Landrieu addresses Women’s Center crowd
When Sen. Mary Landrieu spoke Monday as the primary guest for Women’s History Month events, she said she was glad to be one of 13 women to occupy a seat in the United States Senate.
However, the small number of women in Congress leads Landrieu to focus much of her time and power helping women reach equality.
“I like to believe that I spend a lot of my life making sure that the number double or triples,” she said. “I think women in power have an obligation to speak out and use their position to pave the way for women’s issues.”
As part of her informal presentation to the small group gathered in the Union Ballroom, Landrieu thanked the LSU Women’s Center for helping her pave the way for women and reaching out to the women on campus.
The Women’s Center invited Landrieu to speak at the University, encouraging women to rise in positions of power, said Andrea Conque, Women’s Center program coordinator.
“She’s always been an advocate for women’s issues in all of her elections,” Conque said. “She’s also a woman who has accomplished a great deal and is an alumna of the University.”
Landrieu had only one hour free to speak this month, but said she thought it was important to speak at LSU.
The University’s women could be some of the country’s future leaders, she said.
“When you all invited me here, I thought I’d come by and personally thank the Women’s Center,” she said. “I want to support the work of the Women’s Center, and we still have a lot of work to do.”
Landrieu briefly spoke about her work on the United States campaign to stop the persecution of Afghanistan women.
“It’s my great hope that we stay mindful,” Landrieu said. “We do not just want to win the war, but also win peace and fairness for the women.”
She then opened the floor to questions and concerns.
Students, staff, faculty members and members of the Baton Rouge community took turns asking Landrieu about her stand on issues ranging from fuel efficiency to current war efforts.
One local Indian woman visiting the United States on student visa asked Landrieu for her support in developing women’s rights for foreign women.
Anuradna Vij explained sometimes student-visa regulations limit women’s rights.
For example, a battered woman could face being sent home if she reports the abuse and files for divorce, Vij said.
“I liked her presentation because it gave people a chance to bring things to her attention that she may have not thought were as important as they really are,” she said. “I just wish there would have been more attendance.”
Several students also said they enjoyed the informal gathering because it gave them a chance to relate personally to Landrieu.
“I love her because she’s a liberal and I’m really impressed that we have a woman senator in Louisiana,” said Kate Meleen, a political science junior. “This is important because women make up half the population but still don’t participate in politics.”
During her visit, Landrieu also gave students interested in politics advice on how to advance their career.
“Get involved in a local campaign,” Landrieu said.
Tracy Simoneaux