Amid Protest, Clinton Talks Equity

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Senator Hillary Clinton brought perspective and politics to the panel. (Stock photo)

By Radeyah Hack
News Editor

As Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was about to comment about the gender pay gap today at the Equity Pay for Women Seminar, 35 students stood up, turned their backs to the Senator and displayed the words “TROOPS OUT NOW” in white letters on black T-shirts. Calling on the Senator to address the reasons why she supports American soldiers remaining in Iraq, the students interrupted a panel discussion aimed at informing others about issues concerning gender equality in the workplace.

Senator Clinton quietly listened to a male protester as he shouted his demands to stop the war, while President Shirley Strum Kenny of Stony Brook University, who was also a panelist in the discussion, called on him to not interrupt the discussion and to respect the audience members who wish to listen. Clinton , instead of addressing the claims and concerns of the protester, bent towards her microphone and continued her sentence about women obtaining the right type of training in negotiating for equal pay.

“We’re a university and people have the right to protest and voice their opinions,” said President Kenny. “But I don’t approve of disrupting the hall of audience members from listening to the panel discussion.”

The 35 protesters remained standing for the rest of the program, which ended at 11:45 am instead of the scheduled time of 12:30 pm, with the male protester interrupting once more to criticize the Senator for advocating women’s equality but not addressing the issue of . The audience members repeatedly turned to watch as the protesters stood with their backs to the Senator, silently displaying their motive on their backs.

“I thought she would have at least addressed the issue since there were 35 of us,” said Chris Manley, one of the protesters who stood up with his back to Senator Clinton. “We’re all for women’s equality, but we wanted her to at least answer our questions.”

Outside the Staller Center, the anti war sentiment among a group of Stony Brook students came to front as students laid out on the Plaza, some covered in black garbage bags while others with American flags, representing those who have died in . The names of over 100,000 Iraqi civilians and American soldiers were read aloud, while students and faculty members stopped at the plaza to observe the spectacle.

Despite the voices of dissent, the Equity Pay for Women Seminar went on. In honor of Women’s History Month and sponsored by the Women’s Center, the Office of Diversity and Affirmative Action and the Women’s Studies Program, the panel discussion on equal pay was preceded by a workshop presentation about strengthening negotiation skills in the workforce.

Carol Frohlinger, founder of Negotiating Women and a graduate of Fordham Law School , laid out the five steps that are necessary for effective negotiating. “A man will earn more than $1.2 million more than a woman in the same field in an average life span. Women sometimes get in their own way, undermining their own positions when it comes to negotiating for pay,” she said. During her interactive presentation, Frohlinger, called on the female audience members to do their homework on the company you’re applying to, develop alternatives to expand your options, create multiple proposals for flexibility and to expect challenges when it comes to negotiating.

Senator Clinton moderated the panel discussion following Frohlinger’s presentation, where she was joined by President Shirley Strum Kenny of Stony Brook and Carol Levin, founder and executive director for Women’s Prerogative.

Emphasizing the fact that young women entering the workforce today have a greater number of opportunities, Senator Clinton stated that pay inequity still exists. "We still have work to do to level the playing field. And we all have a role to play as we pursue that goal together: the public sector, private sector, and individuals," she said.