Colleen smiles, sends a quick text back and – after a brief moment between a loving daughter and her loving dad – continues her way to class like every other college student.

This does not happen often, but every now and then when Paul McInerny, a Marquette alumnus and the Chief Athletics Advancement Officer for Marquette athletics, looks out his office window in the Al McGuire Center, he gets to see his daughter enjoying her time at college.

Paul and Colleen are just another example of what some call a “Marquette family.”

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“Its just the fact that there is so much tradition,” Colleen said. “That’s what the ‘Marquette Family’ is to me.”

Paul and Colleen are not the only parent-child duo at Marquette, however.

There are “Marquette families” like Maura Quinn, a freshman in the College of Communication, and her father Thomas Quinn, adjunct assistant professor and director for the College of Engeneering’s Gas Day Project sales.

Carlos Garces, Senior Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Admissions, has two legacy students: Dan Garces, a junior in the College of Engineering, and Maria Garces, a sophomore in the College of Communication.

Something all of the students agree on is that even though they get an unusual sample of college life with their parents working at the same university they attend, it really is no different than any other college experience.

“I don’t see my dad any more than any other of my roommates see their parents,” Dan Garces said. “The only difference is their parents come down to pick them up and instead I just walk over to my dad’s office.”

This might be because both parents and children said they stressed the importance of independence.

“I want to make sure they are comfortable with the fact that they are pretty much on their own while in college,” Carlos Garces said. “I think it is an important step they need to take.”

While the students get to experience Marquette on their own, these faculty members also get to experience Marquette in a whole new way: as parents.

“I thought, ‘Is it going to seem as great of a place when my child goes here as it is working here?’ ” Thomas Quinn said. “I just became more and more impressed with everything.”

And every so often they get to share their experiences together when these students visit their parents at work – or these parents visit their children at school.

For instance, Maura and Thomas Quinn meet for coffee every week, something that Maura said strengthens her relationship with her father.

“I value our relationship more,” Maura said about her move from home to college. “I get to see my dad on my own terms, which makes us a lot closer.”

The McInerny’s and Garces’ also meet regularly to catch up on school and work, then these parents and children go back to being just like every other Marquette faculty member and student.

But they always remember their Marquette family.

“I’ve had lots of relatives go here … and that’s part of it,” Paul McInerny said about his Marquette tradition. “There is the ‘our family’ aspect of it – but its so much bigger than that.”

The difference between a leader and a follower is within the spirit. Good leadership inspires people to unabashedly step forward and impact the world. Good leadership enhances the strengths of others and primes them to be all that they can be. At Marquette, leadership takes on a student-oriented role; one that seeks to nourish the student population and to help that spark of leadership in all of us turn into a consuming fire. The following students take their leadership roles to heart.

Finding the Energy in Life

If you ran into Kate Feeney, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, on the street, chances are she’d be smiling. She’s friendly and dependable and works hard in the Office of Student Development, where she’s served a number of positions: Late Night Program Assistant, Orientation Planning Team and currently an Office Assistant in the LEAD Center.

“I’m so passionate about Marquette and Marquette pride and everything about Marquette,” Feeney said. “I’m such a nerd.”

But what’s nerdy to her is admirable to others.

Kathyrn Randich, a junior in the College of Communication who works with Feeney, respects her enthusiasm and drive to help others. “Kate is a good leader because she is willing to put herself out there. She is a great go-to person, whether it’s questions or concerns or just simply help,” Randich said.

Recently, Feeney has been presented with a student affairs leadership award for her achievements, no doubt a result of her intense passion for the university and its students. She loves telling fresh ears about Marquette, and she relishes in the opportunity to explain to each student ways they can get involved in their community.

For Feeney, the best part about her job is feeding off of the new students’ energy, an energy she strives to empower by emphasizing each student’s strengths. This fall, Feeney plans to continue her journey of student service in graduate school by studying student affairs. “I’ve met so many great people who are student affair professionals. I want to be like them and make a difference in people’s lives.”

Residential Success

John Ebben, a resident assistant in Straz Tower and soon-to-be med student, cites his biggest role model as his mother. “She has sacrificed a lot for me and for our family. She is the person that I can always trust, and I know that she always loves me.”

It is her dedication and sacrifice that continues to inspire Ebben in his daily life, which these days, means juggling quite the load: class, staff meetings, addressing student issues, posting advertisements for campus events, coordinating programs — but none of this matters to him if the students aren’t engaged.

“I hope that all of these programs and activities help my residents to feel more comfortable at Marquette and have inspired them to incorporate service into their lives,” Ebben says.

Renee Wiedenhoeft, residence hall director of Straz Tower, says that this concern for student’s well being is evident in Ebben. “His work speaks for itself — he has an ability to connect with a variety of residents, to truly listen to the concerns of others, and act from a place of care and concern for the community,” Wiedenhoeft says.

Whether Ebben is spending an afternoon helping the Urban Ecology Center or planning a fun and stress-free dinner for students on his floor, engaging with others is what he knows best. Wiedenhoeft attributes this to his keen ability to tune into and to serve the needs of others.

“That is truly the hallmark of a great RA — a person who can see the need of the community, and from there, guide his or her work to meet that end,” Ebben says.

Bridging the Gap

Melissa Condon

As the secretary for the Gay/Straight Alliance, Melissa Condon takes her work very seriously, whether she’s orchestrating events or taking notes — but one of her biggest struggles is helping people to understand what the group is really about.

“The GSA is not only a place where members of the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community gather and hang out; it is a place where accepting people come together,” she says, “and that includes members of the LGBT community, as well as allies.”

These “allies” are people like Condon, who wish to spread a message of peace and understanding about the LGBT community, as well as fight for their equal rights.

Since joining the group her freshman year, she has vigorously helped spread the word.

“Now, the majority of my close friends are either involved in the GSA, or I have encouraged to become involved in the GSA,” she says. “I would not have it any other way.”

Despite all the work Condon has poured into the organization, she hopes that one day it won’t be necessary. “It is the ultimate goal of the organization to create an environment where people are more accepting of other’s sexuality, and if there comes a day when a GSA is no longer needed, I will be happy.”

