Women’s History Begins on Campus
In 1987, March was named Women’s History Month in the United States. This month is dedicated to highlighting the contributions of women and their role in history as well as society today.
At Missouri Western State University, there are plenty of impressive women making strides in their departments and everyday life. One of those women includes Craig School of Business Assistant Professor Linda Salfrank. As a former lawyer of almost 30 years, she now teaches business law and sports law.
“My generation, in the practice of law, was really the first that women joined law firms and became senior patterns,” Salfrank stated. “When I first entered the practice, I joined a large law firm and there were no female partners in the firm. So it was my generation that first broke that particular ceiling.”
During this month, people like to look to the women that came before them and paved the way for everyone else. One person that has had an impact on Salfrank’s life is Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
“She was a Supreme Court justice,” Salfrank said. “She was an advocate for women’s rights. If her position was not the resulting decision of the court, she let her ideas be down, dissenting opinions and I think that’s important.”
Another admirable woman that works at Missouri Western is Diversity & Inclusion Director Leslie Stone.
“Historically women have not been recognized for our achievement like we should,” Stone stated. “There have been a lot of women who have invented things and created things and paved the way. I think it’s important to recognize that because I think there are certain things that we use every single day that women have created, that we don’t even know about. So I think it’s important to recognize the achievements of women.”
Not only does Stone see the importance of celebrating women in everyday life, but she also recognizes the importance of acknowledging them on campus.
“We are going to center mostly around students, but we’re doing a women’s history Kahoot,” Stone stated. “They’ll be asking questions and giving out prizes to like first, second or third place winners. Then, we’re doing a movie night on March 31 with GAP. We’re going to hopefully show either Woman King or I Wanna Dance with Somebody. At the end of the month, we’re going to do women in the workplace luncheon, where we get three to five speakers that will share their experiences being a woman in the workplace, challenges and successes.”
Students are also taking time to recognize Women’s History Month and what it means to them and their role in society. Molly Killion is a psychology major who is very involved on campus. From her job to vice president of Chapter Wellness in Alpha Gamma Delta as well as her involvement in academic clubs on campus, Killion sees firsthand the importance of women in the workplace.
“I think in the last year or so, we have taken a step back, especially with women’s healthcare,” Killion said. “In terms of women working, I think it has just improved over time with women receiving higher positions and encouraged to pursue different career fields. I hope in the future that continues to grow so that we have a workforce that looks like our population, 50% women, 50% men.”
Women’s History Month acknowledges the efforts of those who came before. It’s important to take time this month to celebrate, on campus or off, those achievements.
