August 8, 2016
MSU WOMEN’S
LOUNGE
Mark Perry, a professor at the
University of Michigan-Flint, has filed a civil rights complaint this past
July, criticizing Michigan State University for it’s women-only lounge.
Perry took notice of MSU’s gender
discriminating lounge back in 2013, with his first blog post about the issue.
He quoted the Title IX portion of the Education Amendments of 1972, “No person
in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation
in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any
education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”
“Wouldn’t a women-only lounge that
discriminates against men be in violation of Title IX?” Perry wrote. He actively
spoke out against the lounge and saw it as unlawful.
Fast forward to 2016 and he has put
his words into action, causing outrage among countless MSU students. “This
makes me so mad,” Ali Obermayer, MSU junior, said. “A male professor from U of
M of all places. What is so bad about upholding a tradition that has been in
place at MSU since basically the start of the college?”
According to Vicki Levengood,
Communications Director for the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, the
complaint was filed July 7 and is currently under investigation, she could not
discuss any particulars.
Michigan State has violated the
legal rights of 50 percent of their student body, however no one ever saw the
need for a male lounge. “They haven’t made a male lounge because even in all
this talk about equality between the genders, the university can't deny that
there isn't a real need for a men's lounge,” Ellen McCartney, MSU senior, said.
“They aren't the ones being harassed, or heckled, or followed home. Men aren't
being targeted and assaulted at the rate women are. They don't need a safe
space. Women do.”
According to the National Sexual
Violence Resource Center 91% of rape and sexual assault victims are female,
while 9% are male. SPELL OUT THE WORD
PERCENT INSTEAD OF USING % SYMBOL, PER AP STYLE
Perry is taking a majority of the
blame for the women’s lounge being shut down, UM, WE NEVER SAID IT WAS SHUT DOWN IN THE FIRST PLACE! SHOULD THAT BE
PART OF THE LEDE: Mark Perry, a professor at the University of Michigan-Flint,
has filed a civil rights complaint this past July, criticizing Michigan State
University for it’s women-only lounge. And
now, it’s now been shut down.
writing on his blog “The vitriol,
hatred, and hostility directed towards me by email, voicemail and on Twitter
have been disturbing and disappointing, more than I have ever experienced in my
life – much of it couldn’t be printed here due to the offensive content.”
However Jason Cody, MSU Media
Communications, MSU MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS
WHAT? said, “The decision is not the result of any one complaint. We
haven’t even seen a copy of or been served any complaint Mr. Perry made.”
The decision to convert the lounge
was made in the past few months and several factors contributed to the
decision, Cody said. As of now MSU is evaluating it’s facilities and programs
to ensure all students are given access.
According to Cody
there were concerns previously brought forward from those on campus and from
individuals such as Mr. Perry. “As
those concerns were expressed, and our Title IX office continued to look at the
situation over the past year or so, we also had our General Counsel take another
look from a legal standpoint, specifically in light of Title IX,” Cody said. “All
of those discussions culminated in the decision being made to convert the
lounge.”
Currently plans are under way to
transform the historic women’s lounge into a general study lounge, according to
the university.
“This decision was reached to
ensure access for all students, consistent with the university’s federal Title
IX obligations, and not as the result of any one individual’s complaint,” Cody
said. “The redesign and construction of the space is slated for completion in
August 2016 and will include lactation space and a quiet study lounge that is
open to all students.”
The lounge will be a devastating
loss for the women of MSU and their complaints have taken social media by
storm, Twitter and Facebook have been used as an outlet to express their
frustration.
One MSU student PUT STUDENT’S NAME HERE … posts, “This
is pretty disappointing, honestly. I love the women's lounge because I feel
completely safe there and can always rely on it being a quiet working
environment. It's the only place on campus I can fall asleep for a quick nap
between classes without worrying about my safety, or where I go when I need to
really crack down and the library isn't cutting it. I understand how it can be
unfair to male students though. Well, goodbye women's lounge. You've been one
of my favorite spaces at MSU.” –Ellen McCartney … NOT HERE. PLUS, IT’S BETTER TO CONTACT HER DIRECTLY AND GET FRESH
QUOTES FROM HER THAN TO CITE HER SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT
Sadness has been the overall theme
of the student’s reactions to the lounge shutting down. “This is so disappointing that someone that
has no affiliation with MSU would target the women's study lounge where I and
so many other women actually feel comfortable to study,” Carley Ford, MSU
senior, said. “Very sad to see the Women’s Study Lounge go.”
Attempts to contact Mr. Perry USE LAST NAME ONLY AND NOT TITLES ON SECOND
REFERENCES, PER AP STYLE have gone unanswered.
STORY SOURCES
·
Mark Perry’s Blog:
o
U of M-Flint Professor who filed complaint
o
202-419-5207
·
Vicki Levengood:
o
Communications Director for the Michigan
Department of Civil Rights
o
Phone: 517-241-7978
·
Carley Ford:
o
MSU senior
o
810-429-5116
·
Ellen McCartney
o
MSU senior
·
Ali Obermayer
o
MSU junior
o
734-752-7795
·
Jason Cody
o
MSU Media Communications
o
517-432-0924
·
National Sexual Violence Resource Center
ASSIGNMENT GRADE: (REDACTED)
INSTRUCTOR COMMENTS: VERY NICE JOB WITH THOROUGH REPORTING. THE KEY TO
GOOD JOURNALISM ISN’T WRITING; IT’S DOING THOROUGH INTERVIEWING WITH A WIDE
ARRAY OF SOURCES TO HAVE SOMETHING TO WRITE ABOUT THAT WE DISCOVERED FROM
OTHERS, AND NOT JUST WHAT WE OURSELVES THINK OR ALREADY KNOW.
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