Concert for Woman House March 29 Page 4
Sports Previews Page 5
Candidates on
Nuclear Arms Page 7
Bulimia:
The Treatment
Page 10
ST. BEN'S BUILDS NEW GYM
by Julie Michels
The urgent need for adequate athletic and social space at St. Ben's will finally be met this summer with the construction of a new gym. This new gym will be attached to the present gym and will be regulaton-size, approximately 13,000 square feet, with seating for 500-800 fans.
The construction of the new gym was just recently approved by the St. Ben's Board of Trustees. If all goes well, ground-breaking will occur this spring and the facility will be completed by next November. Funding for the project is not coming from the Capital Campaign drive which is raising money for the con-
struction of the new library. Rather, the funds are coming from the college's reserve fund.
This new facility will obviously receive a warm welcome from the many intercollegiate teams at St. Ben's. For the past two years the CSB basketball team has had to hold its homes games at St. John's Rat Hall. Since St. John's cannot guarantee usage of Rat Hall for the basketball games after this year, the new gym will solve many problems for this team. Volleyball coach and Phy. Ed. instructor Margo Coleman said that, although the gym will not be completed in time for volleyball season, she is *'excited about it (the new gym) because it shows a strong committment on the part of the administration to have a strong athletic program." Other inter-
collegiate teams not traditionally billed as "indoor sports" (soccer, softball, rugby, tennis) will also now be able to practice indoors if the need arises.
Those not involved in intercollegiate sports can also make use of the new gym by participating in intramural sports. This program will undoubtedly be expanded and will hopefully motivate women on campus to get involved.
Despite the many athletic advantages of the new gym, the birth of the new social space will probably have the greatest effect on present and prospective St. Ben's students. Now St. Ben's will be able to host many of the social activities before held only at St. John's. Missy Young, junior JEC and SAB member, states "It's exciting to know
College of St. Benedict
Volume 8, Number 7
15 March 1984
Keynote Speaker Discusses Women in Advertising
by Jane Hougnon
According to Dr. Jean Kilbourne, advertising is the most powerful educating force in our society, Advertising dictates "who we are and what we should be." It is a very effective form of cultural conditioning, one that is causing great damage to the image of women in our society. This was the theme of Kilbourne's keynote address for Women's Week on Wednesday, March 7, at the Benedicta Arts Center.
For several years Kilbourne, a media analyst, lecturer and writer, has been researching the effects of the mass media, especially advertising, on social attitudes and values. Her lecture, "The Naked Truth: Advertising's Image of Women," consisted of more than 140 slides and examined specific ways in which advertisements reinforce stereotypes and affect self-images.
Since the object of the mass media is to sell products, many advertisments try to create anxiety and a need for their product. The mass media sells and creates attitudes, values, images and concepts of "success and worth, love and sexuality, popularity and worth" that supposedly mirror those of society. However, this "normalcy" presents a distorted view of reality or a "mythological culture." This mythological culture consists only of white people, beautiful young women, heterosexual couples, nuclear familes, mentally and physically capable people and, as Kilbourne humorously pointed out, people who talk only about products! This is the culture that advertisements are based on — not a very realistic view of society.
Kilbourne used the slides very effectively to show that "advertising portrays women as either sex objects or demented housewives." The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women called advertising "the worst offender in perpetuating the image of women as sex symbols and an inferior class of human being." Advertising sells the image of only young, beautiful women. If they are not young and beautiful, the women in advertisements are haggard housewives whose main concern in life is a clean kitchen floor.
Advertising sells on the basis of an ideal beauty—a look that can never be achieved. The ultimate standard does produce a need, women learn that they must strive for the young, beautiful "look" that can only be acquired by
artificial means, the products that are being sold. Older women are no longer attractive, especially to men, so they must strive to look younger. And the great significance placed on being thin in order to catch a man is physically, as well as emotionally, harmful. Kilbourne attributes the increased number of women suffering from anorexia nervosa to this idea that only thin women are attractive.
Advertising also pits women against other women in battles concerning physical appearance, the cleanest house and, of course, the hunt for a man. This is very unhealthy for it suggests that women are always in competition with each other rather than being involved in caring friendships. Placing Continued on page 10
that social space will be available so soon—it makes planning events for next year even more enjoyable."
Dick Manderfeld, director of admissions, furthers this enthusiasm for the new gym by saying that, "It's a little bit too late to think that this will draw new students for next year, but it will certainly solidfy interest we already have."
Retraction
The editors of The Cable wish to retract the following paragraphs which appeared in a story on the front page of the Feb. 23, 1984 issue of The Cable. The story was printed without The Cabled personal investigation. It has now come to our attention that each of the following paragraphs do not correspond with the facts.
The three administrators did not recommend tenure on the basis of "academic fitness," the future needs of the School of Theology, and her professional relationship with students and staff.
A rank and tenure hearing conducted by the University late last year also made a recommendation against tenure by students and faculty.
Father Hilary concurred, but later changed his position and, without notice to his administration, submitted his recommendation for tenure to the University's Board of Regents. The move resulted in the resignations.
It was not the intent of The Cable to call to question Dr. Winkler's reputation. We apologize for our mistake in printing this article.
Costs Determined for '85 - '86
by Judy Zimmer
Michael Novak spent a week on Campus discussing Theology and public policy. See page 7 for more on Novak and his participation in the Forum Debate on The Bishop's Pastoral.
Determining the tuition from year to year is a difficult task involving budgets, proposals and hours of deliberation. According to Dick Manderfield, director of admissions, the process begins when departments submit their budgets which are then turned over to Board of Directors to determine what the college can and cannot afford. Jim Koenig, director of student accounts, said that the final decision was made last week for the '85-'86 school year. The figures are as follows:
Tuition $5140 (full time students) Room $2210 (average dorm room) Books $ 250 (approximation)
$7600 (total estimated cost)
This estimated figure of $7600 does not include personal expenses or transportation costs. Students must estimate these costs themselves, Koenig said. The 8% increase in the tuition from last year is due to inflation rates, increase in wages, the planned building of the new gym and upgrading of the computer program Koenig said.
He also stated that while there is an increase in tuition, financial aid will also increase to take into account the 8% increase.