Until that day arrives, Condon proves to hold a strong passion for her cause and distributes her energy between PURE Dance Marquette, the College of Arts & Sciences Student Council, coaching a dance team, serving on the Core Curriculum Review Committee as a student representative and — when there’s time — baking, reading and writing poetry.

Communicating with a Purpose

Everything about Lauren Lakomek is laid back and inviting — including her office. The tight space is adorned with a cozy couch, blue- and beige-painted walls and matching paper lanterns. She’s lively and outgoing (her best friend’s dad sums her up as “an experience”), but all of this doesn’t mean she’s not serious about what she’s doing.

As the communication vice president for Marquette Student Government, she has multiple responsibilities — delegating tasks, creating posters and writing press releases  — but she’s never afraid to step up for the student body and address its needs.

Henry Thomas, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences and  former president of MUSG, describes Lakomek as one of the most unique people he’s ever worked with. “When it comes to her work ethic, she is a very hard worker,” Thomas says. “She takes her work personally and understands the importance of accomplishing her tasks for the week, because it not only affects her but affects the student population.”

Lakomek, in turn, truly enjoys her work with student government. “Every day’s a happy day working with MUSG,” she says. “I am not even kidding when I say that. I love coming into this office every day.”

Lakomek says that she can’t take credit for her work by herself. “A leader can’t just do things by themselves; they need a team of people to take you there to get to an end goal,” she says. Teamwork is as essential as dedication, passion and hard work, but Lakomek reminds us of another important aspect: “You have to have fun while doing it.”

In a way, the entire world is a team, just like MUSG. We’re all a part of the relay race of life, all running to reach our dreams. Leaders like these are necessary because they pass on the baton, transferring their passion to others and reminding them that they’re not alone.

Photo by Lauren Stoxen

We have our staples: Johnston, Gesu, Cudahy, the Union and now Zilber Hall. Each building is a brand in itself. The Centennial Celebration banners show another brand, one that commemorates the women who have come before the thousands currently walking around on campus. Brands are everywhere. US Bank, Pepsi and Direct Supply are just three brands that live and breathe Marquette University.

The students who experience these brands are some of the most defining “brands” on campus.

Marquette uses these students on advertisements and publicity, as resident assistants and desk receptionists, as basketball stars and presidents, as editors and cafeteria workers. Carefully constructed and incredibly different, these students are what Marquette is built to be. They are branded eagles.

We are … Perfect

Photo by Lauren Stoxen

Over-achieving, Catholic, rich, perfectionist from a suburb of Chicago or a Wisconsinite: the description of what a Marquette student is supposed to be. Fitting the mold isn’t entirely difficult. Junior Ryan Ross and sophomore Chelsea Gasaway find being a part of this club nothing exclusive.

Finding places around campus with available seating on a Friday around 10 a.m. is nearly impossible. After wandering around the Alumni Memorial Union, Ross, a finance, economics and mathematics triple major in the College of Business Administration, and I settle for a round table in Marquette Place.

Jumping right in, Ross describes who a Marquette student is, according to people not involved in the good ole MU community, “People think that we go to Mass all the time, all because we are a Catholic school. It’s interesting that people are so narrow-minded, especially since we are actually religiously diverse.”

Religion is not the only thing Ross sees as the brand of a Marquette student. He leans forward on the table to begin a conversation about how the girls on campus are a big reason Marquette has a stereotypical reputation.

“To people (at Marquette), the girl who walks around wearing her Ugg boots, big sunglasses and leggings as actual pants are the image this campus has,” Ross says.

In an effort to be nice, Ross stops talking about the supposed fashion statement the leggings and boots have. Instead, he moves on to the kids from “Chicago.”

“So many people say they are from Chicago, then they realize they need to correct themselves. They are from the suburbs,” says Ross.

Being branded a stereotypical student isn’t what Ross identifies as his Marquette experience. He instead chooses to get involved as the vice president of the Economics Association and will be entering into his third year as a resident assistant in Straz Tower in the fall. Ross says that his leadership and involvement is what sets him apart from the branded student, but he wanted to make it clear that he is not what his outward appearance may say.

“I have pretty robust interests, and that isn’t something you find with everyone,” Ross says. “I’d like to think I couldn’t be defined by a few sentences or ideas. I am not from the Chicago suburbs, but then again I am from the Milwaukee ones.”

Ross was sure to add that he definitely does not  “fit that ‘rich-boy’ idea.”

***

Gasaway, a student in the College of Arts & Sciences, and I met for lunch in Marquette Place. The background noise was a combination of festive international music and stories about Thursday night drunk fests. Discussing the branding of a stereotypical student didn’t seem like it would be difficult to talk about with some of the conversations going on around us.

Photo by Lauren Stoxen

Agreeing with Ross, Gasaway finds the stereotype to be simple. You either think we are hardcore religious or you think we study a lot and are incredibly rich, she says.  She candidly spoke on how students choose to label and brand one another.

“To start, you have the groups like Greek Life. They have their brothers and sisters, their letters and then they have the big community. The bond they have is great — the reputation, not so much,” says Gasaway. “Then people get branded by the dorms they live in. As a Cobeener (resident of Cobeen) last year, we spent a lot of time with O’Donnell. Those are your friends. Unfortunately, we got labeled as weird and nerdy, but I lived there so I can say that.”

Gasaway laughed when she brought up stories about the relationship the all-male and all-female residence halls shared. From the black and white ball to the co-floor dates, Gasaway didn’t hide much. Around us at the table were some of her old floor mates, all of whom she lives with in Schroeder this year, and some she is living with next year. Gasaway claims the bond she and the other Cobeen girls had is why they are going into junior year still friends and living together.

Moving on to herself, Gasaway knows she gets branded as a rich, suburban white girl. While she openly admits to being a perfectionist, something commonly associated with Marquette students, she believes that she does not fit what people may perceive her as.

“I’m not a rich girl, I take out loans just like everyone else,” Gasaway says. “While I do make time to have fun. It isn’t all library all the time, but I know how important getting a good education is.”

