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When Congresswoman Jean Schmidt studied political science at the University of Cincinnati in the 1970s, the hostile atmospheric vibe of campus betokened resentment toward female students. As the Vietnam War raged on, Schmidt worked her way through college as male soldiers served in the distant country.

Schmidt recalled a time when a professor adamantly declared that she was only there to get her “M.R.S” degree — insinuating that she was attending a four-year university with the soul purpose of getting married.

“Women were perceived as the enemy on campus,” Schmidt said. “I was taking up room for a soldier to be at college.”

Nearly four decades later, the previously negative attitude on campus is drastically transforming into female empowerment. Now, UC women fight to be key players in making decisions that affect university life.

On February 11, a crowd of female students from UC and Xavier University gathered in the Stratford Heights Pavilion for the Elect Her workshop.

Sponsored by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and organized by UC Student Government, the Elect Her workshop trains women to run for and assume leadership positions in campus-based elections. The conference also instructs young women to carry out their ideas and initiatives while raising a voice to unaddressed problems in their community.

Facilitated by AAUW Director Kate C. Farrar, the conference incorporated several engaging exercises, a campaign simulation and informative presentations from Student Government President Alan Hagerty and Associate Vice President of Public Relations, Greg Hand.

The definitive portion of the conference was a diverse political panel of female public officials — Jean Schmidt, Ohio House Rep. Denise Driehaus and Cincinnati Councilwoman Yvette Simpson addressed the importance of women in leadership positions.

When Farrar challenged Elect Her participants to name women leaders who inspire change, the list included influential females ranging from Eleanor Roosevelt to Gloria Steinem.

“All of these women are role models,” Farrar said. “And being a women in Student Government on campus means you are a role model for your fellow students, demonstrating they can be in leadership positions as well.”

While participants were quick to spout off an extensive list of inspirational, exceptional women, the harsh reality is that women are underrepresented in collegiate, local,regional and national levels of government.

In the last legislative cycle, women lost seats at the federal level, Farrar said.

“There aren’t many women legislators, ladies,” Driehaus said. “We’re trending in the wrong way.”

Only six of 50 governors are women, and women only comprise 16 percent of Congress, according to the Barbara Lee Family Foundation. Locally, only one female holds a position in the executive office in Ohio, Farrar said. At UC, it has been 18 years since a female student has served as Student Government president.

“Women win at the same rate as men, but they are not running,” Farrar said. “Where’s our voice when it comes to making decisions for our country?”

Research shows that women need to be asked an average of six times to run compared to a male who only needs to be asked once, Farrar said. This is just the start of an abundance of reasons that women are less likely to campaign for office or take on leadership roles. Women don’t run because they underestimate their qualifications, assuming their skills are subpar, Simpson said.

“There are men who are less qualified and just don’t know,” Simpson said. “Why do we think we are not qualified?”

In addition to questioning their qualifications, women typically fear media scrutiny, feel they don’t have the time to campaign or have the right networks to raise funding, and also sense an obligatory commitment to raising a family. These issues don’t commonly come into the mind frame of a male candidate, Farrar said.

“Women who are go-getters think they have to do it all at the same time,” said SG Director of Women’s Affairs, Kathleen Hurley.
No one expects a man to do it all at once, added SG Senator At-Large Luci Simon.

Despite setbacks or concerns, it’s imperative for women to have the confidence and initiative to take over the reins of leadership. Statistically, research has proven that women act in a more ethical and less corrupt manner than males in the political arena, Farrar said.

“Women leadership has really shown to be a win-win situation for everyone,” Farrar said. “It comes down to how we show empathy and collaboration, being quite biological at the end of the day.”
While Elect Her convinced attendees that women are both indispensable as leaders and fully capable of taking control, the conference also instructed participants on how to create a campaign strategy, build a team of supporters and form a strong and clear message — all steps that yield a successful election outcome.

“Running [for SG president] was the craziest two and a half weeks ever,” Hagerty said. “I was out on MainStreet between every single, class passing out flyers and making sure people remembered my face.”

After losing other races for different organizations, Hagerty encouraged attendees not to become discouraged if an election outcome isn’t favorable.

“Swallow your pride and learn from the mistakes you made in an election,” Schmidt also said. “It will make you such a better person in the future.”

And when the outcome is advantageous, the panel of seasoned elected officials encouraged new leaders to be competent, authentic and pleasantly aggressive.

“Never let your voice be diminished throughout the process,” Schmidt said. “When you have something to say, say it loudly, clearly and intelligently.”

“Speak in a clear, unemotional way but know when to be empathic and convey emotion,” Simpson said. “It makes you a better advocate for an issue if you can get use to humanizing an issue. You have to be able to paint a picture.”

“As women, we have to overcome our weakness of tearing down other women and work together for that individual rising to the top,” Schmidt said. “In rising water, all boats go to the top.”

The tendency of women to compete with each other is incredibly destructive, Driehaus said. If you want the president of student government to be a woman, the secret is uniting around one person, Schmidt added.

“Watch out,” Hurley said. “Women are coming for Student Government elections this spring.” **