Editor:
The intense left-wing elements in our educational institutions and media seem
preoccupied with “gender equity,” in so much that women/girls should make up
half of all, for example, university professorships (“Good equity practices
reduce conflicts: report”, UBC
Reports, April 30).
But if proponents of “gender equity” truly do want equity between both genders,
why are not these proponents demanding that half of all post-secondary student
spaces be reserved for men/boys?
I fairly recently read a few articles in The Vancouver Sun which revealed
that while pre-secondary female students are currently enthusiastically encouraged
by their teachers to participate and succeed in school functions and scholarships,
male students are left to fall behind.
How can there be true gender equality in our society while, according to these
articles, there’s a serious lack of male representation on high school honour
rolls, scholarship lists, in awards received and in social-responsibility functions.
And feminists do a real disservice by dismissing the role that feminist ideology
plays in the reduced achievements by today’s male students.
If the feminist-minded educators desire real equal opportunity for male and
female students, why are they not setting up quotas to make sure that male students
represent half of the recipients of, for example, scholarships?
I hope that contemporary gender-issue revolutionaries can convince our education
professionals of the danger involved in allowing to continue the large decline
in male student educational achievements.
Such convincing, however, will likely encounter resistance from educators
and other academics who are discouraged — or who are discouraging others —
from speaking out against the academic neglect of male students, lest they be
labelled anti-female.
Remember, these failing male students are our brothers, sons, grandsons, and
nephews; let’s make sure that they are not allowed to be left behind academically
because they are male.
Frank G. Sterle
White Rock, B.C.
UBC Reports welcomes letters to the
editor on topics relevant to the university community. Letters must be signed
and include an address and phone number for verification. Please limit letters,
which may be edited for length, style and clarity, to 300 words. Deadline is
10 days before publication date.