Gasaway doesn’t deny that Marquette students tend to come off as stuck up, sometimes over-religious and that they wear their fair share of leggings and aviator sunglasses, but judging the book by its cover isn’t the smartest way to get past the brand.

“Everyone initially judges by appearance, it’s natural. The people who choose to stick with those judgments are bad … wrong.” As Gasaway struggles to find the perfect word, she decides to look more on the positive side. “Those that change their judgments are in the right.”

We are … Black or White, Blue or Gold

Photo by Lauren Stoxen

Marquette stresses socially just teaching, service learning and diversity. According to The Princeton Review, only 20.15 percent of this campus is racially diverse. The student body composition includes 1.74 percent international students, 57 percent from out-of-state and 52.37 percent who are female.

Marquette pushes efforts to increase campus diversity by using diversity advocates and having a diversity commission as well as hosting events to promote active involvement and multiple dimensions of diversity. Marquette puts forth an effort to improve diversity, and by the numbers, it is somewhat diverse. The question is: who do we brand as diverse?

Venturing into Carpenter Tower to meet with College of Business Administration senior and facilities manager for Carpenter, Ryanne Brown was just the start of what would come to be a great conversation. From discussing old stories of the trials and tribulations of the Office of Residence Life to what it means to be the “token black girl,” Brown had no plan to hold back. Instead, she chose to be her usual bubbly self.

As Brown walks down the stairs, she greets me with a big “hello.” We sit in a room with four chairs, a piano and a white board, complete with chemistry equations and biological models. The echo from students returning to Carpenter rings throughout the tiny space. Brown just smiles.

“Marquette students have good intentions, are smart and educated, they are social and tend to come from suburban, private schools,” Brown says.

Coming from the “actual city of Chicago,” Brown says diversity is nothing new for her, but for many of the students at Marquette, the color of someone’s skin is the only diversity they have ever known.

“It is the first thing everyone thinks of,” Brown says. “(Students of color) don’t come from the same backgrounds. … Just because they look different doesn’t mean they had to come from an inner city or another country.”

Brown rolls her eyes when she starts talking about how students are put in the “diversity” (she made sure to include air quotes) group: “People think they all know each other, when in fact they don’t.”

“They are looking to find their way to integrate themselves. We are few and far between in this world,” she says.

Brown gives herself the title of the token black girl. She feels people come to talk to her because of her strong and open personality. Because of this, she also feels that people put the entire population of black students in her hand.

“I feel like I am the go-to person for this kind of stuff. It sucks because I don’t want to speak for all the students — that isn’t who I am,” Brown says. “Everyone has their own story. I am not the representative. I’m not afraid to talk about it, but you need to have patience with the people who don’t understand rather than blowing up on them for asking questions.”

Marquette is known for having a blank canvas when it comes to its student body. With the majority of the students being white, students who are branded as “diverse” tend to fall into a very material, traditionally racial trap.

“First of all, Marquette pushing the diversity on the cover of magazines is a complete farce. That isn’t Marquette,” says Brown.

Brown shares a story of when she first arrived on campus. In an event similar to Preview, Brown attended a multicultural student orientation. Here she was immersed in a culture she thought was like Marquette. After moving in, in August, she soon realized her orientation was not what Marquette really was.

“It has gotten better, but (Marquette) puts out a false representation,” Brown says. “Like I said, it has gotten much better, and it is
understandable that everything can’t change, but we have a long way to go.”

On a lighter note, Brown knows she isn’t the stereotypical Marquette girl. She gives all the credit to not wearing leggings and Uggs. After she stops laughing, Brown says she is from Chicago, which “sucks” because she becomes part of the demographic she describes as diverse. She does consider it special, too.

“Not many people (at Marquette) can say they are from the city,” Brown says.

She also cites her skin color as a difference because she sees it more as an individual, making her her own person.

“It’s hard to say why I am actually different. The people that I interact with daily are not used to diversity,” Brown says. “I get the stereotype. I just have an open mind because of how I experienced it.”

We are … Frat Boys and Sorostitutes

Photo by Lauren Stoxen

It doesn’t take much to recognize a Greek on campus. The stereotypical Greek dresses in North Face, Polo and J. Crew. She strolls down campus with Ugg boots and leggings with letters on the butt.  He holds his head high, sporting aviators and boat shoes.  She carries the latest in fashion as a purse or bag. He pops his collar and searches for new apps on his iPhone. Sophomores Lizzy Spaits and Freddy Terrazas are supposed to be these students.

I met with Lizzy and Freddy on the Bridge. She was holding study hours for her sorority, Sigma Kappa (known as Sigma Kappa Fraternity nationwide). He came because it was more convenient to interview them both together. As we sit down for the interview, Lizzy cracks a smile when I bring up what it means to be Greek.

“It’s my family, and not just my sorority. The whole organization of Greek Life is who makes me, me,” says Spaits, a student in the College of Arts & Sciences.

Terrazas, a student in the College of Health Sciences, is a member of Delta Chi Fraternity. He believes the Marquette Greek is driven. She sees them as being service-oriented.

“We are really diverse and have a lot to offer,” says Terrazas. “We don’t just sit around and do nothing, we are active in and out of our chapter and the Marquette community.”

The Greek Life stereotype comes from a history of films like “Animal House” and stories about hazing. Spaits believes it is different at Marquette, even though she admits she falls into some of the trends.

“We are seen as being cocky, slutty, exclusive and sorostitutes,” Spaits says as she and Terrazas laugh at the word usage. She said she heard it when she went to the Milwaukee School of Engineering for a Greek leadership conference. “At Marquette, we are dedicated to serving others, raising money for our philanthropies and, yes, we are social, but we are responsible and don’t go doing the things you see in the movies or read in the newspaper.”

As Spaits balances working on making flyers and managing study hours, her sorority sister chimes in about another stereotype the girls have.

“We always get made fun off for the letters on our butts and bags,” she says. “They are really great advertisements for us though. Who wouldn’t check them out?”

Terrazas and I look at each other as the girls begin to solidify how easy it is to fall into the Greek stereotype.

“We are seen as party animals and crazy, but we have an incredible leadership role on this campus,” Terrazas says. “Many times you don’t hear about the good things we do. Only the bad things manage to leak out to the entire campus. This doesn’t really help our image.”

