the major organizations on campus. All have women on their executive boards.

“We are seeing an emergence of women as leaders,” Williams says.

Conni Dubick, an associate director of student financial aid, says women coming to Kent State tend to have more experience in high school, making it easier for them to attain leadership positions.

“In college, students are able to take steps beyond [what they did in high school],” Dubick says. “College women are at an age where they can take the next step in leadership into volunteer and maybe paid positions.”

Dubick helps coordinate the Women’s Leadership Initiative, which works to bring accomplished women in leadership positions to speak at Kent State, targeting those students who may not have had leadership experience in high school.

“The more experience women get at KSU on campus, the more likely they are to be active and see the opportunities and preparation it takes [beyond graduation],” Dubick says.
Along with being involved in USS, Samuelson is the president of Students of Scholarship, is on the Honors College Policy Council and is the Inter-Greek Programming Board chair for Delta Gamma sorority.

“Women can bring a lot to leadership positions,” Samuelson says. “Women are known for being good communicators and good listeners.”

Williams agrees women do differ from men as leaders but says some of the stereotypes can prevent a woman from holding authority.
Although men receive respect when they aggressively run a meeting, she says, women are expected to be compassionate, not assertive.

“When a woman is assertive,” Williams says, “it comes across as more threatening. It’s hard to balance an assertive quality.”

Amber Samuelson and Doug Tayek both ran for Undergraduate Student Senate in spring 2003. Both put themselves in the public spotlight and ran their campaigns hoping voters would judge them on their intents to be on the senate.

That’s how Tayek’s campaign turned out. Samuelson’s was a different story. In addition to being judged on her intents, she says voters also judged her on her appearance, especially her hair and clothes.

Her classroom wardrobe suddenly became a target. Sometimes critics said her pants were too tight. Other times the neckline of her shirt was brought into question.

She recalls one shirt that she wore to an open forum was called inappropriate, even though she considered it conservative.

Such is the battle of many women emerging in the next generation of leaders. Most are grateful for the foundations laid by their mothers’ generation, making it easier to learn leadership skills.

But there are some problems that have yet to be conquered.