Female staff and faculty at BYUH socialize at their first Women in Academia meeting of the semester
To address the needs of female faculty and instructors at BYU–Hawaii, the Women in Academia presidency hosted a speed socializing event on Aug. 31. WIA Vice President Zoia Falevai, an associate professor in Instructional Services, said the goal for the event was to introduce the presidency and board members for the new academic year. Jerusha Magalei is president, Zoia Falevai is vice president, Moana Numanga is treasurer, Juanita Dennighoff is secretary and Michelle Blimes is adjunct faculty representative for the WIA this year.
Falevai shared female faculty working together as sisters in Christ can impact students as well. “We build our relationship as women faculty instructors, build support, rapport and camaraderie. This is one avenue where we can also improve ourselves as teachers, learners, scholars, BYUH community members, but most importantly disciples of Christ,” said Falevai. She explained after meeting as a presidency to discuss annual goals and what they have planned to do, they chose the first Thursday of the semester to have the first WIA event with the new presidency.
Falevai said the only challenge of the event was making sure all members knew about the WIA event and felt there was a space for them. Falevai shared an Hawaiian proverb as a goal to provide guidance for what people do, how they act and how they can be accountable for themselves and others. “E lauhoe mai nā waʻa; i ke kā, i ka hoe; i ka hoe, i ke kā; pae aku i ka ʻāina,” she shared, which translates to “Everybody paddle the canoes together; bail and paddle, paddle and bail, and the shore is reached.”
Kate McLellan, an assistant professor for the Faculty of Sciences, shared how she became involved with the WIA about two years ago. “One of my friends and colleagues had the idea of starting a women’s organization similar to what BYU in Provo had.” However, she added, “We decided we would use their same charter and ideas to form our version of it here at BYUH.” McLellan explained there were originally many problems raised in regards to faculty and staff harassing female professors and female staff, and the WIA has done a lot of work to help avoid this issue. “Fortunately, it’s gotten a lot better in the last two years,” she said. “Now the focus of the WIA is more to support and uplift each other, help with research or projects or professional development,” she added.
As a treasurer, McLellan said she balanced funds and made sure they had enough for activities. McLellan said she served as vice president in her second year, when first heard of the Women in Academia. She said, “It was good to meet with other women and see what their needs are, what they wanted, and how we as a group could build up one another on campus.” She continued in saying how amazing it is to attend as a regular member this year. “This is the first year I haven’t been involved in the presidency and it’s nice to be able to attend as a regular member and enjoy getting to know the other women now rather than having to be in charge of the event,” she said.
In conclusion, McLellan shared, “It has been a wonderful experience to help meet other professors, which helps me connect with other women with similar research interests or professional interests or even just goals.” Having few female professors on campus, she shared how nice it is to have a group where people can come, relax, feel safe, feel heard and connect with others who understand how the female staff’s work situation might be different from their male colleagues. “Right now I am collaborating with two other female professors on an upcoming research project from different departments, and I don’t know if we would’ve connected had it not been for the WIA,” McLellan said.
Jerusha Magalei, president of the WIA and assistant professor in the Faculty of Education & Social Work, shared, “I first learned about the WIA when I was hired as a professor in the Teacher Education program. She said the WIA came at a crucial juncture in her career when she was navigating the complexities of her new role. “As a new faculty member, I was seeking information and advice about my new position, and policies and procedures the university had.” WIA emerged as a valuable resource for her, providing a platform for networking with other women on campus, which she said she found to be incredibly beneficial. “Feeling supported was a big part of that,” she emphasized.
It's important to note that WIA, despite its name, is not exclusive to female faculty, Magalei said. “Although we are primarily made up of female faculty, both full-time and adjunct faculty, we celebrate and support all individuals on campus. This underlines WIA's commitment to fostering an environment where everyone, regardless of gender, can benefit from the valuable connections and resources it offers.”