Dr. Marta McClintock-Comeaux is a Women’s Studies and Sociology professor who has been here at CalU since the late 2000’s. Dr. McClintock-Comeaux has a BS in Secondary education, as she originally set her sights on being an English teacher. Once realizing that she cared more about what was happening in students’ lives outside of the classroom instead of teaching English, she began working for AmeriCorps for a year, which still involved teaching but to those that did not have a lot of advantages- such as young mothers as well as men who had just recently been released from prison- helping them to get their GED’s and learning to read. She also has her master’s degree in social work, and her doctorate in family studies.
Before becoming a professor at CalU, McClintock-Comeaux was a part of the creation of our End Violence center here on campus- once known as the Peace Project (prevention, education and advocacy for change and empowerment). The Peace Project began in 2000 as a grant that the university received from The Department of Justice to create programs on campus that offered support for survivors of sexual assault or relationship violence and provided prevention education.
Initially, the program offered advocacy for student survivors as well as training for the campus police, administration, students and faculty which was all required as a part of the grant. Dr. McClintock-Comeaux says this “was a really great thing” She went on to explain that “the president of the university has a lot of things on their to-do list, and so attending a training by sexual assault coordinators is not always at the top of their list. Being granted a several hundred-thousand-dollar grant that requires the training of administrators is great.”
Over the years, the program has become closely knit with the women’s center here on campus, providing the same things since the start of the program over a decade ago. Dr. McClintock-Comeaux spoke to the importance of the women’s studies program as well as programs like the End V/women’s center. “I think women’s studies, or fields that address social justice, have the chance to be both educational and healing.” She went on to say later that “This field helps to bring to light how complicated the world can be and helps to develop those skills- to think critically and to develop empathy”
As Dr. McClintock-Comeaux told me, college is the place to expand your mind and your experience. She says that while you want to be able to support yourself after completing your degree, leaving this University having developed your intellect is just as important.
I’d like to leave you with this thought, “When there’s greater equality between the sexes represented and business and in government there tends to be less violence in society, there tends to be better overall well being of the society.” In regards to our campus culture, I think this is important to keep in mind.