Is feminism needed today? (A rhetorical question)- By Blogger Harold Washington College student Juan

In a verbal battle, that lasted for about 2 hours, my colleague attempted to explain that feminism is no longer needed in today’s society because this upcoming generation of educated male college students are more aware and in favor of gender equality. We agreed up to this point, to a certain extent, but the main application of the word was the point of difference. He believes that in action, feminist women hate men and their main goal in their feminist approaches is to see men go down. Initially, it isn't necessarily a bad thing to think this way, but as we expand our knowledge about feminism, it is easy to recognize that one of the main goals of feminist women is to reach a point of gender equality in all sorts of aspects. Employment, psychological and emotional gender equality acceptance of society and its habitants as a whole is a dream that many women wake up and fight for each day.

Although I agree that this upbringing generation of male college students do not hold the same ignorant mentality about women, as baby boomers and folks from the past have, I believe feminism is still needed today. Women that will soon graduate from college, or already have, will unfortunately still deal with the individuals from past generations that still hold a mentality of men power over women. Since males are more likely to hold a position of power in major companies and places of employment.
The purpose of this blog isn’t to persuade you to think a certain way or to convince you that what I believe is right and others opinions are irrelevant, but to make you think about whether or not feminism is still needed in today’s society and how the word feminism applies in context.

Year End- Fight for VAWA by Lily Blogger

2012 has been a tumultuous year for everyone. President Obama got reelected.
Hurricane Sandy devastated the east coast. Obamacare became constitutional.
Senseless killings ravaged the country. More states accepted and allowed gay
marriage. It is nice to know that we as a county are moving forward towards a better
future despite our constant struggles.

But a struggle that will always remain is the struggle to give people the tools and
awareness to fight domestic violence and to help others from becoming future
victims. There have been recent examples of how assaults are underscored and
disregarded such as the attack of a woman and her partner in India. It was only
through public pressure that the government pursued the perpetrators to fulfill the
need for justice This is the same kind of spirit and passion that we need to
encourage and foster to pass better legislation protecting everyone. The National
Coalition Against Domestic Violence has been working for years to pass the Violence
against Womens Act. If constituents could muster that same kind of passion and
contact their legislator, over 1,300 victims of domestic violence might still have
their lives. As the new year begins, let's make 2013 a tumultuous year of safety for
all.

Source: ncadv.org.

At the Hands of a Stranger- by blogger Ashley from Bradley University

A few weeks ago, my roommates and I went out to dinner at one of the restaurants close to campus, so we decided to walk there. Once we sat down at our table, I realized that my female roommate looked a bit distraught and on the verge of tears. I asked her what was wrong, and she said that while we were on the block of the restaurant a random man touched her shoulder.

Actually, he rubbed her arm as he walked by. I remembered this guy walking by us in the opposite direction, and he was walking rather close, but I just assumed he was drunk. I tried to comfort my roommate, and she kept saying how she didn’t understand why he would touch her since they were complete strangers to each other.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a stranger or not, random men who find a woman attractive while walking down the street tend to make some kind of gesture hinting at the fact that they think you’re attractive. Usually there are the cat calls that are easier to ignore, or the unfortunate eyes staring at your breasts or butt, but then there are those who actually make physical contact with some part of your body that just completely violates you.

As women, we shouldn’t feel that it isn’t safe for us to walk alone, especially so close to our institution of higher learning. We are the ones who are told to never walk alone at night, wear “appropriate” clothing, be aware of our surroundings, and watch where we walk- we are the ones told to be cautious and to change our routine to protect ourselves. People should be telling the guys not to even think about touching a woman, to keep their hands to themselves. A guy walking down a dark street alone is susceptible to being robbed, while a woman is susceptible to being robbed and sexually assaulted. I’m not saying that guys aren’t sexually assaulted as well when they are robbed, but those numbers are fewer compared to women. We’ve got to have the strength to call these men out for making women feel uncomfortable and sometimes even paranoid. It’s time to make the perpetrators change their actions.