CAMPUS NEWS: SIPA students rally for gender intersectionality on International Women’s Day
SIPA students gather around the Alma Matter Statue on Low Steps, holding signs that express messages of gender equality (Photo/Victoire Mandonnaud)
By Pachara Aungsusuknarumol
On March 8, in honor of International Women's Day (IWD), Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) hosted a series of events aimed at promoting gender equality and ending gender-based violence.
The Gender Policy Working Group and Women in Leadership spearheaded student engagement, with support from Women in STEM and Spectrum, by encouraging students to create and don purple bandanas, in a bid to raise awareness about global gender issues and support the elimination of gender-based violence. Students were also encouraged to show their commitment to enhancing gender equality by writing pledges on stickers.
The activities of the day culminated in a gathering at the Alma Mater statue on Low Steps, where SIPA students observed a moment of silence for victims of gender-based violence and stood in Solidarity with the Columbia community.
Isabella Lee Oyarce leads students in a march from the International Affairs Building to Low Steps (Photo/Victoire Mandonnaud)
The university has a near-equal gender distribution among undergraduates, with 49% women and 51% men, and a higher proportion of women at 56% among full-time graduate students. However, it took 268 years before the institution appointed its first female president, Nemat “Minouche” Shafik, in January 2023.
At SIPA, women have held leadership positions for more than two decades. Professor Lisa Anderson served as the first female dean 26 years ago and the school is currently under female leadership, with Dean Keren Yarhi-Milo.
Since the 2013-14 academic year, the SIPA Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Climate & Engagement Committee (DEICE) has been advising the dean on how to ensure that all aspects of diversity are represented in the curriculum, teaching team, and staff at SIPA.
Despite these efforts, students at SIPA believe that a more comprehensive approach is needed to promote gender equality through the curriculum and have been advocating for further action.
Organizers, speakers, and attendees and speakers hug in the aftermath of the event (Photo/Victoire Mandonnaud)
"Every concentration and specialization should have a course dedicated to the intersection of that field with gender, and SIPA can do more to integrate gender aspects into all of our courses," said Isabella Lee Oyarce, President of Women in Leadership and a first-year Master of International Affairs (MIA) student.
Manuela Vásquez Ochoa, President of the Gender Policy Working Group, shared similar concerns. “The space we are giving to gender in our courses is still limited. SIPA should make it mandatory to have a workshop on gender mainstreaming. This will not only help us understand gender better but also comprehend how different policies can have an impact on gender equality,” she said.
Pachara (Pat) Aungsusuknarumol (MIA '24) is a Fulbright Scholar from Thailand studying International Security Policy (Cybersecurity Track) with a specialization in Technology, Media, and Communications (TMaC).