Terrazas believes that people think that because of his Fraternal affiliation, he goes out and parties all the time. He says he is “in a really good, hard major” and is extremely involved with a lot of leadership experiences and positions.

Spaits giggles as she admits to having a lot of the stereotype in her but says she has a lot to offer that doesn’t make her what everyone wants to brand her as.

“I commit myself to service,” Spaits says. “Serving as the service coordinator for (the National Pan-Hellenic Council), going on MARDI GRAS trips and actively pursuing new ways to get involved in non-profits and the community are huge for me.

“Unfortunately, I do kind of fit that stereotype of a Greek. I do want to say I am really funny.”

As Spaits begins to finish her statement, her friends chime in to say that she is the kind of funny that you laugh at, not with. She just rolls her eyes and goes back to creating her advertisements.

When it comes to how Spaits and Terrazas feel about others judging them, they have plenty to say.

“I say ‘screw them,’ ” says Spaits, barely able to keep a straight face through all four words. “No … I just think people need to realize that Greek is another adjective, not necessarily a persona. We should be approached like any other person, not as this entity that is a jerk or a bitch.”

“I think it’s easier to be ignorant than knowledgeable,” says Terrazas. “It takes two seconds to realize what is actually going on.”

“We are a family, and being a family is huge for us. The entire community works together to break the stereotypes,” Spaits says. “After all, stereotypes are just to give people a reason to put you in a category … or a brand like we have been talking about. They shouldn’t be taken as truth. Getting to know the person is what is actually important.”

***

Marquette is made up of a diverse population. Each student makes up a distinct piece to a large and intricate puzzle. They grow and shift to accommodate new additions and to fill in the spaces older pieces have left.  The student at Marquette University is the school’s most defined brand. More distinct than the Pepsi machines in every building, the US Bank card in almost every pocket or the Direct Supply T-shirt in countless closets. These students are Marquette; they are the difference.  They soar high in their endeavors. It is because of all of this that they truly are branded eagles.

People ask Jesse Reilly this question often. As a philosophy major, people often wonder where she plans to go with her degree. Are there any jobs available for philosophy majors? What is the demographic for thinkers?

Philosophy is in no way the most popular major on campus. With its three majors combined — philosophy, history of philosophy, and social philosophy — only 53 students have declared as a philosophy major at Marquette, according to the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment. However, while history of philosophy and social philosophy had an average of 13 and 24 students, respectively, the standard philosophy major saw no students graduate with a degree from 2006 to 2008.

The answer to the above question varies greatly. Reilly, for example, plans to go to graduate school and eventually teach philosophy herself. Chris Burrell, a philosophy and political science major, said he initially planned to use a background in philosophy for law school — though he too is planning on teaching. Nicole Fuschetti, a philosophy and social welfare major, says she doesn’t have a plan for a career in philosophy, but wants to use it to become a writer.

Philosophy is perhaps a more obvious choice as a secondary major than a primary one. Most philosophy majors have a wide range of primary majors: computer science, biology or political science, for example. By training their minds to think critically,  students hope the logic taught in a philosophy class will help them  in other pursuits.
However, this isn’t the reason Fuschetti, Burrell, Reilly, or biomedical sciences and philosophy major Paul Nona pursue philosophy. Most of the 53 philosophy students do it not for the monetary gain or job security, but because philosophy was the tinder to an unbridled passion.

“Philosophy brings meaning to my life,” Fuschetti said. “I feel connected to greater ideas when I’m flipping through Socrates or Camus.”

“Philosophy sparks something inside me more than any other course I have taken at Marquette,” said Reilly.

“If anything, philosophy classes keep me sane,” Nona said. “I never second guess my philosophy major.”

Relatively speaking, there has been a sudden spike of interest in philosophy. The primary philosophy major has gone from zero students in 2008 to 42 students two years later — still far behind other majors. The history of philosophy and social philosophy majors have seen small drops, but these combined do not account for the rise in philosophy majors. Although some are majors geared toward the more general philosophy major, the numbers are definitely growing.

Trevor Rich, biomedical sciences and philosophy major, said our generation is becoming more attuned to philosophy and more interested in it.

“We have realized there is much more to our existence than just formulas,” Rich said.

Burrell agreed. “This rise is a crying out for information … for evidence that people want a society based on commonly accepted principles.”’

Still, Fuschetti offered a much more flattering argument: the teachers.
“(The professors) have a passion for philosophy, and from that I developed a passion as well,” Fuschetti said.

It doesn’t just represent the nine-game winning streak with which the Marquette women’s soccer team opened the 2007 campaign. And sorry, but it doesn’t just stand for the season-low nine turnovers the women’s basketball team had against Utah in 2008.

Rather, nine stands for much more than that; and its power spans more than just the Marquette campus or the state of Wisconsin. Without nine, or Title IX for this matter, women’s athletics may not have gotten the respect and attention it rightfully deserved.

In 1972, President Richard Nixon signed Title IX, a law that mandates equal treatment of both genders in any educational setting that is supported by federal funding.

“Title IX required any university with federal funding to have similar athletic opportunities, scholarships and budgets for both sexes,” said Catherine “Tat” Shiely, the first coordinator of women’s athletics at Marquette.

It was about equality and opportunities in athletics.

Marquette is happy to take on the 2009-’10 athletic season with varsity teams for women in: track & field, cross country, basketball, volleyball, tennis and soccer. The women’s athletic program has come a long way since 1972, and it hopes to continue making strides in the future. With the help of the University Archives, the Journal is able to photographically commemorate the progression of women’s sports over time at Marquette.

“Marquette has a lot of students that get federal grants,” Shiely said, “and the university didn’t want to give that up. I don’t think that Marquette or any university would have added competitive athletics for women at that point.”

With Marquette entering into a new realm of athletics, one that few others had yet approached, the university was forced to face numerous issues that were unlike any it faced before. To ready itself for the upcoming ambiguity, Marquette chose to hire Shiely as the first coordinator of women’s athletics in 1975, where she remained until 1985.

