In order for Syracuse women to win, they have to understand what they’re up against and how to overcome setbacks that can sometimes seem insurmountable.

This was the theme at Saturday’s Elect Her workshop, titled “Syracuse Women Win.” The event aimed to inspire women at Syracuse University to run for student government and future political positions.

The five-hour workshop was held in the Killian Room of the Hall of Languages included exercises about constructing political messages, campaign teams and political strategies.
Between workshops, keynote speaker and Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner spoke, as well as other local female politicians in Syracuse and on campus.

Miner began the event by sharing her experience as the first woman mayor of Syracuse and the promise and challenges women face in politics.

“The traditional gender role is that women are socially expected to be pleasant and likeable,” Miner said. “And to be assertive is not something that is seen as pleasant or likeable.”

The only way to break these stereotypes about women — particularly in leadership positions — is to have more women in these roles, Miner said.

“That’s why we are seeing these ‘Lean In’ and ‘Bossy’ campaigns,” she added.

Miner said she didn’t run for mayor in 2009 thinking about her gender in the capacity of becoming the first female mayor. When asked what it is like to be the first mayor, Miner said she bluntly responds with, “I don’t know, I’ve never been a man.”

As the crowd’s laughter subsided, Miner said once she was elected, she did begin to notice how her gender affected her political career.

In one instance, Miner said she was in a rush in the airport and she needed special access to a plane. She showed a guard her ID that included her name and her position as mayor. Miner said she told the guard that she needed to go through, but his response after looking at her ID was, “OK, but is the mayor with you?”

But Miner said she has not let these moments of sexism deter her. She added that her election as a woman and someone who is 5 feet 4 inches tall proves that “leadership doesn’t look like any one thing.”

After Miner won her election, she said she helped support other local candidates running for office as well. Women need to support each other in politics and not reinforce stereotypes, she added.

“We can be our strongest allies, but we can also be our biggest enemies,” Miner said.

After Miner spoke, Jean Kessner, president pro-tempore of the Syracuse Common Council, presented on the importance of crafting a strong political message.

Kessner said it is important to become knowledgeable about public issues.

“All issues, especially in an old city like us, are very complex,” Kessner said. “You don’t have to have a solution, you have to care.”

The message a politician constructs has to be universal for everyone and also matter to the politician personally, she said. A politician should explain to the public why their message matters to them and why they are running to accomplish it. This message must also be consistent, she added.

“You don’t want to promise too much,” she said. “Don’t make a promise without explaining it.”

Above all, Kessner said working in politics can serve as another way to solve problems and keep democracy alive.

A panel of four SU students serving on Student Association then spoke on their experiences campaigning for positions in SA and the role gender played in the politics on campus.

Allie Curtis, the Elect Her campus curator and former SA president, shared experiences in her presidential campaign where she was mocked for her femininity.

“The worst thing you can do is see some kind of aggression, and not say something about it,” Curtis said.

Curtis added that this was one of the reasons why she decided to bring Elect Her to SU.

Adrianna Kam, SA Board of Elections and Membership Chair, said she did not experience much sexism during her campaign, likely because her position was not as public.

Kam added that her hard work is worth the reward of seeing other students inspired to pursue leadership positions as a result.

Said Kam: “That’s the biggest impact, is seeing how you inspire other students.”

Published on April 7, 2014 at 1:45 am

Contact Anna: almerod@syr.edu