As a proud ISU alum, I try to stay abreast of what’s happening on campus in terms of educational and social progress.

When the groundwork was laid for the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics, I couldn’t have been happier because, although I earned a degree in sociology, my minors were political science and women’s studies.

I understand that as important as formal education is, experience and extracurricular opportunities are paramount in building skills that not only are marketable but life enriching, thus the importance of the center.

It is because of my studies that I could have predicted turmoil over the building’s namesake.

Those who have studied the early waves of the women’s movement know that racism among early feminists was more than a dirty little secret; it was real.

In attempts to appeal politically and socially to the masses, some sects (I say sects because as in all groups there is never complete consensus of that particular group’s goals and strategy) of the women’s movement distanced themselves from the issue of minority rights.

Carrie Chapman Catt was one of those women willing to separate herself from what she felt was political suicide in order to achieve the “greater good.”

Unfortunately, she alienated millions of women, a legacy that arguably is still in existence in the modern day women’s movement.

What troubles me most is that we tend to hold women to higher standards than men, in terms of what we will tolerate.

We have monuments, holidays, schools, etc. named after our forefathers. The same forefathers that owned slaves, had mistresses and the like, but I don’t foresee any name changes in those cases.

What I see is a rare opportunity to honor women, all women, in an area that has typically been a boy’s club.

By changing the name of the building back to Old Botany, we are merely playing a shell game. We are attempting to eradicate racism but are replacing it with sexism.

I don’t have the answers that will please everyone. I suppose that is the greatest aspect of higher learning: wrestling with ethical issues that hopefully will produce a better society.

But I implore the students, faculty and staff of ISU to rename the building after a woman deserving recognition in the areas of gender equity, race equity and the political arena.

You are doing no one a favor by opting for the quick fix and reverting to the nonsensical name “Old Botany.”

Rachel Bandy

ISU Alum

Class of 1994