OP / ED EDITOR: Alex Zank
OPINION / EDITORIAL 15
Thursday, April 10
Street harassment season Unwanted, disrespectful comments do not equate compliments Martha Landry EDITOR IN CHIEF
I am writing in response to an editorial in last week’s Spectator regarding the Student Senate’s involvement in the Confluence Project. Any student concern regarding the conduct of our student government is very important to me, and I am grateful for the opportunity to respond. Each semester Student Senate passes a Legislative Priorities Summary which outlines Student Senate’s stance on a number of nonpartisan projects, bills, and initiatives that have an impact on UWEC students. For the past two years, Student Senate has unanimously supported the Confluence Project with the passage of four separate pieces of legislation (Resolutions 56-R-14, 56-R-17, 57-R18, and 57-R-30). Student Senate is registered with the state as the official recognized lobbying entity of the student body of UWEC. When we vote to support initiatives, we take that message to the regents, the capitol, and City Council when applicable. The Confluence Project presented us with a tremendous opportunity to have the outcome of two referendums in the hands of the voters, and in turn, the UWEC students.
With the decision firmly in the hands of voters, we found it necessary to educate the students about the Confluence Project, and why (after thorough deliberation), we believe it is of significant benefit to the student experience at UWEC. While we took a “Pro-Confluence” stance during the election season, we made countless efforts to ensure that all information we were distributing was informative and factual. Our education campaign began far before we had any idea that the project would be put up to referendum this past fall. Through tabling, graphics, social media, listening sessions, voter registration rallies, public hearings, classroom visits, and office hours, Student Senate has offered multiple opportunities for students to become knowledgeable of the project. As a registered lobbying organization we took a stance on the project, but we registered and promoted the election to all students, not just those who supported the project. At no point was any student’s ability to rationally consider and research the project taken away by the position we took. Additionally, Student Senate
MEDIA HYPE/ News orgs should report real news And then after I get a notification essentially about how no progress has been made in finding Flight 370, I get another about how Oscar Pistorius sobbed so hard the court had to adjourn for the day. These two stories are human interest stories. I get that. A missing aircraft with possible links to terrorism and a high-profile athlete on the verge of going to jail make readers pick up papers and viewers tune in. But look at everything that’s flown under the radar in the midst of these stories. For example, a huge pile up after a landslide in the state of Washington killed 33 people as of Monday, according to the New York Times. Or how about the Supreme Court decision last week removing limits on campaign finance laws, essentially allowing individuals or organizations to donate to as many political candidates as they want. Now these are the things people need to know. Monetary donations to help those in Washington would I’m sure be greatly appreciated. Sparking conversation and debate about the campaign-finance law would only
strengthen the way political funding is dealt with. But fewer people in the general public are aware of these events, and in my opinion, it’s really not entirely apathy that’s the problem. Major news outlets aren’t doing a good enough job getting these stories to the masses. You see celebrity gossip and human interest stories rock the tabloid racks at grocery stores. That’s what people see, and it’s time for media to at least look for an alternative way to generate traffic and money. If society is going to move forward, it has to be informed on all of the happenings in the world, not just a few items that peak interests more than others. As someone entering the industry, I challenge my fellow young journalists to take a chance, change the culture and re-emphasize the extreme importance of our profession.
Erickson is a junior journalism major and Managing Editor of The Spectator. He can be reached at ericksna@ uwec.edu or @NickErickson8.
hosted a lunch presentation by the “Anti-Confluence” group, Voters with Facts, that was open and promoted to the entire campus. While we disagreed with the stance that this group took, we felt it was important to make sure that students had an opportunity to hear both sides of this issue. The Confluence Project is a pragmatic, nonpartisan opportunity that provides a solution to many upcoming challenges facing both the University and community, including housing shortages and the need for upgraded performing arts facilities for both the campus and community. I am incredibly proud of all the work that our Student Senate put in to inform students on this issue and also the record number of students who came out to vote. Please do not hesitate to contact the Student Senate about our involvement with the Confluence Project in the future, we look forward to taking our message to the greater Wisconsin community and continue to move this project forward. — Bryan Larson, Student Body President
Sundress is not a season. Catcall is not a season. Yelling out a car window to a woman that she has nice legs is not a compliment. And street harassment is not something to take lightly. Everyday around the world women deal with disrespectful treatment from men based on appearance and dress. The term ‘sundress season’ is based on a woman’s decision to simply embrace the warmer spring weather. Street harassment is an action or comment between strangers that is unwanted, unsolicited, disrespectful or harassing and is motivated (mostly) by gender. I say mostly because cases of street harassment typically are men objectifying women. For example, many of my male friends will say ‘sundress season’ right in front of me without thinking of the insult it has on my gender. Chris Jorgenson, director of the Women’s and LGBTQ Resource Center at UW-Eau Claire, told me more emphasis needs to be put on the people giving the street harassment, not the harassee, because there isn’t an effective way to stop harassment once it has started. Jorgenson said repeating the message that street harassment is not welcome and catcalls are not compliments can not be repeated enough. “It’s unwanted solicitation,” Jorgenson said. “It’s not sought after. To the person on the receiving end of the street
harassment they have no idea what it might lead to.” And that is a very important issue to touch on. I hope I am correct in stating that the average Eau Claire man does not intend harm when shouting out their car on Water Street, but the woman doesn’t know that. She might feel incredibly threatened or deeply offended. Do you want to be the person making her feel that way? I know many people will groan and roll their eyes because ‘it doesn’t matter,’ ‘it’s just a saying,’ and ‘no one actually means it,’ but it is serious. It is offensive, and it is not a compliment. This topic relates to the shift in how sexual assault is now discussed. Now educating the potential assaulters has become the next step to combat the issue. You don’t ask young women to stop consuming alcohol or wear more conservative clothing because those actions do not mean she is not ‘asking for it.’ It’s the same with street harassment. If I am wearing a skirt to class it is because I want to and it doesn’t give anyone permission to whistle at me. The public sphere is where much of the harassment occurs. In public spaces, it is important for everyone to feel safe and comfortable. Not only is it unfair for people to be put in a position where they feel unsafe, but it is embarrassing.
Read the full story on spectatornews.com