Seneca Falls Convention to the cultural symbol of Rosie the Riveter, women have long been powerful forces in history. The progress they have made has made our society more diverse and equitable. Women who contribute today, including those in leadership and production roles at The Stute, continue this legacy. So the next time you pick up The Stute from the newspaper rack or pull up an article online, it is worth remembering the dedication and effort of the women who help lead and produce the paper each week.
