OWL endorsement of male candidate for USG president draws student criticism

In an e-mail sent to its nearly 600 members Thursday afternoon, the Organization of Women Leaders endorsed David Gail '03 for USG president. But the endorsement has caused debate among OWL members about the decision not to support the race's only female candidate, Nina Langsam '03.

OWL's executive board announced its unanimous decision to endorse Gail, citing the group's interest in the concerns raised in the USG reports on minorities and women and Gail's attention to those issues.

"[Gail's] ideas focus on fostering a better classroom environment, improving the services of McCosh Health Center and addressing gender issues at the 'Street,' " OWL co-president Nancy Ippolito '03 said in an e-mail to OWL members. "[Langsam], on the other hand, did not demonstrate this focus on women or minority issues."

The e-mail explained that supporting women's issues does not always coincide with endorsing female leaders.

"In this instance, having a female USG president does not appear likely to introduce any heightened awareness of the challenges facing women at Princeton, in the United States or throughout the world," Ippolito wrote. "Supporting a candidate simply because she is female is sexist and undermines the credibility of our organization.

"This endorsement emphasizes our claim that feminism is rooted in more than gender. All women are not feminists, and all feminists are not women."

The candidates' platforms mattered more than their sex in OWL's decision-making processes, Ippolito said.

"It just boils down to which candidate will better represent OWL and support women's issues," she said. "Of the two candidates who approached us, we felt that David's platform was more supportive of women and minorities."

Gail said he was not shocked to win the endorsement but very pleased.

"I knew my platform was very supportive of [OWL] and women's issues," he said. "It's important to have a representative of the entire community — not just a woman leader."

Langsam — the other candidate who approached OWL for endorsement — said she was disappointed by OWL's decision to endorse Gail.

"I find it very curious that an organization for women's leadership would not support a proven female leader who has more experience than any other candidate," Langsam said in an e-mail.

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The other two candidates for USG president, Olivier Kamanda '03 and Justin Mirabal '03, chose not to actively seek out OWL's endorsement.

OWL's endorsement left more than a few members surprised at the decision.

"I had a pretty strong reaction to the e-mail," said Lauren Teichner '03, who often attends the group's meetings. "OWL was formed as a way of getting women into leadership. Gail's views might be perceived by some in the group to be better, but [OWL] exists to support women leaders."

Teichner and Sarah Rivlin '03 wrote an e-mail response to OWL expressing their concern about a group dedicated to supporting women leaders not supporting the female candidate. OWL responded promptly, further explaining the group's rationale.

"OWL should support women regardless," Teichner said. "OWL is not in the position to support which women they choose, but just women in general."

In its mission statement, OWL outlines a commitment "to the purpose of providing a network of support for female students, developing their talents and leadership skills and raising awareness of pertinent women's issues."

The e-mail OWL sent to its members did not adequately address its mission, OWL member Keija Parssinen '03 said.

"The e-mail did not legitimately explain [OWL's] position," she said. "The platform of OWL was to first get the initial numbers of female leaders up.

"It makes me doubt that they are going to be true to their platform," she added. "The e-mail said that it would be sexist to support Langsam simply because she's a woman. But if that were true, then OWL's platform is sexist.

"I was quite taken aback, not only because [OWL] didn't choose a female, but also at how the e-mail was a character assault of Nina. It was not very professional."

OWL co-president Erin Culbertson '03 responded to these accusations.

"We never intended in our endorsement of David to denounce Nina or belittle her accomplishments over the past two years," she said. "It was very clear that David's priorities were more conducive to OWL's goals than Nina's were."

Gail is a member of OWL and has been involved since its inception nearly two years ago. This has raised concerns among some who suspect a personal bias toward Gail among OWL's executive board.

"[The executive board] is a very tight-knit group of officers who probably have similar personal feelings," Parssinen said.

Kamanda cited OWL's close-ties with Gail as the primary rationale for his not seeking out the OWL endorsement.

"David has worked with OWL's leadership in the past, so he would be their likely preference," he said. "And if they didn't endorse him, it would only be to endorse Nina instead."

The fourth USG presidential candidate, Mirabal, said he did not have enough time to pursue OWL's endorsement but said he was surprised to see the endorsement go Gail's way.

"There are people who will say that a woman cannot be elected to be USG president because there is not enough support," he said. "And OWL's abandonment of the female candidate shows this."

If nothing else, OWL's endorsement of a male candidate has increased University dialogue about the USG elections.

"I am thrilled that [OWL's endorsement] is spurring so much discussion," Ippolito said. "Even if it does not support our decision, discussion in general is great."