[Ed Note: This article originally appeared in print in Bearing Drift’s May 2011 issue. To subscribe, join our mailing list and get a first peek in print every month.]
Begun in 2004 as a book club on the campus of the University of Virginia, Network of enlightened Women has expanded into a national organization where members meet to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing women today, as well as political issues.
Bearing Drift was able to sit down with Karin Agness, Founder and President of the Network of enlightened Women to discuss the group’s beginnings and vision.
Bearing Drift: NeW was established in 2004 at UVA – why did you sense that there was a need to do this?
Agness: In the summer of 2004, I had the opportunity to intern for the Office of Senator Richard Lugar. I enjoyed being surrounded by other women with right-of-center views in Washington, DC. Rather than throwing out Republican and Democrat one-liners, my female colleagues were eager to talk about nuanced arguments behind legislative proposals and how the issues of the day affected women. It was exhilarating to hear speakers and staffers explain how a 500-page bill would affect me as a young woman, and it was also refreshing to see how these women were able to balance their extraordinary achievements with a full family life.
I returned to the University of Virginia for my third year of college that fall, and set about to find some semblance of the environment I’d just come from. Unfortunately, all of the women’s groups at UVA were dedicated to promoting a liberal agenda. On my way home from class one day, I walked by a building called “The Women’s Center.” I figured it would be open to all women. I took a tour and at the end of it I asked, “Would the women’s center be
interested in cosponsoring a group for conservative young women?” The women’s center faculty member looked at me like I was crazy, chuckled and said “not here.”
Disappointed by the lack of resources available for culturally conservative women, I was determined to change things. I decided to start a club. I founded the Network of enlightened Women, called NeW, as a book club for conservative women at UVA.
Bearing Drift: Your organization has grown to over 20 campuses nationwide – to what do you attribute its success? What have you done to grow the organization? Has it been word of mouth or have you targeted specific campuses?
Agness: There is a demand on campus for a group for conservative women. NeW has filled this niche. NeW’s structure as a book club makes it easy for women at other colleges to start chapters. You really just need a group of conservative women and books to start a chapter. To start a chapter, a college woman needs to fill out a Prospective NeW Chapter form, available at http://enlightenedwomen.org/new-chapters/ and email it to [email protected]. That will get the conversation going about starting a chapter. NeW has spread to campuses across the country through word of mouth, press coverage of NeW and our NeW blog. Also, we host a national conference in Washington, DC each summer, and that event has led to a number of chapters being started. We are eager to expand to more campuses, so if any of your readers are interested, they should email me at [email protected].
Bearing Drift: Since you were started as a book club, what types of books do you read? How does the book club work?
Agness: We have a book list available on our website, which our chapters use as a resource when selecting a book. Last semester, a few of our chapters particularly enjoyed What Our Mothers Didn’t Tell Us: Why Happiness Eludes the Modern Woman by Danielle Crittenden, Who Stole Feminism? by Christina Hoff Sommers and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Women, Sex, and Feminism by Carrie Lukas. The book club has provided a good structure for our chapters. The chapters generally read one book a semester, so the amount of reading for each meeting is not overwhelming. Reading a chapter or two of a book before each meeting provides enough material for discussion.
Bearing Drift: Why just college-aged women? Is this an organization that someday you feel might transcend the ivy walls and into the mainstream consciousness?
Agness: We have focused on college-aged women because that is where we saw a need for NeW. Radical feminists have maintained a particularly strong presence on many campuses through women’s studies departments, women’s centers and chapters of women’s groups. We have received support from women outside of college and inquiries about how they can get involved. At this point, the best way for someone not in college to get involved is to start reading our blog and join the discussion on our Online Book Club.
Bearing Drift: Describe the Gentlemen’s Showcase. In some respects, it appears your organization wants to promote good manners.
Agness: Throughout the month of March, NeW hosts the Annual NeW Gentlemen’s Showcase. The Gentlemen’s Showcase is an online contest run through Facebook where college men compete to become the NeW Gentleman of the Year. We hold this event to recognize and honor gentlemen on campus. Students nominate college men for gentlemanly acts by uploading a video, photo or note to NeW’s Facebook Fan page, available at, http://www.facebook.com/EnlightenedWomen.
Then, people vote by “liking” a nomination. The college gentleman with the most votes wins a steak dinner for two. The goal of the event is to encourage mutual respect between the sexes.
Some individual NeW chapters host their own campus-wide Gentlemen’s Showcase event. The University of Virginia NeW chapter ran a Gentlemen’s Showcase Bracket during March Madness. Men are not just competing on the basketball court at UVA. Each week, the nominated gentlemen answer questions, and students vote to
determine who makes it to the next round. Also, NeW at Arizona State University has created some videos available on our website asking students questions such as, “Are men an endangered species on campus?” and “Are gentlemen extinct?” as part of their Gentlemen’s Showcase effort.
The Gentlemen’s Showcase seeks to restore dignity and respect between the sexes by recognizing and honoring gentlemen. The demise of chivalry doesn’t promote equality between the sexes. Instead, it breeds mutual disrespect. We hope to encourage gentlemanly behavior through this event.
The Gentlemen’s Showcase has been covered by The Daily Caller and Politico.
Bearing Drift: The Gentlemen’s Showcase is focused on men, so what types of women’s issues do you discuss?
Agness: One of main issues that many NeW chapters discuss is the hook-up culture on campus. Some of the books our chapters read discuss how harmful the hook-up culture is particularly to women. Unfortunately, many women’s groups are unwilling to speak out against the hook-up culture.
Bearing Drift: What is the mission of NeW?
Agness: The mission of NeW is to foster the education and leadership of conservative university women. We also seek to expand intellectual diversity on college campuses. We are trying to create a community of conservative women on campus.
Bearing Drift: If readers want to learn more, what is the best way to do so?
Agness: They can visit our website at www.enlightenedwomen.org or email me at [email protected]. We are looking to expand to more campuses and to find more supporters.
