Lot's Wife Edition 5 2015

STUDENT AFFAIRS 17
"Bluestocking week seeks to draw attention
to the issues that affect women in every part
of the university community, ranging from
the gender pay gap for teachers and other
staff to the casual sexism faced by women
students. Due to the pervasive influence of
neoliberalism, the situation for women in the
university sector is worsening."
being devalued. Readings written by men tend to be prescribed
are the majority, units about women are few and far
between, some women feel excluded from networking within
universities communities and have women have reported
feeling marginalised by their male co-workers and the culture
of the university.
Sexual harassment also thrives in the neoliberal university,
because, the ideology that surrounds it seeps into the social
and sexual culture at universities. A culture of education
that is centred around the commoditication of the student,
translates into a market-based view of personhood and a
pertinent example of how this individualistic and competitive
attitudes manifests in university culture is the UK based
website ‘Shag at Uni’ which stated:
"If the girl you’ve just taken for a drink... won’t ‘spread
for you head’, think about this mathematical statistic:
85% of rape cases go unreported. That seems to be
fairly good odds. Uni Lad does not condone rape without
saying surprise."
A sense of entitlement to women’s bodies, coupled with
a competition for sexual conquest poses a serious danger
to women on campus. 67% of women at university have had
an unwanted sexual experience, however only 3% reported
it to their university (Talk About It survey, 2010). The lack of
reporting is often due to the failure of universities to address
these issues appropriately. There have been many high profile
cases at US universities where crimes have been covered
up in order to preserve enrolments. Closer to home, at the
University of Sydney, a man student who confessed to taking
a sexual photo without the woman students consent and
then distributing it, again without her consent. Despite the
admission of guilt it still took the university six months to
terminate the man’s employment and it is unclear what, if
any, disciplinary action he faced as a student. Where money,
derived from enrolments, is more important than supporting
victims, women lose out.
The MSA Women’s and Education (Public
Affairs) Departments have teamed up with
the Monash NTEU Branch to run two events
in Blustockings Week (10th - 14th August,
Week 3, Semester 2):
Trivia Night
Tuesday the 11th of August in Sir Johns Bar from 6:30
Buy Tickets from the MSA desk or online.
"Herstory not History" Forum
From 11-1 on Wednesday the 12th of August in H5, Menzies
Building with Celeste Liddle (Feminist Commentator
and NTEU National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Organiser), Dr. Rae Frances (Labour and Gender Historian and
Dean of Arts, Monash University), Jeannie Rea (Women and
Labour Studies, and NTEU National President) and Dr. Swati
Parashar (PhD in Feminist International Relations, Lecturer,
Monash University).
Sophie Vassallo is the MSA Women’s Officer
Mali Rea is the MSA Education (Public Affairs) Officer