Collegiate Times

A celebration for Women’s Month, planned by Virginia Tech’s Women’s Center, is in full swing.

A “Take Back the Night” rally on March 25 will feature speakers and survivors of sexual assault. At the end of the night, a march around campus is planned to honor victims of sexual assault.

Additionally, “The Clothesline Project” will feature colored shirts designed by victims of domestic violence to represent different themes, such as red for sexual assault. Last year, 400 shirts were hung on the Drillfield in honor of these women.

This year will be the Women’s Center’s 16th on campus and the center is encouraging students to challenge themselves to do 16 things to increase their awareness and educate others about women’s issues in “The Challenge.”

“Every woman deserves to have confidence in herself,” said Kathy Loakle, director of the Women’s Center, “and the programs the Women’s Center has to offer provides that extra confidence boost.”

The events aim to promote awareness of the experiences, achievements and diversity of all women and to stress wellness programs to increase women’s self-esteem.

The events run through Virginia Tech’s cooperation with the Women’s Center, according to Anna LoMascolo, co-director of programming at the Women’s Center.

According to LoMascolo, Tech presents a unique set of challenges for gender equality, including the gender gap in student numbers. The male-female ratio in student enrollment is 58 percent to 42 percent.

Tech has historically been a male-dominant institution. For example, women were not allowed to enroll as full-time students at Tech until 1921.

“You have to look at the history of Virginia Tech before you can make any conclusions,” LaMascolo said. “Currently, Virginia Tech is male-dominated, but the university is working to make the campus have a gender equivalence.”

Ashley Tomisek, a graduate student at Tech, never thought she would be involved with the Women’s Center on campus. It was a requirement to join for an “Introduction to Women’s Studies” class taught by two Women’s Center staff members. After her class was over, she ended up volunteering with Women’s Month and is still involved today.

Tomisek’s favorite part of the center is “the closeness with all the women and their volunteer committees,” which conduct activities such as mentoring middle school girls, babysitting for graduate school students and focusing on abuse.

“The Women’s Center is a great way to be involved on Virginia Tech’s campus and help the community,” Tomisek said.

A version of this article appeared in the Mar 16 issue of the Collegiate Times.