MEN IN POWER!

MEN IN POWER! Steve Saltarelli is a third-year at the University Of Chicago majoring in Law, Letters, and Society. That might sound boring, but Saltarelli is creating a national controversy with his formation of a new student group called Men in Power. Saltarelli wrote a column in The Maroon, the college newspaper, where he explained the reasons for the formation of his group:

“It’s no secret that since the 1990s, women outnumber—and out-graduate—men in American post-secondary education. Currently, the fairer sex accounts for 58 percent of the nation’s college students and many experts estimate that number rising above 66 percent in the coming decade. There to usher the growing masses through the university system are a myriad of women’s advocacy organizations, evidenced on our campus by 10 such RSOs, most notably the Feminist Majority, the National Organization for Women, and Women in Business. There are zero such male-oriented Registered Student Organizations, as misleading as the name of the female a cappella troupe Men in Drag is.

As a member of the 49.6 percent of the students at this school with a Y chromosome, I feel it is my duty to ensure that similar resources are provided for males now and in the future. Without further ado, and beginning next quarter, I’d like to propose a new group entered into the University of Chicago RSO landscape: Men in Power (MiP).

Basically, Men in Power at the University of Chicago will serve as the flagship organization for a national group of the same name, working to spread awareness and promote understanding of issues and challenges facing men today. Many don’t realize that men are in power all around us—in fact, the last 44 presidents have been men, including our own Barack Obama. Embracing a range of gender identities and ideological positions, its members will work cooperatively to organize events and facilitate open discussion. Men in Power’s ultimate goal, however, will be to offer a unique opportunity for undergraduate men at the University of Chicago to expand and sharpen their knowledge of business, politics, and networking—giving them the skills they will need to become future leaders of the world.

I know what you’re thinking: This sounds really misogynistic.

I assure you, however, that the group would not be against or in any way attempt to inhibit the advancement of women. We would simply advocate for men in the same manner that female groups advocate for women. Anyone with an interest in both studying and learning from men in powerful positions, as well as issues involved with reverse sexism, may become a member of MiP.

Establishing a relationship with the university community as a whole will be crucial to the success of this nascent RSO. Accordingly, next quarter will feature a number of events aimed to raise the profile of Men in Power on campus. Firstly, we will be hosting weekly study breaks/screenings of movement-oriented films, including: A Few Good Men, 12 Angry Men, Men of Honor (and many other Cuba Gooding Jr. masterpieces), All the President’s Men, and—of course—X-Men.”

Saltarelli said about 125 students -- including a few women -- have joined the group via its Facebook page.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Sharlene Holly, associate dean of students and the director of student activities, said the University of Chicago has about nine women's advocacy groups on campus, but this group would be the first men's advocacy group. Holly said she expected to approve the organization's application this week. As a registered student organization, Men in Power could then apply for event funding. The group plans to hold its first event, a student panel discussion titled Gender and Media: Trespassing the Taboo, on Tuesday. It's an enormous disparity now," said Warren Farrell, author of "The Myth of Male Power" and former board member of the New York chapter of the National Organization for Women. He noted, among other things, an imbalance in government and private initiatives that advance the interests of women and girls. Further, Farrell said, just because some men are doing well is hardly a reason not to applaud efforts to boost the careers of other men. I am so pleased that Saltarelli has formed this group. As a woman, I hate that we are allowed to have women’s organizations but if a man wants to have his own group he is called sexist. I think any group of people should be allowed to form any kind of organization they want as long as they don’t advocate the over-throwing of our government. Well, maybe with Barack in charge that would not be so bad! But, wait, we do have such a group it is called the Republican Party. I wonder where they have been?