President Chuck Staben declares himself a feminist
It began with a T-shirt — one that University of Idaho President Chuck Staben was given by the Women’s Center on campus. Within days, Staben was talking to students in a Women’s Studies class about the importance of feminism and gender equality.
Corrin Bond | Argonaut
UI President Chuck Staben sports a T-shirt given to him by the Women’s Center in support of feminism.
Staben said a Friday letter in which he addressed the topic of sexual assault, prompted these events.
“I received the T-shirt and was invited to speak around the time I wrote the letter in which I approached the issue of sexual violence from what was perhaps a different point of view,” Staben said. “All of these events were certainly closely associated.”
The black shirt with the slogan “This is what a feminist looks like” sprawled across the front in pink letters is what first sparked public speculation about Staben’s stance on feminism.
“When the women’s studies instructor invited me to speak to their students, I thought it would be a great opportunity to wear the shirt the Women’s Center had given me,” Staben said. “I ended up wearing it while walking all across campus that day — after speaking to the class, I had a Staff Appreciation Day event to attend and I thought it would be quite an appropriate shirt to wear for it.”
Staben said the combination of walking through campus while wearing the T-shirt and attending a public event with a large guest list is likely what caught people’s attention.
“I think people interpreted my shirt as a public endorsement of feminism, which is perfectly appropriate,” he said. “Why would one not want to uphold the rights and values of women?”
The president’s public motion in support of feminism has garnered the attention of students like Adam Alverez as well, who said he sees a lot of value in Staben’s public stance.
“I’m happy he supports feminism,” Alverez said. “The president is the face of our university and when people think of Staben it’s good for them to know that he is someone who cares about all of the students on campus and that he is also taking the steps to create a safe environment for everybody.”
Staben said while he isn’t completely sure as to what the formal definition of feminism is, he believes in its significance.
“In my opinion, a feminist is someone who values and respects women as individuals and in that regard, I have been a feminist for some time,” he said. “Women have a right to not be assaulted, to earn the same salaries as men, to resume a place of equality in society.”
While the meaning of feminism is subjective to the individual, UI student Jessie Giguiere provides a definition similar to Staben’s that reflects a principle tenet of the feminist philosophy.
“I define feminism as equity among men and women,” she said.
Despite a prevalence of feminism on campus, some, like Giguiere, feel the university still has aspects of gender inequality upon which it should strive to improve.
“I think the Women’s Center does an excellent job serving as a proponent of women’s rights on campus,” Giguiere said. “But I think we are lacking in representation within the community as a whole.”
When it comes to endorsing the advocacy of feminism on campus, Staben said not only has he supported the Women’s Center in the past, but will continue to do so in the future.
“When I think of the attitude I want to see on campus, I think of a bumper sticker that my daughter gave me,” Staben said. “It says ‘Of course I’m a feminist,’ and that sums up my own attitude about it. Of course you should respect women and women’s rights — it’s just a given, and it seems to me that more people should be saying, “Of course I’m a feminist, aren’t you?'”
Corrin Bond can be reached at [email protected]