At the end of October, students usually participate in the annual Take Back the Night march in support of those who have been affected by domestic violence.
This year, however, a small group of students and faculty instead were engaged in a protest-turned-discussion about the current state of the Margaret Cuninggim Women’s Center.
In a Letter to the Editor published in The Hustler on Oct. 19, senior Ashley Thomas called for a silent flash protest to display student dissent about the way the Women’s Center has been operated this semester, most notably the appointment of Nora Spencer as director of both the Women’s Center and Office of LGBTQI Life.
The morning the protest was supposed to take place, Associate Dean Sandy Stahl invited the students present to instead come to the Women’s Center to have a discussion about their concerns. Stahl said approximately 15 students were present, along with the center’s staff and a few staff members from the Dean of Students Office who have worked with the center this year.
Questions raised during the discussion focused on the center’s programming as well as Spencer’s summer appointment.
“Discontent was expressed with the way that the leadership decisions toward the Women’s Center were made this summer and the way the students were contacted about those decisions — or not contacted, which was the case,” said sophomore Suzie Heller, a Lambda member who attended the discussion. She said students from a variety of organizations were present.
Heller said many students wanted to voice discontent about Take Back the Night, which was originally scheduled at the beginning of the year for the day of the protest, but was postponed by the Women’s Center. It has since been rescheduled for later this month.
“But … the Women’s Center never sent out any notice saying that they had rescheduled it, so no one knew what had happened to it,” Heller said, “and a lot of people care about the event.”
Vanderbilt Student Government President Wyatt Smith, who attended the Oct. 19 discussion, said he was glad the protest evolved into going inside the Women’s Center and having a conversation.
“All of us engaged on what the issues have been,” he said.
Still, students and staff had mixed feelings about the outcome of the discussion.
“I feel like the discussion was effective to a certain extent in that people got to voice their opinions, but it wasn’t effective because everyone was trying to maintain a high level of diplomacy because it was a large group and an impromptu discussion,” Heller said.
Alexa Marcotte, a senior and member of Lambda and Vanderbilt Feminists, also said she did not think the discussion accomplished all it was intended to do.
“I think they immediately took over our protest, and they tried really hard to minimize the effects we could have had,” she said. “I think a lot of students came out of it not knowing what to think or upset because we never accomplished anything.”
Stahl said the questions raised by students revealed communication gaps and misinformation about the Women’s Center both over the summer and in the semester.
“As we exchanged our perspectives and accounted for emotions, levels of involvement with the Women’s Center and other issues, our understanding of one another’s positions deepened,” she said. “… I think the conversation was very helpful and effective in bringing students and staff together with a commitment to working together from here on out.”
Spencer did not respond to requests for a comment in reaction to the conversation.
Marcotte said Smith was helpful in the conversation by bridging the gap between the students and administrators, with Smith saying there was a “renewed commitment to working together from both parties.”
Regardless, Marcotte said she still doubts the effectiveness of the discussion and the future outlook for the center.
“What we all want is for the center to be able to function, but I don’t think this helped at all,” she said. “I don’t know if they are going to change, even though we all want it to.”
If students are still unhappy with the changes related to the Women’s Center, Stahl said they should bring their concerns to the Women’s Center staff, Spencer and herself.
“Having been a student during the Vietnam era and the second wave of feminism, I recognize that protest can be effective,” she said. “My personal belief, however, is that bringing people to the table to share their views and to find ways to collaborate is more productive in the long run.”
