By Bobby Hankinson
Dr. Robin Chandler, the keynote speaker for this year’s Women in Leadership Conference hosted by the Leadership Education Growth Opportunities (LEGO) Office, began this Sunday’s activities with an opening speech hotter than the sternos warming the provided breakfast.
“If you are held to a different standard than men and subjected to the glass ceiling, go on the defense,” Chandler said. “Turn up the heat, because glass melts.”
After Chandler ignited the crowd and an introduction to the panel of speakers, students were instructed to proceed to one of the six “break-out” sessions offered.
John Silveria, the associate director of leadership development, said, unlike previous years, the topics were primarily student driven. Among the topics discussed were entrepreneurship, non-traditional careers, women’s health, duality in racism and sexism, challenges in student leadership and demystifying the feminist.
“I think the biggest change [from previous years] is involving the students more in the decision making,” Silveria said. “We had sent out e-mails to 20 to 25 women on campus to get thoughts on specific topics to be covered.”
Silveria also attributed the involvement of students in the planning process to this year’s Women in Leadership Confer-ence’s success, calling this year’s event the “largest Women in Leadership Conference yet.” While this was only the third year LEGO hosted the conference, Director of Student Activities Todd Shaver said other organizations have hosted events like it in the past.
One of the women on campus who contributed to the planning of this event was Adrianne Ortega, the president of the Northeastern University Feminist Student Organization (NUFSO) and the facilitator of the demystifying the feminist session.
“After the Women in Leadership Conference last year, I knew there were some things that needed to be discussed that were not on the original list,” Ortega said. “Things like women entrepreneurs and women’s health needed to be included.”
Two other students that were included on the panel of guest speakers were Nelly Umeh, president of the Northeastern African Student Organization (NASO) and Kat Noel, the editor-in-chief of the Onyx Informer. Together, they facilitated the workshop on challenges in student leadership.
The topic of Umeh and Noel’s workshop, which focused on overcoming obstacles in leading a student group on campus, was spawned from a conversation they had in the LEGO office.
“We were having a conversation about student leaders and I said there wasn’t enough women leaders,” Umeh said. “[Noel] thought the women leaders we did have didn’t know how to say no.”
Noel said she felt she was forced to take on extra burdens as a female leader.
“I used to be a silent … person,” Noel said. “I’m part of several organizations on campus and it gets stressful.”
Umeh and Noel emphasized the importance of being confident as a leader, while at the same time being able to balance the power by delegating responsibility.
“Our goal is to increase the number of women leaders and still let student leaders know it’s OK to say no,” Umeh said.
Kaidi Grant, the founder of Lip-Hop cosmetics, led a workshops on entrepreneurship. Lip-Hop is a line of cosmetics designed to “embrace hip-hop lifestyle and culture,” Grant said.
Grant also discussed the many difficulties she has encountered starting her own business.
“Not only do we have glass ceilings, but we have sticky floors,” Grant said. “I’m chopping down trees and making my own wooden panels.”
Julie Kern, a junior communications major, attended the entrepreneurship and women’s health workshops. Kern said she will be taking many of the lessons she learned and applying them to her daily life. Notably, she mentioned lessons from the women’s health workshop including “knowing your neighbors, and eating, thinking and feeling habits.”
Shane Lloyd, a freshman psychology major and one of less than five males who were in attendance, said he was drawn to the conference because he wanted to learn more “about women’s experiences in student organizations.”
Lloyd, who attended the lecture on the dualism of racism and sexism, said he had been learning about the subject by, “living vicariously through his sister.”
“The fact [that my sister] could be fired because she’s black and because she’s a female is a significant issue,” Lloyd said.
As the participants reconvened in the McCleod Suites after their respective “break-out” sessions, there was only one suggestion the group had for next year’s conference.
Both Khadija Burns, a freshman undecided major, and Fallon DePina, a junior journalism major, agreed there should have been more time allotted to attend more of the workshops.
“In response to the feedback to go to more sessions, we’ll try to set up the day with a slightly different organization,” Silveria said.
Though the time was limited, Lloyd said he gained a valuable new perspective.
“I’m going to start analyzing the roles women play,” he said. “I want to see if the gender distinction is improving, staying the same, or even there at all. I want to substantiate the data that was given today.”
