IT SHOULD be no secret that the female community at U.Va. faces many problems. What is most upsetting about the situation of women here is that what is most lacking, as a friend of mine so aptly put it, is, "U.Va.- women's' concern for other women [on Grounds]." In recognition of this problem, the women of this university need to come together and make fostering a stronger and more cohesive female community at the University a priority. While this process will, no doubt, be slow and require many steps, it is a cause worthy of the great effort it will require. One of the first and most important steps in this process is to establish a support network for first- year women that would at once make them feel more comfortable in their environment, become more connected to and aware of Groups, and give them an overall better understanding of the University and the dangers and opportunities that it presents.
While the transition to college life is also often difficult for men, being a first-year woman at the University can prove even more daunting. Girls must deal with the sexual threats the Rugby Road culture can pose, and enter a University where a strong base of female leadership and solidarity is lacking. While men may have particular problems as well, we need to put a focus on women's issues specifically.
Every year, a new group of girls arrive on move-in day at their respective dorms. Some of them think they have it all together and are ready to dive head first into University life. Others fear what awaits them on Grounds and pine for the return of their comfortable high school days. Most fall somewhere in-between. Regardless, however, of their attitudes upon arrival, these girls all have one thing in common that most of them will become aware of sometime during their second year: There is a lot about the University that first years don't, and without guidance can't understand.
This is not to suggest that this is due to the existence of an inherent inferiority in first-year students. Anyone foolish enough to believe that ridiculous myth should have been weeded out by the admissions committee a long time ago. It is due simply to the fact that the University is too large, complex and overwhelming to be understood in such a short period, particularly a period as frenzied as a first year in college. First year, we all rush to try and find our niche and to come to understand what we want our place to be in this large community. In this hustle to understand ourselves, our environment and how they relate to one another, it is easy to miss the place where we will best fit in -- we go by it too fast.
By establishing a mentoring program which would match interested first-year girls with upperclass women, this problem of the instability and confusion that often comes with first year can be defeated in many cases. Second, third and fourth year women who have had more time to absorb the high and low points of the University can relay their truly valuable wisdom to these younger and -- by virtue of the unfamiliarity with the ins-and-outs of the University -- vulnerable women. Mentors will be able to provide their first years with information regarding activities at the University, how to get involved and how to get things accomplished.
In addition, mentors will be able to provide more abstract but also arguably more valuable information about social issues at the University. There tends to be a misunderstanding each year within a substantial portion of the first year class, that the way to succeed socially at the University is through dressing and often acting promiscuously. Later on, many girls regret the actions of this period. Through a mentoring program, these types of myths can be in many cases dispelled by giving first-year women a clearer perception of how this type of behavior is perceived as well as the psychological implications it can have. By showing our active support for and belief in first-year girls, upperclassmen can help to empower them and give them the confidence they need to demand the respect they deserve.
By coming together to reach out to first-year women, we can help to give them assurance in themselves and their role at the University. A mentoring program, if executed correctly, would help to increase female leadership at U.Va. by giving girls confidence and showing them how to get involved early in their university career, and would aid the overall female community by fostering a sense of much-needed unity. Mentors would meet with their first-years at least once a week to talk to them, become a strong support figure in their lives, and offer advice about different issues that the girls are facing. It is no myth that good-will and service to one another is contagious. This kind of program is just what women at the University need to get rolling on the right track.
And now some good news. A mentoring program of just this type, called G.U.T.S. (Gaining Understanding Through Solidarity)is currently forming at the University. It is crucial to the success of this program that a strong base of solid, caring, and pro-active upper-class women be accumulated. The time commitment is what you choose to make of it, and Greek women need not be deterred by ISC regulations -- you will be permitted to meet your first-year on grounds during the first semester. I implore you all to come out and help to do your part for the University. and its women, and volunteer to mentor a first-year girl. This program is truly the first step in an important and much needed movement at the University. I encourage you all to get on the ground floor.
(Laura Parcells is a Cavalier Daily associate editor. She can be reached at lparcells@cavalierdaily.com.)
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