Shiely said that she was responsible for budgeting, scheduling and recruiting for each of the women’s teams, as well as doing all of the behind-the-scenes things that coaches don’t typically do.

“Back in the early ’70s, you had to be the master of many things,” she said. “That was what was expected of you.”

According to Shiely, there was one instance in which she found herself mopping Marquette Gym after the ceiling was painted and dripped onto the court.

During a two-year span from 1974-’76, Marquette administrators prepared for the flurry of change that was quickly setting in upon campus.

Through a memo to the athletic department in 1974, then-assistant university legal counsel Patrick Hetrick made it clear that varsity athletics were not the sole change that Marquette was going to undertake. Along with that, equality in intramural sports and locker room facilities would also be needed.

Shiely said that there were no facilities or equipment available for the women athletes at the inception of the program.

The next hurdle that stood in the way for Shiely and the rest of the athletic department was the dilemma of which collegiate affiliation to join — the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women or the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

According to a letter from Leotus Morrison, the president of the AIAW, to the presidents of all NCAA institutions in 1975, the AIAW was encouraging all colleges to allow the women to be affiliated with a separate organization.

“To assure a voice in decisions at this state in women’s intercollegiate sports development,” Morrison said in her letter, “it is necessary either to maintain a separate organization for the governance of women’s athletics or guarantee women’s equal voice at all levels of operation within a merged organization, which the NCAA Executive Council is apparently unwilling to do.”

She said the NCAA wanted nothing to do with women’s athletics at the beginning because it wasn’t a money-maker. The AIAW was geared toward making women’s sports better and more competitive. Once women’s athletics had proven themselves, the NCAA wanted to claim them.

“There was nothing for women at that time but the AIAW,” Shiely said. “I wanted us to stay with the AIAW, but when the NCAA wants something, it happens. I believed in the philosophy of the AIAW.”

Only one other obstacle stood in the way: scholarships for female athletes. In a 1976 memo to chairman of the Marquette Athletic Board professor William G. Murphy, the Subcommittee on Title IX and Athletic Scholarship Policies made it clear that this was something that needed to be addressed.

At that time, men’s basketball had 16 to 18 scholarships per year to award to athletes, totaling about $85,000. The wrestling team could award five tuition-only scholarships that totaled $13,500 each year.

In 1976, there were three times as many male athletes as there were female. Because of this, the subcommittee on athletic scholarship policies chose to award female sports in general — not each individual sport — five tuition scholarships and eight textbook scholarships. These scholarships were for the three sports to share over a four-year period.

With equipment, affiliation and scholarships about sorted out, the fall of 1975 was the premier season for women’s athletics on campus. Volleyball, basketball and tennis were introduced as nationally-competitive varsity teams that year.

Control falls into the right hands

“When I was hired,” Shiely said, “Al McGuire asked me, ‘What do you need to be successful?’ ”

Shiely said she needed money.

As the women’s athletic coordinator, Shiely said she was responsible for the budgets, coaching two sports and recruiting. From 1975-’86 she was in charge of coaching both women’s basketball and volleyball, something no one had ever taken on.

In her 11 seasons as the basketball coach, Shiely had a 111-148 record.

“At some point, you become exhausted,” she said. “I liked volleyball better because it’s such a team sport. Someone has to try to stop a ball at 70 miles per hour, while another tries to dig it and send it to the right place for the next person. You just can’t (win) by yourself.”

She finished her collegiate coaching career in 1998 after 24 seasons, when she retired as the head volleyball coach after collecting 380 wins.

“If you look where we started and where we are now, we had great progression, great opportunities and great education for the athletes,” she said.

Shiely talked about how some of her former athletes went on to prolific careers, including an organ transplant surgeon and someone who uses computers to hunt for oil in Alaska.

Coaches set teams up for victory

Coaching consistency was the staple of Shiely’s term as coach of the women’s volleyball team. Since her tenure ended in 1998, that consistency has been missing.

“Obviously, lots of passion is needed,” said Rabbecka Gonyo, middle hitter and a junior in the College of Business Administration. “Volleyball is an emotional sport that relies on energy, and coaches need to supply that energy.”

Three coaches have led the team after Shiely’s departure, with Laura Farina being the first. After her three-year stint at Marquette ended, Farina was replaced by Pati Rolf in 2002.

Rolf was the only coach in Marquette history to finish with a record above .500, at 102-98. She commanded the team until she left in the midst of the 2008 campaign and was replaced by interim coach Erica Heisser.

“It’s like being a freshman all over again,” Gonyo said about adjusting to a new coach. “You have no idea what to expect, and it’s kind of nervous. A good transition is the sign of a good coach.”

The 2009 season saw the beginning of the next era of Marquette volleyball as Bond Shymansky took over control of the team as the fourth coach in team history.

“Bond knows what you can do, and he expects it from you,” Gonyo said. “He lets you know when you do both good and bad things. It’s more powerful to have a coach compliment you because it can really bring you up.

Success is the goal

Waiting isn’t something that anyone likes to do. It’s tedious and unbearable, and it takes determination and dedication to handle. Plus, it’s hardly ever worth the wait.

Dedication paid off for the Marquette women’s soccer team, as the 10 years it waited to be elevated from club to varsity status now looks like it was worth the wait.

Prior to the notion of including women’s soccer as a varsity sport, track and cross country were added to the varsity athletics roster in the 1978-’79 season.

During the 1982-’83 academic year, the Marquette athletic department acknowledged the need for another varsity women’s sport, and the decision was clear that the 2-year-old women’s club soccer team was ready to be promoted to Division I. The athletic department, however, didn’t have the funding for another varsity team, so the recommendation was tabled until proper funds arose.

A co-ed rifle team was added in the 1992-’93 season, during which the need for a seventh all-female varsity sport resurfaced.

According to a letter Bill Cord, director of athletics at Marquette from 1987-2007, sent to the Toledo University athletic director in 1993, there were a definite series of steps taken to decide if it was time to raise the level of competition for women’s soccer. Both the soccer and softball club teams were considered for promotion in 1992, and the student body voted to make club soccer the next varsity sport.

Along with the need for another team, Cord also outlined where the funding was to come from. With the dissolution of Marquette’s varsity wrestling program, the athletic department was able to transfer that team’s budget to women’s soccer.

