All genders invited to “Elect Her,” celebrating and featuring women in politics
Of the 13,777 Western students, 54.6 percent are women and 45.4 percent are men, according to Western’s diversity website. But young women do not make up a majority of political actors outside of Western. 
The American Association of University Women has noticed females becoming involved in politics later in life, and therefore generally receiving less experience than men, said Jennifer Hughes, Associated Students Representation and Engagement Program associate director.
In collaboration with the American Association of University Women and Running Start, the AS Women’s Center and AS Representation and Engagement Program will host a event, Elect Her, on Saturday, Feb. 4, in Viking Union room 567.
AS President Anna Ellermeier said it is generally more expected for men to be the dominant gender in politics.
“In our society, men have more opportunities to gain the skills,” she said. “They are told that is where they belong.”
This is not the case with Western political positions, Ellermeier said.
Iris Maute-Gibson, AS vice president for governmental affairs, described this year’s Board of Directors as a diverse group, with four female-identified members out of seven positions. Two years ago exclusively men held Board positions. Last year one woman was involved.
All of the current female-identified board members attended Elect Her last year.
Ellermeier said she enjoyed the event because it discussed not only how to be a successful woman in politics but also a strong female leader.
Ellermeier said the skills she learned at Elect Her helped her prepare to enter the AS Board of Directors elections and provided her with the confidence she needed to win.
Ellermeier is the first female AS president in five years at Western.
Maute-Gibson noticed a sense of frustration among students because the board and various leadership positions were disproportionate.
She said the event had a tremendous effect on those who participated last year and gave people the skills to feel confident running for office.
“The biggest thing I took away from it was not only the confidence to run, but a sense of expectation from my peers that women running was something that was going to be celebrated,” Maute-Gibson said. “I think that’s what’s often missing.”
The event will feature speeches from Bellingham Mayor Kelli Linville and City Councilmember Cathy Lehman, who will discuss their campaigns and political roles.
A panel featuring current AS board members, AS Elections Coordinator Remy Levin and previous AS candidates will discuss experiences and answer questions about running for the AS Board of Directors.
A networking reception will conclude the day’s events.
Although the event is geared toward women, said AS Women’s Center Coordinator Kimberly Absher, the event is open to everyone. She said the workshops focus on networking, branding and presenting beneficial information for professional women.
“It’s going to be a safe space for all students,” Maute-Gibson said.
Contact Jennifer Hughes
360-650-4267
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to register for the event
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This story was corrected on February 13, 2012.
