Wednesday, 4/23/97 In interest of ‘feminism,’ service group’s
downfall looms Sponsor’s ultimatum undermines spirit of
empowerment
Feminism: the not-so-radical belief that women are people too.
— Author unknown Today, feminism is a dirty word to many people.
Although it conjures up images of ’70s women burning their bras and
leather-wearing, butch hair, hairy-legged femi-Nazis of Newt
Gingrich fame, the word encompasses many movements, broad meanings
and varying personal definitions. I am a feminist. I usually credit
this to my experiences in an all-women’s Catholic high school. I
was taught by strong women to be a strong woman. I learned to
critically examine church doctrine, and to constantly re-examine
those ethical issues which affect our daily lives. I learned to
think for myself, to believe in myself, and to accept as fact that
all women are leaders. I was also taught that service and
compassion for others were not only integral parts of being
Catholic, but also integral parts of being a woman. I learned that
women, because of their societal roles as mothers and because of
their historical oppression, need to be advocates, not solely for
their children, but for their community as well. On these points,
the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary taught by example. Sister
Bernadette, a retired nun who had taught typing to three
generations of the same family, often made stuffed animals or other
crafts which she raffled and donated to the poor. Sister Raphael
gave up her lunch hours to sell hot dogs in order to make money for
the missions. Although we were poor, our leftover pocket change was
collected in Bible class or Christian Relating. Over a few months,
this pocket change and Raphael’s hot dog sales at lunch made enough
money to send $1,000 to the missions. I learned that service to
others was part of being a woman, and that active and daily service
were necessary of all leaders. My mother and other women in my
family had already served as an example. Both the nuns at my school
and my parents’ example instilled in me the power that one person
could have to bring about change. It is from this background, and
this understanding of women as leaders, of women as community
workers, of women as gentle and compassionate ladies, that I
entered UCLA. In large part, who we are determines what types of
organizations we will affiliate with while at UCLA. As a Catholic
schoolgirl I sought an all-women’s organization which would serve
as the safe haven I had had in high school. I sought a social
organization that would include formal dances, date parties, mom’s
and dad’s days in the ways that I had experienced them in the past.
I looked for a service organization, and a group which would allow
me to get involved with as many aspects of the university as
possible. I found Bruin Belles. Bruin Belles has lived up to and
more often surpassed my expectations. I am continuously inspired by
the strong and active women that I meet. I love Bruin Belles
because we serve not only the university, but many other aspects of
UCLA and its surrounding communities. We consistently support
athletic programs, and especially try to support UCLA’s women
athletes. We support fine arts though local theaters and
playhouses, as well as advance women’s issues and provide for
personal development. Each year we give over 13,000 hours of
service to the Los Angeles and Westside communities. I never viewed
being a Bruin Belle as contradictory to being a feminist. In fact,
I consider it a large part of my feminism. To be a leader, to serve
the community, and to promote women’s issues and women as leaders
is very much an integral part of my personal definition of
feminism. There are those who would disagree, and that’s OK because
we must all personally define what it means to be a feminist. Many
people have a problem with our name. "Belles" is so genteel, so
archaic, so passive and so Southern. But I look at it in a
different way. "Belles" to me means ladies, and that is what we
are. Professional, diplomatic, flexible and pleasant. I don’t think
there is anything wrong with that. You could argue that "Belles"
doesn’t encompass all that we do, but can you think of a word that
does? I can’t. Recently, changing our name came up as a central
issue within our organization. Surprisingly, it did not begin from
within the group, not from the women who serve as "Belles"
everyday, but rather from an advisor within the university
structure. I have heard others say that this issue – a name change
– has existed outside of Belles for many years. We were given the
option to change our name, which was amended to Bruin Belles
Service Association a few years ago, or to lose our funding and our
place within the university structure. When women suffer so many
other injustices in this world – domestic violence and sexual
abuse, economic oppression and limited opportunity, teen pregnancy
and lack of health care, the lack of civil and human rights
throughout the world – a name change is a trivial matter. In the
scheme of things, it isn’t important. The question then becomes, if
this is such a trivial matter, then why are we losing our funding
because of it? We did not disgrace the university, offend a
dignitary or squander money. We have done nothing which would
credit our being threatened in this manner. The resolution to
change the name did not pass and so we must look for another
sponsor. One of the reasons given for the importance of the name
change was feminism. Hmmm. If this issue had come up at any other
time or in a different manner, I would not feel so strongly about
it. The issue came from outside of Bruin Belles, and was made
important by its link to our funding and our future as an
organization. I question a feminism which focuses solely upon the
name of one of the strongest women’s leadership organizations on
campus and not on its actions. I question a feminism which forces
itself upon others. I question a feminism which uses financial
power and political control to coerce a decision on an issue which
did not exist beforehand. I question this type of feminism, because
for me it seems much more disempowering for women than it is
empowering. With so many women’s issues ignored, and so many
women’s needs unmet, a name change is trivial indeed. But does it
require a threat of lost sponsorship in order to push it through? I
don’t like being bullied, and I won’t let our continued service to
the university and our stellar record of professionalism and
dedication be acknowledged in this manner. Empowerment – through
rape prevention, through education, through career mobility or
unionization, through political activism or any other avenue – is
the core definition of feminism. The last few weeks I have felt
disempowered as the organization I love and have devoted three
years of my life to is threatened to end through a name change or
lack of funds. You can argue that assuming traditional roles (like
hostessing through Bruin Belles) is contradictory to feminism. This
is another point of contention. Assuming traditional roles is not
copping out. Along these lines, my becoming an elementary school
teacher is opposite to being a feminist. A woman staying at home to
care for her children would also be in opposition to feminism.
Isn’t women’s work devalued enough? Can’t we instill a renewed
appreciation for the jobs that women do? Women’s leadership has
been able to flourish, and is often strongest within
female-dominated fields. I’m not saying that we should limit
ourselves to these areas, but by placing a higher value on
male-dominated areas we in turn devalue women and their work. We
shouldn’t disregard those roles and those aspects of women’s
leadership which have been the traditional base for women’s
empowerment. Who would have thought that Catholic Nuns could be the
greatest teachers of feminism? Guzman, a graduating senior, invites
all women to express their viewpoints and (re)define feminism.
Daily Bruin Stories: A woman’s family chooses her destiny