In an effort to raise awareness and to help women to break down barriers across the state, the Women’s Center at the University hosted an event titled “Elect Her” to encourage women to get involved in student government and elections.
The American Association of University Women put on the four and a half hour event that featured trainings for women looking to get involved in student government.
“Elect Her” is an exclusive event, with 25 Universities participating nationwide. Other schools selected to host the event include Stanford University, University of Virginia, University of Alabama and Georgetown University.
Summer Steib, director of the Women’s Center says that having a dedicated center on the University’s campus is a step toward helping improve those low quality of living statistics for women in the state.
“A lot of people just have rooms in their union,” said Steib of resources for women at other universities. “We have dedicated centers that set us apart.”
Throughout the event participants took part in workshops and discussions that tackled the issue of getting women elected in government.
Louisiana was named the worst state for women to live and work in, according to a September report by the Center for American Progress.
According to the AAUW, the main goal of “Elect Her” events is to come to a school and encourage women to get involved in student government so that in the future there can be more women involved in governments at all levels.
Though aware of Louisiana’s reputation, Steib expects the Women’s Center to be able to take steps, like hosting events, to help women on campus get involved.
“If you look at what’s happening in the state, we still have a long way to go,” Steib said. “The Women’s Center is here to sort of bridge that gap.”