A donation of two dollars was requested for those entering the Atrium to attend the Circle of Sisterhood, though the event was free for the sisters of the sororities on campus. Once inside, there was a table set up for people to write down how they appreciate and what they enjoy about women. These notes were then attached to sheet of paper to create a banner. Thea Zunick, the Assistant Director of Fraternity & Sorority Life, was excited to see Panhellenic Council host the first Circle of Sisterhood here on campus and was proud of all the women involved. The true nature of the Circle of Sisterhood is to raise awareness about educating women, thereby lifting them from poverty and oppression.
The speaker was Dr. Cynthia Lischick, the mother of two young women involved in sorority life here on campus. The talk began with the story of Malala Yousafzai. She was the focus of an assassination attempt for merely writing about no longer being allowed to attend school. Simply for being a woman, her rights were taken away, and she was being oppressed. Oppression can be seen in stereotyping. It is done to a group of people and is not one to one. People that are oppressed may internalize the oppression and in turn oppress others that are from the same group.
Another example Dr. Lischick gave was the oppression of women in Africa. Their societal structure is very rigid. Women are only seen as useful for child-rearing, which limits their ability to education and careers. When women are educated, it can protect them from sexual abuse, young motherhood, and prostitution along with all the benefits an education bestows.
After the speech there was a short break with desserts served. The second half of the Circle of Sisterhood was the part many people had come to see. This part was where men wore high heels and then walked on stage and strutted their stuff. Some of these men got quite into their struts. One guy somersaulted onto the stage while another dropped a pen and bent over to retrieve it. Robert Tucker remarked, “It’s literally hard watching my president in heels.” All the men did quite well, seeing as no one took a tumble. This was a contest and the men were judged on poise as well as their answers to questions relating to women, education, and oppression. First place went to Jon Van Ostenbridge of Kappa Xi Kappa, who talked about men and women of fraternities and sororities being resources for each other and working together to achieve common goals.
