As Women’s History Month rolls around, the University is once again provided the opportunity to celebrate its students. During this time, it is imperative to acknowledge that Women's History month should not just be about intangible celebrations or rhetorical teaching but rather about actually creating change. The University is now given the chance to shed light on a complicated past, which only allowed women to matriculate 55 years ago. However, March is more than halfway through, and the events have minimally celebrated this important period — failing to both teach women’s history and implement tangible changes for the future.
The commemoration of Women’s History Month should start with a major acknowledgement from the University — this space did not admit women until 1970. This significant decision was quite late in comparison to other universities, landing more than a century after women began attending other colleges. While women had previously attended the University for graduate schooling, 1970 marked the first year that undergraduate studies had a co-ed class, where their journey to the University was described as “a path of reluctant acceptance, with each door slowly opened.” It was not until 2010 that the University had its first female president, Teresa A. Sullivan. While this past is not something the University can change now, Women’s History Month provides a significant opportunity for the University to historically engage with this reality and inspire women on Grounds to reflect on these monumental changes.
The events featured by the University for Women’s History Month are, at best, surface-level and do no work to create tangible change. Events included on the Women’s History Month website feature the women’s tennis, lacrosse, track & field and softball games. While these teams are certainly an important part of this University’s athletics programs, the fact that women are playing these games does not make it a Women’s History Month celebration. These games are ongoing sporting events, and their seasons stretch beyond March. A talk focused on women’s sports history and hosted by the Director of Athletics Carla Williams or other female sports alumni would be a highly engaging way of illustrating women in athletics.
Concerns with the events provided by the University do not end with the sporting events, but instead miss the mark on a variety of notes. This can be seen in the Ladies Night at UVA Rec — an event like this has significant potential to recognize the issue of female intimidation in gyms. However, the University erases its chances of authentic change by not repeating this event past March or dealing with the real problem at hand, that these spaces are often occupied by a toxic gym culture.
Furthermore, “Hoo’s Cooking Celebrates Women’s History Month” fails to properly celebrate Women’s History Month. It is simply a Hoo’s Cooking event labeled in such a way because it features recipes from a female cook. In this way, not only is this event deeply undermotivated, it actively furthers a historical narrative in which women have been confined to domestic spaces.
Perhaps, it may seem as though the University is hosting a decent amount of events, and criticisms of its engagement or genuineness sound nitpicky. However, a comparison between our University and Virginia Tech’s illustrates a significant difference in the care put into these events. Virginia Tech’s website advertises a diverse range of programs and events, from “A History of Advocacy and Change,” a digital exhibit that contemplates ideas of advocacy revolving around women, to “Marching in Her Shoes,” a fashion exhibit to celebrate women, to stories from women in STEM and interactive workshops. The events also include career preparation, demonstrating the tangible change that these programs could offer for students. All of these events allow students to reflect on the not-always-pleasant past for women’s history, while also meaningfully transforming the lives of students through this important month.
In the spirit of women’s history, the University should use this important period to implement long-term changes on Grounds and improve the present for students. There are several ways the University could demonstrate its commitment to the protection and value of its staff and students on Grounds. Yet, they appear to be brushing over this chance, instead filling the schedule with one-time activities and already ongoing events. As the University arrives at the 200-year anniversary of classes, it must continue to grapple with its history in a proactive way. And while the University has certainly failed this month to adequately celebrate Women’s History Month, optimism must be held that the University begins to take on more serious attempts for diversity in the face of opposition.
Adeline Garvie is a viewpoint writer who writes about health, technology and environment for The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at opinion@cavalierdaily.com.
The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of The Cavalier Daily. Columns represent the views of the authors alone.
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