Step outside of the Hillsdale bubble for Curate content

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Step outside of the Hillsdale bubble for Curate content
Hillsdale students participate in an activity during a Curate summit. | Curate

For most of its existence, Hillsdale’s monthly women’s newsletter, Curate, has featured women who work and live in Hillsdale. That all changed with the latest issue, when the newsletter featured one alumna who does not live or work in the area. This should not be an anomaly, but the norm.

Curate arrived on the Hillsdale scene just over a year ago. The newsletter includes advice, personal experiences, book recommendations, and activities for Hillsdale women. A newsletter about what it means to be a woman, by women, for women has the potential to be a great resource for female students. This campus is unique, and we could use some help navigating relationships, busy schedules, and future plans. 

In the Sept. 6 newsletter, Ashlyn Neveau ‘16 wrote that Curate is “intentionally crafted for Hillsdale students.”

“Whatever the women of Hillsdale need, we are here for you,” Neveau said.

The women of Hillsdale need better content from Curate. 

Curate pulls content from female employees on campus. Different women from Career Services, Admissions, and the Student Activities Office have contributed to the newsletter. 

Curate is a great idea. Pulling from different departments should present students with women from different backgrounds and walks of life. But there is one unifying factor that turns some Hillsdale students away from an otherwise promising read: each of these women are currently living in Hillsdale. 

There’s nothing wrong with living and working in Hillsdale after graduation. In fact, it’s a good thing. Having graduates work for the college shows how much some of us love this place. It showcases the respect felt for our alma mater. 

But, most of us will do something else. We will leave and go on to either graduate school or full-time employment. Some will start their own businesses, others will get married and start families.

To succeed both on campus and after graduation, female Hillsdale students should hear from Hillsdale alumnae. Not just the alumnae who work in this town, but those who are out in the world living life the way most of us will.

Many recent female graduates have gone on to be incredibly successful. Kaylee White ‘19 is a regular contributor to Fox News. Brittany Baldwin ‘12 is a speechwriter for President Donald Trump. Tori Hope Peterson ‘18 runs an Instagram account and blog to raise awareness for issues within the United States foster system. 

These are just names I know off the top of my head. Imagine the countless other Hillsdale women who are making their way in the world.

This is not to say that Hillsdale graduates who stay in Hillsdale to live and work aren’t making their way in the world. They have my utmost respect and their experiences are valid. Yet, Curate should also make use of our alumnae from across the globe.

The Curate newsletter could also improve its content by publishing submissions from Hillsdale’s female professors. All of them are incredibly educated, intelligent women. 

These women, all accomplished, have something to teach the women of Hillsdale. Professor of art Barbara Bushey could write on appreciating beauty in the world, or Kirsten Kiledal, the chair of the rhetoric and public address department, could talk about overcoming fear both in public speaking and in life. Dedra Birzer of the history department could discuss how to find your passion and make it your life’s work. These women have ethos that most of us could only dream of achieving. Let’s capitalize on their expertise and authority.

Sometimes, outside sources are needed to speak on different topics. We bring outside speakers to this campus because they have expertise in a certain area. The Center for Constructive Alternatives lectures on foreign policy brought in experts on foreign policy. The journalism department brings in professional journalists who have credentials in specific fields. Curate should follow that example. Provide Hillsdale women with advice from women outside the Hillsdale bubble. 

 

Regan Meyer is a senior studying rhetoric and public address.