Interviewer: Chris Petersen, Tiah Edmunson-Morton and six students enrolled in HC 407
Interview Date: March 6, 2018
Location: The Learning Innovation Center, Oregon State University
Duration: 1:32:21
In this student-led group interview, Janet Nishihara, Beth Rietveld, and Jo Anne Trow reflect on women’s history at Oregon State University. The interview begins with a discussion of how OSU’s policies towards women have changed over time. Trow notes that policies were much more restrictive when she first came to OSU in the 1960s. Rietveld notes that when she first came to OSU in the early 1970s, there was still a curfew for female students, but not male students. She explains that as national attitudes changed and events such as Anita Hill’s testimony were foregrounded in the public conscience, women’s issues were discussed more openly.
The conversation then turns to Title IX and its impacts on the university environment. Trow notes that shortly after Title IX was enacted, ASOSU elected its first female president and more women began joining departments in Agriculture and the STEM disciplines. Around the same time as the enactment of Title IX, more organizations in OSU developed that were devoted to advocating for women, including the Women’s Center.
From there, Rietveld, Trow, and Nishihara further elaborate on how the Women’s Center was first formed, the services it offered, and the first Women’s Studies courses that were developed. The interviewees also discuss the roles that activists played at OSU and the impact they had. They also examine aspects of the university that could still improve and their own personal experiences at the university. The interview concludes with a discussion about OSU’s future and how they hope to see the university grow.
This group oral history interview was conducted by instructors and students participating in an honors colloquium class titled "OSU, Women and Oral History: An Exploration of 150 Years." (HC 407) Jo Anne Trow was employed by the university from 1965-1995, serving as Oregon State's last Dean of Women and first female vice-provost. Beth Rietveld was Director of the OSU Women's Center from 1992-2011. Janet Nishihara is an OSU alumna and the Director of the Educational Opportunities Program at Oregon State.
Dublin Core
Title
Description
The conversation then turns to Title IX and its impacts on the university environment. Trow notes that shortly after Title IX was enacted, ASOSU elected its first female president and more women began joining departments in Agriculture and the STEM disciplines. Around the same time as the enactment of Title IX, more organizations in OSU developed that were devoted to advocating for women, including the Women’s Center.
From there, Rietveld, Trow, and Nishihara further elaborate on how the Women’s Center was first formed, the services it offered, and the first Women’s Studies courses that were developed. The interviewees also discuss the roles that activists played at OSU and the impact they had. They also examine aspects of the university that could still improve and their own personal experiences at the university. The interview concludes with a discussion about OSU’s future and how they hope to see the university grow.
This group oral history interview was conducted by instructors and students participating in an honors colloquium class titled "OSU, Women and Oral History: An Exploration of 150 Years." (HC 407) Jo Anne Trow was employed by the university from 1965-1995, serving as Oregon State's last Dean of Women and first female vice-provost. Beth Rietveld was Director of the OSU Women's Center from 1992-2011. Janet Nishihara is an OSU alumna and the Director of the Educational Opportunities Program at Oregon State.