The Gatepost Editorial: Celebrating and supporting women at FSU

Maddison Behringer / THE GATEPOST

By The Gatepost Editorial Board In the current political environment, there has been a lot of legislation threatening women’s rights. Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022 - a decision still sending shock waves throughout the United States as abortion access continues to be taken away from women state-by-state. However, women across the country have not been complacent and continue to fight for their rights. It is so important, especially given the threats against women’s rights from the current federal administration, to stand together and push back against the patriarchy. Thankfully, the Framingham State campus has no shortage of women who empower our community every day through their work. Our University has historically supported and empowered women. Founded in 1839 as Lexington Normal School, this women-only institution was dedicated to educating women as the first public teaching college in the United States. We are lucky to have an administration filled with women in some of the top leadership positions: Nancy Niemi, the University president; Kristen Porter-Utley, provost; Keri Ann Sather-Wagstaff, associate provost; Meg Nowak Borrego, dean of students; and Lorretta Holloway, vice president of student success, to name a few. It is crucial to recognize the University’s women leaders because through their work in their respective roles, they empower all women on our campus. Even if we do not recognize it every day, having so many accomplished women running our University shows students and the local community that women are amazing leaders who belong in these roles. Students on our campus can look to them and know they, too, can be leaders. Even beyond the administration, our campus has a substantial number of women in faculty and staff positions across different departments. Our campus also hosts events that serve to empower the women in our community who make FSU a better place. The Dean of Students office sponsors the Phenomenal Woman Ceremony, which is held every March, to celebrate the women in the campus community. Both students and faculty are able to nominate members of the campus community who inspire and uplift them. A nomination can be awarded to a student, professor, or staff member whom their nominator believes best defines the word “phenomenal.” The nominations are hand-delivered - complete with purple flowers and envelopes. Purple represents the women’s suffrage movement and International Women’s Day, which is celebrated March 8. This event, which was first hosted in 2007, is inspired by a Maya Angelou poem of the same name, “Phenomenal Woman.” In addition to the well-deserved recognition women at Framingham State receive, there are also University programs in place to support women on campus through departments such as the Health and Wellness Center. The Health and Wellness Center offers cervical screenings and birth control prescriptions for all matriculated students free of cost. In an era when these basic needs are under attack at the federal level, it is a sizable weight lifted off students’ shoulders to know their university stands beside them and is concerned about their health. Departments such as the Center for Inclusive Excellence help celebrate and uplift women of color, and many student affinity groups provide safe spaces for BIPOC women to share their stories with peers. Balancing a full-time course load, a job, familial responsibilities, and other relationships can be incredibly challenging, but for women on campus, this has become even harder since the election. Many women have felt personally attacked as their rights to their bodies, their vote, and their place in the workforce have been called into question by the new administration. The Gatepost Editorial Board is grateful to Framingham State for striving to preserve the rights of the incredible women who are working and learning on our campus. We encourage our peers not to give up and to celebrate each other this Women’s History Month.