If I were to ask whether women and men are equal here at Manhattanville, most students’ first response would be yes. “Of course,” they would say, “women and men have the same rights.” They would point to the fact that women are predominant at Manhattanville, with a ratio of 60% female students versus 40% male students. Men and women have the possibility to study the same subjects, join the same clubs, and participate in the same activities. There are no structural restrictions for women at Manhattanville. On paper at least there is total equality between men and women. Yet if you scratch below the surface, these general facts don’t take into account the full reality.

After spending two years at college, it is quite clear that men and women do not possess the same rights in regards to their sexual behavior. The prevailing attitude is that men are entitled to and even respected for displaying a casual attitude to sex and objectifying women in the process. They are the dominant species on campus, particularly if they play on a sports team, and they get away with irresponsible sexual behavior. In fact, they are often applauded for that behavior. In this regard, there is no equality between men and women at Manhattanville.

A classic example is a woman who sleeps with several men from the same sports team who comes to be considered a “slut,” or to put it in sports lingo, a “hockey puck.” She becomes an object for the team’s pleasure and later is often times mocked and teased.Yet, those same males, the ones who slept with the woman, are above reproach. They have the right to “share” the same woman between themselves without being looked down upon. All the fault lies with the woman and none with the men. They are looked up to, and she is looked down upon. Where is the social justice and equality in this equation?

Ironically, this demeaning attitude to women is not only ingrained in men but in women as well. Other women will also look down on the “hockey pucks,” claiming that these girls should know better than to put themselves in that kind of situation.

Men are entitled to be sexually promiscuous and women aren’t. This idea is accepted by the majority of society and by the majority of the students here at Manhattanville. Again, where is the equality?

It would be hard to call this patriarchal system fair. The point here isn’t to defend promiscuity, but if it’s wrong for a woman to be promiscuous it should be equally wrong for a man. Why doesn’t anyone turn the focus to the men and look down on them? Why is the finger always pointed towards the women? Why is she the irresponsible one and not the man? Why is the woman left to stand alone and be held accountable while the man is able to hide within the collective male pack and not take any individual accountability for his actions? If men and women had equal rights, these types of situations would not exist.

So what is to be done? Most people are aware of the situation, yet they do nothing to prevent it, falling right back into sexual patriarchy. Students should not just become aware of the situation, but start reacting. Change never comes about by waiting for someone else to change, but only when we ourselves change our attitude.

“What is Fair Trade?” This is a question my geography teacher asked my 5th grade class in my home country, Switzerland, back in 2001. That year we learned all about the concept of Fair Trade and the benefits it had for the local farmers involved. Not only did we learn about Fair Trade in school, but Fair Trade products were and still are common in our supermarkets
in Europe. Most people opt for Fair Trade bananas, sugar, and coffee instead of the regular free trade products.

This is why when one of my professors showed my “Introduction to Global Studies” class the documentary “Black Gold” and only a few students knew what Fair Trade was, I was shocked. After a long discussion with the class, I realized that Fair Trade is not a widespread phenomenon here in the USA the same way it is back in Europe.

I decided to take my investigation outstide of the classroom and sure enough my observation was confirmed. Although many of my friends had learned about Fair Trade in one way or another, they did not feel personally concerned by it. Of course, why would they be? Most people hear about Fair Trade through different classes or newspaper articles, and only see it as a system that benefits poor farmers. Most people do not understand how the system works and as a result, they do not realize that Fair Trade is something each and every one of us can participate in, and that through it, we can make a difference.

The problem is that coffee farmers in under-developed countries are becoming even more impoverished, going further into debt and losing their land because of the extremely low world coffee prices. For instance, according to Tadesse Meskela, the representative for the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union in Ethiopia, big companies such as Starbucks sells Ethiopian coffee for $14.00 per pound, but only pays $1.20 per pound, which does not even cover the cost of production. The idea of Fair Trade is to offer local farmers an equitable and fair partnership between consumers in more developed parts of the world, such as Europe or North America, and producers in
Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. Fair Trade guarantees to poor farmers organized in cooperatives around the world a living wage, credit at fair prices, and a long term relationship. Although the idea is becoming more popular, according to the Fair Trade Labeling Organizations International, still only 20% of Fair Trade Farmer’s coffee is sold at Fair Trade. The reason for this is that there is not enough demand for Fair Trade coffee.

So what can we do as individual consumers in the United States? Fair Trade certified coffee is slowly making its way to the US and the only way for the movement to grow is to get involved. Although it is not well publicized, there is already Fair Trade Coffee around Manhattanville College. For instance, the coffee sold in the library Café is “Pura Vida Coffee,” which is part of the Union de Ejidos Professor Otillio Montano (UDEPOM) “which is a cooperative of farmers in Chiapas, Mexico, focused since 1995 on producing the highest quality Fair Trade and organic coffee while contributing to the preservation of the natural resources of the Mescamerica biodiversity hotspot (www.puravidacoffee.com).”

Also, since 2000, Starbucks has offered Brewed Fair Trade coffee as well as whole bean. Yet the only way Starbucks will make Fair Trade coffee is if you ask for it specifically. So if you are a Starbucks customer, buy Fair Trade. Furthermore, let your friends and family know about the concept of Fair Trade. It is only by spreading the word that the movement will be able to grow. Such little effort on one person’s part can go a long way.