“We don’t bash men, and we don’t burn bras.”

That’s what Deb Sundquist, senior in communications studies, said about a feminist organization she started at Iowa State last fall.

Sundquist, president of the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance, said the new group is instead focusing its energy on progressive activism through educational programs for both men and women.

FMLA is a student-run organization. Its mission is to create awareness and educate the ISU campus about non-violence, women’s equality and the empowerment of women.

“This group is not catered to women,” Sundquist said. “Anyone who is interested in being active and wants men and women to be treated equal should join.”

There are FMLAs all over the country. These campus alliances are sponsored by the Feminist Majority Foundation, a national group that oversees and helps them gather information on certain topics.

Sundquist got together with FMLA on the University of Delaware campus through the National Student Exchange Program last year. Since there were no similar organizations in Ames, Sundquist decided to bring the group’s ideas back to Iowa State.

“There was a lot of interest for the group,” she said. “I just got the ball rolling.”

Abby Hansen, FMLA vice president, had not been part of a feminist group before. She said it was nice to have the opportunity to join.

“There are many other FMLAs at college campuses around the country, so we are just joining in,” said Hansen, sophomore in biology and secondary education.

FMLA at Iowa State currently has 75 members on its mailing list and 20 people who attend meetings regularly to discuss national and local issues.

One of the group’s goals is to bring students together for education and awareness.

“I’m excited to see this organization on campus,” Sundquist said. “We’re talking about what is usually not talked about.”

One of the FMLA’s major events last semester was a video about gender apartheid in Afghanistan. More than 100 people attended the event, including several new members.

Al Korslund, junior in pre-journalism, said he got involved in this growing organization after viewing the Afghanistan video.

“I consider myself a feminist,” he said. “A feminist doesn’t need to be female. They just need to believe that both genders should have equal rights guaranteed through the Constitution.”

Another one of FMLA’s events was a food drive at Hy-Vee to raise food for the Assault Care Center Extending Shelter and Support (ACCESS).

“It was very successful,” Sundquist said. “We had eight huge carts of food.”

This semester the group is planning to attend the Feminist Expo 2000 in Baltimore, Md. The event, sponsored by the Feminist Majority Foundation, will bring together women’s groups from different sectors of society to showcase the power of the feminist movement.

Hansen said the group is currently working to make the ISU campus more aware of its presence.

“It’s exciting to be a part of the education of masses on issues dealing with violence against women, women’s equality and the empowerment of women,” Hansen said.