Men congregate around the TV to watch sports. They don’t cry. They do the dirty jobs. They always “suck it up”. Most importantly and prevalent to this article is the notion that men are the sole sex working in the science, engineering, and other technical fields. These attributes and capacities are what they say it takes to be a man. We can argue our generation has moved past the 1950’s “Cult of Domesticity”, in which women’s primary role in society was to stay in the home, cook and clean; however, if we look around, specifically on college campuses, its women who are lacking in the fields that are perceived to be more challenging, rigorous, and “hands-on”. Kelly Haberl, a member of Colgate’s class of 2018, makes the active choice to defy any stereotype that may be held for women on college campuses, as she majors in Physics and became one of the founders of the Engineering Club this year.
While the course catalogue for Colgate is quite lengthy and extensive, there is no pre-engineering to be found here. Recognizing the necessity to fill this hole, Kelly started the Engineering Club, along with three others. Three other men. She recites, “We are initially surprised, but simultaneously excited when a girl walks into one of our meetings.” There is a certain stigma behind being a woman in a “man’s field of work”, yet what most students fail to acknowledge is the opportunity that arises to apply a liberal arts education in a more practical setting.
As the semester breezes by, students in the Engineering Club have excelled in two projects. The first in which they created trebuchets (a type of catapult…don’t worry we had to wikipedia that) out of mere Popsicle sticks, and the second advancing towards the creation of hover boards. Yes, we are talking something out of Back to the Future. Students came and crafted their own high tech people mover, in which the experience was something like walking on ice just on the floor. (Disclaimer: students were not off the ground, they just reported feeling lighter). When asked about this experience and the challenges faced in designing these types of projects, the main problem was with the necessity for more money, as well as figuring out how to recruit new members.
Many clubs around campus struggle with finding new members, and then keeping those members involved and dedicated. Every club leader has to go to a workshop in order to gage how to be more inclusive and promote diversity. There is a call to be critical and see if one is conscious of the level of diversity his/her club encompasses. While the numbers do not necessarily reflect an equal ratio of boys to girls in the Engineering Club, there is rarely a gap, amongst all, in the interest or desire to apply Physics to real world situations.
It’s just about that time of year when sophomores need to start declaring their majors and attempting to etch a course for the rest of their college career, and perhaps beyond. As these stresses compile, Kelly finds herself in a world of tranquility. Understanding the rarity and difficulty in breaking the gender barrier in the engineering field, Kelly continues to pursue a major in Physics. She declares its unlimited potential, and smiles when she realizes she is uncommon and she is the future.
** Here we have our Her Campus Colgate interviewer Natalie (left) and the feature herself, Kelly! Talk about some girl power!