For Hailey Temple, participating in the Sit With Me campaign hits close to home.

After visiting a technology museum in Silicon Valley last spring with other members of the School of Information Studies, Temple, a senior dual public relations and information management and technology major, spoke about how she remembers the lack of presence women had in the museum.

“There was one woman mentioned in the entire museum. I remember being so incredibly frustrated by that,” Temple said. “‘Where were the women?’ I asked. ‘Why aren’t there more of them?’”

Temple is one of the participants in the second annual “Sit With Me” event, which asks students and faculty in the School of Information Studies to “sit to take a stand.” The iSchool at Syracuse University is bringing the global campaign to campus through an event Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

Supported by the likes of Meryl Streep, Sheryl Sandberg and former Chancellor Nancy Cantor, the Sit With Me Advocacy Campaign is a national movement that sheds awareness on women in technical and information career fields.

Sarah Weber, director of employer relations at the iSchool, said the event was launched by the National Center for Women in Information Technology and supported by the university.

“We have an amazing group of women, from faculty, students and alumni, to tell their stories,” Weber said.

The Sit With Me Campaign uses a symbolic red chair, which has been a part of campaign events all over the country, to serve as a public forum space for participants.

“The event is an opportunity for anyone to sit while still taking a stand to support women in the STEM fields,” Weber said, referring to the academic fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Weber explained that the chair functions in different ways during the event, depending on how participants use the chair to bring awareness.

“What is cool about the chair is that you can pretty much do anything with it. We have recorded videos in the past where people can share their stories. When you sit to take a stand you have the freedom to say why you support the campaign from your point of view,” Weber said.

Whether it’s taking part in an open-mic discussion, recording a video of support or getting their picture taken in the chair with a message of solidarity, there are various opportunities for people to get involved in the event.
Beyond those women who are directly a part of the technical and information fields, Weber adamantly expressed that the event is not just for that specific group of people. She said a lot of men choose to speak at the event, not just women.

DaNae Grubbs, a second year graduate student studying telecommunications and network management, as well as the president of WIT-Grad, echoed Weber’s sentiments.

“Sit With Me validates the importance of having women in the technical sector. Although there are women in the technical field, they tend to face different obstacles as a minority in the field,” Grubbs said. “The red chair enables women and men to share their stories and allows men to say what they believe women have positively contributed or can contribute to the technical field.”

While women in the technical and information sectors have helped to create the Sit With Me event because of their direct experiences, they benefit from the support of women and men from many different career fields and backgrounds.

Temple expressed that while there might be a lack of recognition or interest for women looking at technology career fields, events like Sit With Me are raising awareness that women are valid and important catalysts in this area of study.

“The field would benefit so much from having women giving different perspectives on how we can make technology better,” Temple said. “The field is expanding rapidly, in so many different ways. I think it’s a great opportunity for women to step up and be represented.”

Whether through the hashtag #SitWithMe or the intimate stories of the red chair, the Sit With Me advocacy campaign is all about bridging the gap between what is well known and little understood about women in technology and information fields.

“I think this event is inspiring because it encourages women to pursue this real interest they may have, knowing it won’t be perfect and it won’t be glorious,” Grubbs said. “However, we can show as speakers how we overcame obstacles and why we feel it’s important for women to have a space in this industry.”

Published on January 21, 2015 at 12:01 am

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