The Feminist Student Union organized a panel for different student organizations to discuss their ambitions at the “Women in Leadership” panel Thursday, March 6.
Ella Bryant, FSU president, decided to host a panel when she noticed women-led campus organizations were not connecting. Bryant said having the students together would bring attention to their clubs because the panel allowed students to learn more about them.
There were six panelists in attendance, each representing a club at WKU: Sophie Jerome (FSU), Ree Kirksey (Women of WKU National Association of Black Journalists), Kelly Humphrey (Women in Physics), Amaiya Ogburn (Black Women of Westen),(Emily Paquette (Women in Film) and Haley Hanson (Women in Science and Engineering).
Each club representative said they aim to support women in different work fields, especially those that are male-dominated. The panelists stressed the importance of finding a supportive organization and leaning on it.
The first discussion question leaned on the impact each club has on campus.
Sophie Jerome is the vice president and social media coordinator for FSU. She wants the club to be for everyone, not just women. The club works with BRASS, a local domestic violence shelter. They also work with Hope Harbor, a non-profit crisis counseling center located in Bowling Green.
“People’s perception of feminism is not always great…it seems to be a trigger word,” Jerome said. “If everyone knew our true values it would be better.”
NABJ is a professional organization for any Black woman in journalism and news media. Kirksey said she wants to grow the club here at WKU, inspire younger generations and let the legacy live on even after she graduates.
The Women in Physics club started in 2020 to provide support and fellowship for women studying physics, Humphrey said.
Black Women of Western offers engagement inside and outside of the classroom as well as inspires women to give back to their community, Ogburn said. The organization is dedicated to helping black women successfully navigate college.
Emily Paquette and Ella Bryant are co-founders of Women in Film. They said the club is impactful because it broadens people’s knowledge of female directors and cultivates a space for women interested in film.
Women in Science and Engineering promotes achievement for women in STEM-related majors through community strategies, Hanson said.
“It gave me the opportunity to flourish and know that I can be a leader,” Hanson said.
The panelists said a typical meeting looks different among each of the organizations.
According to Bryant, FSU’s meetings consist of calming activities like participating in sunset yoga and bouquets.
NABJ and Women in Physics both meet biweekly, Kirksey and Humphrey said. NABJ announces recent news and finds ways to incorporate it into their organization during their get-togethers.
Humphrey described the Women in Physics meetings as “engaging and hands-on.” There is a presentation at every meeting highlighting historical women in physics. Humphrey explained the club aims to bring attention to women just as creative as men like Einstein. Bringing support to women in physics is important because of male-domination in the field, she said.
“It’s a heavily male-dominated field with only 20% of bachelors degrees in physics going to women,” Humphrey said.
Black Women of Western has a motto to “engage and empower.” It is a smaller club on campus, Ogburn said, so they collaborate with other organizations to get their name out.
Women in Film do something a little different than others at their meetings, such as screening movies directed by women and discussing historical women filmmakers and their awards. The club is screening “Bottom” with FSU at the end of March.
Each panelist said they have faced hardship as leaders of the organizations. Not being taken seriously, difficulty finding places to hold meetings and being a smaller club are just a few of the obstacles the panelists pointed to.
“You hear about Greek organizations, male organizations, but not from who’s here tonight,” said Ogburn.
These women said they want their organizations to live out a strong legacy that can guide college women into successful futures. They emphasized a desire for young women to join their clubs so they can be creative and find leadership opportunities. They said there will always be setbacks, but it is important to them that these clubs survive, even after they graduate.
“We have to double down on what we promote,” Ogburn said. “Women have to work twice as hard. It’s exhausting but in the end people will start to listen.”
