The Women in Science and Engineering student organization has an increasing presence on the ISU campus. We do outreach programs such as Science Explorations, where Ames elementary students come to the ISU campus for two hours a week to learn about a new topic every week.

We also have a program called Big Sis/Lil Sis that pairs incoming freshmen with upper-division students in order to encourage social networking.

This is the first year we have sponsored an all-campus Valentine’s Day dance. The event attracted more than 200 people of all majors and ages.

However, we do nothing pre-professional.

This is why I was surprised the Government of the Student Body claimed this as the reason for zero-funding our program.

From the minute we walked in the room, they had made their decision to zero-fund us.

Without even asking us questions or giving us a chance to explain our budget, they moved to zero-fund.

During the hearing, the question of whether we were a pre-professional organization came up.

We quickly resolved the question by explaining our programs versus the programs that Society of Women Engineers has (SWE

is a pre-professional organization).

They seemed satisfied with the answer and moved on. At every step, GSB tried to pin on us preconceived notions about what our club does and who our members are.

They tried to use these falsities as reasons but stumbled upon none we could not answer. When they voted to zero-fund us, there really was no real reason behind it except that we were eligible for funding help elsewhere, which we have never tapped as a source of continuing support.

No meeting should be as taxing as every financial meeting that GSB and WiSE have had.

GSB’s purpose is to support programs on campus and encourage organizations to provide a sense of community to a campus that is growing so quickly.

Instead, it places itself above the general population and seeks to intimidate.

Women in Science and Engineering will not cease to exist because of lack of funding from GSB.

In fact, the opposition we have always received from them only encourages us to find more creative and often better ways of growing.

I encourage all student organizations, especially those zero-funded this next year, to use this as a means for motivation.

Use it as a way to say: If you think we are unimportant, we think you are unimportant.

Jamie Harrison

President

Women in Science and Engineering