With that decision, the club soccer team officially became the seventh varsity sport for women, and Jill McCartney was hired as the team’s first head coach in 1993.

Trying to field a team in time for the start of the 1993 season, the former club players were asked to try out for the varsity to mix well with the recruits brought in, said Michelle Powell, co-captain of the 1993 women’s varsity soccer team, in a letter to Cord during the team’s first season.

“As a freshman on the women’s club soccer team,” Powell wrote, “a Division I team was just a dream. Now as a senior, my dream has come true.”

On Sept. 1, 1993, the team took the field for the first time as a Division I sport against the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Success didn’t come as quickly as the team had hoped, and it took nearly three weeks for the team to grab its first victory — a 1-0 win over Le Mars, Iowa’s Teikyo-Westmar University on Sept. 19.

From there, the women’s soccer program has steadily amplified its successes, building itself into a national power. One big step in this was the 1996 promotion of then-assistant coach Markus Roeders to head coach, the third in the team’s history.

Roeders has turned the youngest of Marquette’s varsity sports into one of the most successful. In his 14 years as head coach, he has compiled a record of 202-80-30, making him by far the winningest coach in the program’s history. Every season with Roeders at the helm has seen the team win at least 11 games.

Along with these wins, Roeders has also coached eight All-Americans, led Marquette to eight NCAA Tournament berths and has maintained a national ranking. Marquette women’s soccer ranked as high as No. 10 in the Soccer America polls this year but had its season come to an end Nov. 13 when it lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Dayton.

Rick Jones, associate professor of Sociology in the College of Arts & Sciences, said that in order to feel any particular way on this subject, male and female students alike need to involve themselves.

“Americans in general are pretty ahistorical,” Jones said. “In the present and near future, I don’t know how many of us spend enough time thinking about how we have benefits today because of those who made sacrifices in the past. I doubt that there are a lot of people that really think about this stuff unless they bring themselves to get involved and can compare what they have to the way things used to be.”

Jones also mentions how fearful many of us still are of a social change. “Any kind of social change is very difficult for those going through it. Maybe the lesson we all can learn is that change can have the potential to bring wonderful results,” he said.

According to Marquette’s Centennial Celebration of Women Web site, in 1909 the Rev. James McCabe was the first to advocate coeducation at the university. Finding no support from the Jesuit community or university president the Rev. Rudolph J. Meyer, McCabe appealed his decision to the head of the Society of Jesus in Rome. Within the three years it took the Father General to approve coeducation at Marquette, McCabe was reassigned to a classroom position in Detroit. Without his courage and diligence to make a change, Marquette might have been quite different today.

“I suspect we may have eventually moved in the direction of coeducation, but thanks to (McCabe), we got there first,” said the Rev. James Flaherty, Rector of the Jesuit Community. “He was ahead of his time and had a vision of what education was that extended to women. Hopefully, Marquette can continue to extend that vision.”

Marquette, like most universities today, constantly strives for diversity. Flaherty said that the university’s challenge in coming years is to increase the diversity not only in the student body, but also in the faculty. He stresses the need for a “spirit of inclusivity” in the pursuit of education in the same way that McCabe strove for this spirit 100 years ago.

But this idea of a welcoming, broad, diversified place for women and for all people still finds its struggles today, which is what makes Marquette’s attention to it amount to such positive feedback.

Dennis Conway, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, said “There are still a lot of changes I’d like to see happen. My mom is an engineer and has had a hard time finding jobs. It’s a lot harder for her.”

Perhaps the contributions that women have made since 1909 are what give us all the pride to say ‘We are Marquette!’ The signs, e-mails and updates may serve only as a reminder of what we, as men and women united, already know and are proud of.

“I am proud to go to Marquette because we have supported women from so early-on,” Conway said. “I really don’t think the university would be the same if it weren’t for women. They have helped to build the character that makes it Marquette.”

Why is it then that our society, including our Marquette community, still seems to put art culture on the back burner?

According to College of Communication junior Matthew Wickey, a theatre major concentrating on performing arts and co-president of the Marquette University Players, the major doesn’t matter — you get out of it what you put into it.

“As long as someone has an interest in an art form, they should be able to express themselves by any means possible,” Wickey said.

The theatre arts major at Marquette includes specific disciplines in performance, directing, design/technical and recommended courses in dance, art and history depending on interests. With such close proximity to Milwaukee’s theatre district, Marquette’s theatre students find opportunities to involve themselves professionally. Marquette also offers the Marquette University Players, an organization completely run, directed, written and produced by students.  MUPS, as well as the Studio 13 Refugees improv comedy group, serve as ways for the otherwise uninvolved to get involved in the theatre scene.

“MUPS allows you to do virtually anything you want to do, even if you’ve never been involved in theatre before,” Wickey said. “I only wish it could be seen on a grander scale.”

He said that theatre doesn’t have to be considered a dying art form. “This is a struggle for the entire department,” he said.

On the other hand, the perseverance of students can only go so far without enough support. For students interested in pursuing the fine arts, including studio art or art history, Marquette offers minors. Additionally, the university’s art program is limited — only a select number of classes are available on campus. All other classes are taken at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, the only college within the state that is dedicated exclusively to the education of artists and designers.

While the MIAD program enables art students to expand their studies beyond Marquette, transportation can be a hassle.

Gina Crovetti, a junior in College of Arts & Sciences majoring in psychology with a minor in fine arts said, “It does take out much of your day because my MIAD class itself is about three hours long, and then there’s travel time, so you have to prepare in advance and really plan other MU classes well.”

Though most art classes are only offered through the MIAD program, Marquette does provide art outlets on campus. Art Club is responsible for various projects and displays in the Alumni Memorial Union and the Haggerty Museum of Art on campus, as well as member-specific interest projects and “Fine Arts Night.” But the Haggerty seems to be the only outside source for direct involvement in and exposure to fine arts.

“I think (the museum) is underrated, and it’s sad that so many people either don’t know what Haggerty is, where it is or ever want to go there,” Crovetti said. “The art culture here is just not apparent. MU is on the verge of having an exploding art scene, I feel. So many people are wanting it, it just needs to be pushed over the edge to come alive.”

