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U of Chicago's newest studnet group: Men in Power.. radfems ****ed, film @ 11



 
 
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Old June 13th 09, 05:51 PM posted to alt.child-support
Dusty
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Default U of Chicago's newest studnet group: Men in Power.. radfems ****ed, film @ 11

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...3.story?page=1

'Power' move by male students ruffles U. of C.
By Sara Olkon | Tribune reporter
11:34 PM CDT, May 27, 2009


A group of University of Chicago students think it's time the campus focused
more on its men.

A third-year student from Lake Bluff has formed Men in Power, a student
organization that promises to help men get ahead professionally. But the
group's emergence has been controversial, with some critics charging that
its premise is misogynistic.

Others say it's about time men are championed, noting that recent job losses
hit men harder and that women earn far more bachelor's and master's degrees
than do men.

"It's an enormous disparity now," said Warren Farrell, author of "The Myth
of Male Power" and former board member of the New York chapter of the
National Organization for Women. He noted, among other things, an imbalance
in government and private initiatives that advance the interests of women
and girls.



Further, Farrell said, just because some men are doing well is hardly a
reason not to applaud efforts to boost the careers of other men.

"It's like saying 'is it OK for the Yankees to keep recruiting new players
because the Chicago Cubs have not won as often?' "

Steve Saltarelli, the president of Men in Power, wrote a satirical column in
March in which he suggested forming such a group. "Anyone with an interest
in both studying and learning from men in powerful positions, as well as
issues involved with reverse sexism, may become a member of MiP," he wrote.

Shortly after the column ran, Saltarelli started getting e-mail messages
from men eager to join.

"Mainly people are just excited about the idea that men can have a group as
well," Saltarelli explained.

Sharlene Holly, associate dean of students and the director of student
activities, said the University of Chicago has approximately nine women's
advocacy groups on campus; this group would be the first male advocacy
group.

Saltarelli said some 125 students -- including a few women -- have joined
the group via its Facebook page. He said the group would host
pre-professional groups in law, medicine and business, foster ties with
alumni, bring in speakers to discuss masculinity and mentor local middle
school students as part of its "Little Men in Power" program.

Holly said she expected to approve the organization's application this week.
As a registered student organization, Men in Power could then apply for
event funding. The group plans to hold its first event, a student panel
discussion titled "Gender and Media: Trespassing the Taboo," on June 2.

Saltarelli, who plans to attend law school, said the emergence of Men in
Power has angered some students, especially "people very set in their ways."

To be sure, its title attracts attention.

"The name implies some things that I don't love," said Liz Scoggin, a
third-year student who joined the group a couple of weeks ago and now heads
its outreach efforts. "I feel like it implies there aren't enough men in
power or that kind of thing."

But Scoggin, who is close friends with Saltarelli, said she joined after
learning more about the group's aims and after she felt assured that the
organization would not pursue a sexist agenda.

Jessica Pan, president of Women in Business and a fourth-year student,
questioned whether Men in Power's goals were being met by existing student
groups.

"I'm not sure we really need another student organization that focuses on
pre-professional development for men," Pan said, noting that, in just the
area of business, there were five or six students groups that were
gender-neutral.

Similarly, Ali Feenstra, a third-year student and a member of the Feminist
Majority, questioned Men in Power's utility.

"It's like starting 'white men in business' -- there's not really any
purpose," she said.
Fred Hayward, founder of Men's Rights Inc., would disagree.

Hayward, who is based in Sacramento, Calif., started his men's group in
1977. Then and now, he said, women have not paid enough attention to what it
means to be a man in modern society.

Hayward said one of the biggest myths borne of the women's movement was that
men like to help each other out.

"We are competing directly for access to women and jobs," he said.



The group's birth comes at a time when the recessionary ax has fallen
especially hard on men. In April, the national unemployment rate for men was
10 percent compared with 7.6 percent for women, said Mark Perry, an
economist at the University of Michigan in Flint.

That gap is an "all-time historical high," said Perry, who attributed it in
part to a loss of jobs in male-dominated fields such as manufacturing and
construction.

At the same time, he noted, women today hold about three out of the four
jobs in education and health care -- both stable or expanding job fields.

Future employment is also an issue, some experts say. Since 1981, women have
collected 135 for every 100 bachelor's degrees awarded to men, according to
Perry. The gap is even wider at the master's level, with women trumping men
150 to 100, he said.

Saltarelli hopes Men in Power will help more men get ahead while raising
awareness of the male experience.

"If we have good men in our society, everyone benefits," he said.

 




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