Columnist says goodbye

For those of you who may not know, I’ll be graduating on Saturday. That means this is the last time I will ever write for The Volante. Needless to say, I’ve spent the entire semester planning this column.

I knew early on I wanted to say something important to the women on this campus. I didn’t know what that something was until the incident at the frat party I wrote about last week.

However, there is something I must come clean about first.

There was a portion of my last column that was made up. It may surprise many to learn it was the conversation between the women sitting on the couch.

The truth is there was no conversation. The women sitting on the couch said absolutely nothing. They simply sat there and watched the so-called men in the room insult and degrade them without batting an eye.

I made this change because I was too embarrassed to admit the truth. I wrote the conversation I wished had taken place because I wanted the women to look better.

Was it wrong to do this? Yes, but this is a lesson I’ll have to take for myself. I’m a writer who writes columns, after all, not a journalist who writes articles. In the two years I’ve been writing this column, I’ve never presented myself as otherwise.

There are many women on this campus right now who are actively defending the appalling behavior I witnessed.

The women defending these guys are the same women who always complain because they cannot find a nice guy.

These are the women who will be lied to, cheated on and disrespected as they give the guy another 10 chances to behave the exact same way.

This is not a coincidence.

I know this because I used to be one of them. I used to think misogyny was funny. I used to hang out with guys who casually used the c-word.

During that time in my life, all of my relationships with men were destructive and borderline abusive.

Since I learned to love and respect myself, I have not let a single man I’ve encountered treat me with disrespect. That is why I was offended by what I saw at the party and felt the need to say something about it.

The fact that I was the only one really, really bothers me.

Ladies, why are you defending guys who sing about date rape like it’s a joke? What are you gaining from doing this?

By alternating between silence and defensive rants, you are giving these guys permission to treat you like second-class citizens. Their so-called “traditions” of misogyny and sexism will only continue as long as women willingly participate.

You don’t have to participate anymore. You’re the majority on campus now. You work hard and you deserve better.

You deserve respect, and the only way you’re ever going to get it is to stand up for yourselves and stop letting guys walk all over you.

My fellow women, I implore you to continue the fight which allows you to attend college in the first place. Fight for a new tradition. Fight for respect and equality. Fight for a higher standard in men.

You have the power to change the world. Start acting like it.