Marquette’s music program also offers limited opportunities, with the music minor just stepping into the lime light a couple of years ago.

Marquette allows non-music minor students to practice and perform in vocal or instrumental groups as an extra-curricular activity for zero credits while music minors are required to participate in at least four semesters of these approved ensembles to be taken for one credit, according to the Marquette University Web site. These groups include symphonic band, wind ensemble, pep band, jazz ensemble, orchestra, men’s and women’s chorus, mixed chorus, vocal jazz, gospel choir and several a cappella groups.

Of these, College of Arts & Sciences sophomore music minor Elizabeth Heinrich is involved in eight.

“I’m still disappointed that there’s no music major available,” she said. Heinrich expressed remorse for the lack of student enthusiasm not only for music but also for the arts in general.

“Of the 11,000 students here, will our band concerts ever get the kind of attendance as a basketball game?” she said. “It’s something I’ll always hope for.”

Marquette’s limited programs may be partially at fault for the lack of enthusiasm for art culture throughout the student body. However, in the end it is just as much the individual artists’ responsibility to reach their own goals with self-motivation and determination. Either way you look at it, the arts need support. Look at a painting, watch a skit or enjoy an orchestra performance. According to Garner’s theory of multiple intelligence, it might be good for you.

According to Ellen Blauw, associate director of International Students and Scholars Services at Marquette, about 500 international students currently attend the university.

Vincent Ong, a junior in the College of Business Administration, was initially surprised by college life when he arrived in Milwaukee from his home in the Philippines.

“Honestly, I was expecting college life in the U.S. to be like the movies or TV,” Ong said. “I quickly found out that what they show in the media is very different from real life.”

Phyu Thwe, a senior in the College of Health Sciences, said that when she came to Milwaukee from Burma, she “expected students (to be) so friendly and welcoming to foreigners.” But for Thwe, this wasn’t the case.

“I didn’t have any friends other than a couple of international student friends who transferred here like me,” Thwe said.

As time progressed, however, Thwe said she felt some of her classmates began to accept her as their friend.

Vaanchhita Bhatia, a junior in the College of Health Sciences, found students to be extremely curious about her life in New Delhi, India.

“I had people asking me the weird, yet funny questions, like ‘Is India a small village in Egypt?’ or ‘Are there roads in India?’ ” Bhatia said.

Anthony Purgianto, a senior in the College Health Sciences, said that when he moved to Milwaukee from Indonesia, he felt students viewed him differently during the first few months.

“But now they (can) barely tell if I (am an) American,” Purgianto said.

Blauw said the Office of International Education offers mentoring programs for international students to help them adjust. The office also offers advising and counseling for international students during their years at Marquette.

“We really stay with the student from the point of admission though their graduation,” Blauw said.

Yousif Bouftain, a sophomore in the College of Engineering, said that when he arrived at Marquette from Kuwait, he was “so confused.”

“(A student) told me to go to the Office of International Education,” Bouftain said. “I went there, and they were really welcoming and helpful.”

For Oppong Agyemang, a junior in the College of Engineering from Ghana, the OIE prompted his decision to attend Marquette.

“My relationship with OIE was the determining factor because, unlike many students, I never had the chance to come for a college visit,” Agyemang said.

International students attend an orientation session held a few days before New Student and Family Orientation, which aims to help them adjust to life in Milwaukee.

“The program gives them time to look around, and we let them know what resources are here,” Blauw said.

Aside from peer mentoring programs and advising, the office in the AMU offers many resources, including a prayer room, lounge, meeting room and kitchen for student use.

Thwe finds the OIE to be a comfortable and familiar place for her to go.

“Sometimes when the OIE needs volunteers, I just go there and help,” she said.

Freshmen and sophomore international students are also required to live in residence halls with their peers, which helps them to “adjust and meet friends,” Blauw said.

“I met my best friend freshman year in Abbottsford,” Agyemang said. “And I (am) still very close with almost all the guys from my floor.”

For some students, though, adjustment and culture shock wasn’t a big issue. Jayne Grebinski, a senior in the College of Business Administration, said moving from Canada to Milwaukee didn’t require much of an adjustment.

“Even though I am far from home, the culture of the Midwest is very similar to the culture of western Canada,” Grebinski said.

She still, however, recognizes the benefits of being an international student. “I think teachers appreciate the fact that I am from another country, especially in my international classes, because I can provide examples of cultural differences,” Grebinski said. “And it gives them the chance to bring up some good Canadian jokes.”

Marquette’s Catholic, Jesuit environment is also something many of the international students value.

“I’m a Hindu and, honestly, it doesn’t bother me being in a Catholic University,” said Bhatia. “I love reading and experiencing different cultures, so I think Marquette is definitely a very good choice.”

Agyemang also felt attending Marquette was a good decision.

“I want to go back home someday and help my country with my (engineering) skills,” he said. “I feel like I am here for a reason and would not change the situation if I had the chance.”

Schneider’s success story is indeed a business triumph, yet its significance digs deeper. Her story is an exemplar of the changing face of business. According to the Center for Women’s Business Research, one in five business firms with revenue of $1 million or more is owned by a woman. According to Schneider, there is still an issue with credibility and how women are perceived in the workplace.

In the year that Marquette is honoring the centennial celebration of women at the university, the business field is still in the juvenile stages of integration. A field that at one time was thought to be untouchable for women is shaping up to become a laboratory for growth, success and diversity.

Carla Rutley is a Wisconsin woman who is no stranger to the business world. Rutley is the associate director for Milwaukee Women Inc., an organization that works with southeastern Wisconsin CEOs in an effort to advance the placement of women on corporate boards.

“We need some change,” said Rutley, referring to the current status of businesswomen in leadership roles. “Women need to be presented with opportunities in board position roles. It provides diversity of thought perception for a company. We want companies to be decisive.”

The health care industry is an area in which Rutley sees the soundest proof of the need for women in higher business positions.

“If you look at those companies, 85 percent of purchasing decisions are made by women, yet the top decisions are made by men. There seems to be a disconnect,” Rutley said.

