If you didn’t sign the petition in support of the Women’s Research Institute Thursday at their demonstration, consider yourself lucky because it would have been a huge waste of time.
The rally was intended to spread more lies and rumors about why the WRI was dissolved.
For example, their Facebook page does little to explain the real issues, saying that “there is deep symbolic meaning in the elimination of the WRI, deeper than a lot of us would like to know.”
I’m sure many of us would like to know what that “deeper meaning” actually is because from what I can tell the reasons for eliminating the WRI have been made explicitly clear.
BYU Academic Vice President John S. Tanner has outlined several reasons as to why the institute was reorganized. To start, the study of women’s issues at BYU should not be confined to only one institution, and the restructuring of the WRI acknowledges the fact that women’s studies at BYU is already a part of the academic disciplines.
Also, the reorganization will more than triple the amount of discretionary money available for women’s research at BYU, so the protesters’ claim that women’s research will receive less funding is a lie! Finally, don’t forget that this decision was well thought out by highly spiritual and intellectual individuals.
It is morally wrong for us to question the judgment of our inspired leaders. Stop crying about the loss of your feminist club. Men seem to be doing perfectly fine without one.
Stefan Gardner
Heber City
Feeds 
Dear Stefan,
In your article you end with the words, "Men seem to be doing perfectly fine without [a masculine club]." Though I presume you meant this as a final, unquestionable blow to the Womens Research Institute (WRI), you actually state one of the primary reasons the WRI is so important. The WRI is important precisely because women do need a "feminist club," as you put it. Women need a place to become organized and empowered because the majority of the world still operates as a male club with a big red sign saying, "WOMEN: KEEP OUT!". Consider these facts: "Of the world's nearly one billion illiterate adults, two-thirds are women.; Of the world's 1.3 billion poor people, it is estimated that nearly 70 per cent are women.; The majority of women earn on average about three-fourths of the pay of males for the same work, outside of the agricultural sector, in both developed and developing countries.; In sub-Saharan Africa, 1 in 13 women will die from pregnancy or childbirth related causes, compared to 1 in 3,300 women in the United States.; Worldwide, 20 to 50 per cent of women experience some degree of domestic violence during marriage.; The use of rape as a weapon of war has become more evident. In Rwanda from April 1994 to April 1995, estimates of the number of women and girls raped range from 15,700 to over 250,000." (http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/women/women96.htm). Why is this so? Did you know any of those facts and figures? If not, perhaps attending a "feminist club" may have been beneficial to you. It is certainly beneficial to women. Especially when those women are bright, educated, and capable young women with the potential to go out and change the world, helping the billions of our sisters who are treated as sub-human and are largely forgotten. Especially when that "club" is a research facility working with many of BYU's most esteemed professors. Especially when that "club" helps to sponsor events and lectures, publish scholarly books, and raise awareness for the unseen plight of our world's women. Especially when that "club" is part of a Zion university which can address the issues of today with an eye single to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Just something for you to think about.
Sincerely,
Sierra
Disclaimer: I don't intend this to be contentious and I believe that BYU has good intentions and reasons for attempting to reorganize womens research at BYU. Also, I do not believe Stefan is a "bad person"---just an archetype of ignorance. My hope is that this will enhance awareness of women's issues in the world. They are not over and continued research and action is essential to ending the centuries of inequality and abuse endured by the women of our past and our present. My hope is that we will do something better for the women of our future.
Please check out these amazing resource for more information on women's issues:
http://womanstats.org/
http://www.law2.byu.edu/news/file/9%2023%20women%20education.pdf
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19680546/?GT1=10150
http://www.unicef.org/sowc07/press/factsheets1.php
e-mail me for more!
Second, the study of women's issues at BYU was not confined to one institution. This institution provided a research base that crossed college and department lines to incorporate faculty members from all across the University. Thus, the WRI, rather than confining research to one institution, facilitated research across all campus institutions. The WRI provided a place for students and faculty members to find each other and participate together on research. Of the 83 faculty members who participated in the WRI, many conducted research and published studies with each other, as well as with undergrad and grad students. By dissolving the WRI, women's studies will lose this cross-campus, cross-departmental research community. It even appears to some that only now will Women's research be confined to one institution, as the the Women's Studies minor is transferred to the Sociology department.
One of the deeper results, if not meanings, stemming from the dissolution of the WRI is the message such action sends to the larger academic community that BYU is a member of. No other university in the past 20 years has eliminated their Women's Studies institution. Many who are not members of or who know little about the LDS church already hold a belief that it is oppressive to women, for various reasons. When BYU, a University run under LDS church standards, by LDS church members, and funded by the LDS church eliminates its Women's Research Institute, this sends a loud, negative message to those for whom BYU is their only knowledge of or contact with the LDS church. It essentially reaffirms to them that women truly are marginalized in the LDS faith. Those of the LDS faith know that this is not the case, but such a misconception can still damage the church's missionary effort, and the perception of BYU as a viable academic institution.
Are you serious? It wasn't a restructuring, it was shut down. ??? I wonder, does byu FILTER their letters to the editor at all?
I would be a bit wary about comparing academic leadership at the University to inspired leadership from the Church. Yes, the Brethren are inspired but during my 5 1/2 years at BYU, I can tell you that the academic leadership is not always inspired. It's sad to say that politics and "staking out one's territory" take a much larger role in decision making than you would like to think at BYU. I'm not saying that this is the case with the decision behind the WRI because frankly I do not know; however, I would be completely disagree with your statement that questioning the leadership at BYU is immoral. Inspired Church leadership and academic leadership at BYU are two completely different realms and to think otherwise is naive. I agree with others in this forum that we are Church that asks sincere questions and I see nothing wrong with asking questions and stating one's position with regards to the WRI and university policies.
As far as a non-snarky comment goes, I'd like to point out that men HAVEN'T been doing fine without groups that contribute to research on their issues. Knowledge has always been really male-focused....by men, for men. So I wouldn't be so quick to assume you know what it's like to not have that.
I'm sort of troubled by your assertion that it's immoral to question the judgment of our inspired leaders. Not sort of, a lot. As far as I know, the gospel loves questioning. The scriptures plead for us to ask, knock, question; Joseph Smith advised us to, understanding certain principles, govern ourselves.
I love the gospel as I understand it because it trusts that I, as an individual with agency, can find my own directions and answers: it teaches me that I have the right to question and to oppose things I find to be out of line with my understanding of true principles.
I also think that it's time we acknowledged that, in addition to being a great institution of higher learning, BYU is an institution, made up of men (and women of course) with prejudice and bias, just like any other group of people. They have the right to special direction, certainly, but even prophets speak sometimes as men. Are you really arguing that this administration (and I mean no disrespect, leaders of our university are lovely) is infallible?
Finally, I’d like to take issue with your offhand (and probably not entirely earnest) remark about the “feminist club.” I haven’t spent much of my life in any extreme minority (I am a woman, so there’s that) but the months I did live in a country unfriendly to women, associating with people unwilling or unable to value my way of seeing things has made me treasure my valued place in my own circle. I didn’t realize how lucky I was to hold the unspoken esteem of others until it was denied me, dramatically. I say this because I’m not sure that as a white Mormon male on this campus you can know what it feels like to be in the minority. I know you have your own struggles, but may I recommend a little humility on your part, a little empathy before you start dismissing supportive organizations as clubs?
ooh, stefan....are you single?? i've always dreamed of ending up with a guy who values women and women's issues as much as you do!
A - Don't conflate church leadership with academic leadership. That is an extremely dangerous approach to take.
B - I was one of the demonstrators, and I know for a fact nobody was lying. What we stressed was how breaking up the interdisciplinary support that came from the WRI will damage the research, even if the funding continues within separate disciplines.
C - I'm glad that you're convinced by the reasons John Tanner gave, but in the same way you're questioning the specifics of what the demonstrators said, we have every right to disagree with his interpretation of facts.
D - Next time you're so curious about what demonstrators mean, ask them.