Since its inception in 2002, the impact of Milwaukee Women Inc. is starting to show.

“We are starting to see advancement, and the result is greater diversity,” Rutley said. “We are also partnered with several Milwaukee businesses, which support our initiatives and operations. Whether it is talent, sustainability or growth of a business, we have a synergy that really breeds helpful to each other.”

Regardless of gender, Rutley’s formula for business success is simple. “Go after what you want.”

Last month, Marquette was a showcase for the changing face of business when the University chose Angela Braly to speak at the 10th annual business leader’s forum. Braly is the CEO of insurance giant WellPoint Inc., with 35 million people insured worldwide.

“She is one word: inspiring,” said Christine Polewski, a registered nurse for Aurora Health Care in Milwaukee who attended Braly’s lecture.

During her address to Milwaukee business people, community members, Marquette students and faculty, Braly preached the importance of asserting oneself as a leader in the workplace, regardless of gender.

“A leader is someone who leads people to a higher purpose and never stops learning,” Braly said.

Braly had a valuable message for businesswomen as well: assuring that gender can’t hinder success.

“There are still barriers for women, but now more than ever, women are moving up. Women still have every opportunity to lead, learn and succeed,” Braly said.

Braly added that she should not be mistaken as a female business pioneer, and it’s the women before her who deserve all the credit.

In an event that included Milwaukee’s most successful business men and women, Braly’s luncheon made a clear statement, business is no longer a man’s game.

Gerry Stilp, a private banker for US Bank in Milwaukee, attended the event. Stilp is a 1967 graduate of Marquette’s business school, and he said that his business classes only had a handful of women, and his accounting class had only one woman.

“Since then, we have come a long way,” Stilp said. “More women in business are a sign of today’s welcoming, integrated and quality workplace.”

Stilp, however, also acknowledged the difficulty to one day have just as many women in business as there are men.

“Men don’t get pregnant and have to miss work for a baby. I think sometimes women are really torn between a career and a family, and that’s a tough decision,” Stilp said. “Men typically put the child-raising and the vast majority of responsibilities to the wife. It shouldn’t be that way. We as men should share more in that. That’s only now coming into place.”

Brenda Wittrock, an engineer for the Brewer Company, also attended the leadership forum. Wittrock said she generally works with all men on a daily basis.

“It can be difficult,” said Wittrock. “They approach problems differently and have different ideas, but I think that is what makes me valuable. I represent a different point of view, and I think that only makes our company stronger.”

Wittrock also mentioned that some of her biggest difficulties as a woman in business come from people outside the office.

“When I work with customers or suppliers, they look at me as their little daughter, which is hard to overcome. In that scenario, it is hard to come off as someone as respectable as the next engineer or employee,” Wittrock said.

Barbara Kren, a professor in the College of Business Administration, believes the future is bright.

“When I was graduating, it was mostly men with business degrees,” Kren said. “Now I would say it is about half and half. That’s a very good sign.”

Kren also acknowledged what she refers to as a “glass ceiling” that needs to be broken.

“Women are becoming managers and senior managers, but once we reach the partner level, these boards and CEOs are still predominantly men,” she said.

Kren mentioned that some of the problems women had generations ago aren’t so prevalent today.

“I don’t think there is a problem these days with training or schooling,” she said. “I think schools are just fine with women in the classroom and in business organizations. Things have really come around.”

Before teaching accounting, Kren was an auditor for Ernst and Young, one of the “Big Five” auditors and one of the largest private companies in the United States. Kren said her experience in business taught her that you can’t let your feelings get hurt, that business is tough for women and that you have to let criticism and prejudice just roll off your back.

The one common school of thought between Milwaukee’s business students and leaders was that having women in the workplace breeds greater diversity. Diversity of a workplace with women leads to greater innovations and results in stronger businesses.

“At these board meetings and company gatherings, you have to look around the table and ask, ‘Can a woman bring a perspective not already represented?’ ” Rutley said. “If the answer is yes, then that diversity of thought needs to be brought in.”

In a country where women were once not permitted to vote, there appears to be no previous time where women had a greater chance to test the business waters. If history continues to repeat itself, then women will be showing up more and more on corporate boards where their representation today is still somewhat minimal.

Despite the obstacles, the norms or the difficulties, the message from Milwaukee’s most successful women is simple.

Perhaps Carol Schneider put it best. “Women pour themselves into their positions, and they won’t quit until they succeed.”

A century after female students first strolled campus at the start of a new school year, the Rev. Robert A. Wild stood before the congregation at the Mass of the Holy Spirit at the start of this semester, commemorating women at Marquette and celebrating their contribution to the university’s proud history.

McCabe challenged past traditions that separated men and women in the classroom, Wild said during his homily. He stood contrary to the local Jesuit brotherhood and faced disapproval from his religious superiors. His courageous decision transformed Catholic education.

But despite these momentous changes in education, society continues to neglect a figurative part of a human heredity that prevails today: the Why Factor.

Why, despite our ancestors’ efforts toward women’s equality in and outside of the classroom, does women’s rights continue to receive little or unfavorable response? Although humankind has taken strides in equality’s direction over the past century, women throughout the world, especially in developing countries, continue to lose pace in the office and at home. Discrimination marches onward.

In fact, women’s rights poses such a problem that the New York Times referred to it as the “cause of our time,” citing sex trafficking, bride burnings and mass rape as current day injustices.

Although Marquette celebrates McCabe’s advocacy for women’s equality in education, the journey toward fairness is far from over.

But hope exists. According to a study by the United Nations, women have continued to gain higher education enrollment status across the globe. In fact, women’s enrollment succeeded that of men in both the Caribbean and Western Asia and mirrored that of men in South America. Educators continue to follow in your footsteps, McCabe.

Yet despite these promising findings, the study also reported nearly two thirds of illiterate people in the world are women, a stark reality in the eyes of women receiving higher education.

So while Marquette sings McCabe’s praises, the cry for women’s rights resounds. The Marquette community must look to yesterday’s success to find inspiration for tomorrow’s future. Who knows? Solutions to finding equality may very well lie in the hands of Marquette’s own students, faculty and staff.