Network of enlightened Women
Encyclopedia
The Network of enlightened Women (NeW) is an organization for culturally conservative
women at American universities. Started as a book club at the University of Virginia
in 2004, NeW seeks to cultivate "a community of conservative women and expands intellectual diversity on college campuses through its focus on education."
NeW members meet to discuss issues ranging from politics and gender to conservative principles. Since its founding, NeW has expanded to over 20 colleges campuses nationwide. It has grown into the nation’s premier organization for conservative college women.
. "Unfortunately, all the women's groups on campus were really liberal and biased. And when I asked a [women's studies professor] if anybody would be interested in sponsoring a conservative women's group, she just laughed at me." In response, she founded NeW as an alternative to the liberal groups for women on campus. Within a year of its founding at UVa, NeW began to spread nationally.
.
The national organization also hosts an annual national conference in Washington, DC each summer.
's Insider Magazine praised the conference, and noted that NeW women are "hard at work... bringing intellectual diversity back to campus", commending NeW for "rescuing feminism from the feminists."
and are voted on by students from all over the country. Some individual chapters also host their own college-wide contest.
After the tallying the votes of more than 1,000 participants, Bryant Condrey, a junior at Patrick Henry College
, was named NeW’s 2011 Gentleman of the Year in March 2011.
In an op-ed in the Richmond Times-Dispatch
, Agness discussed the Gentlemen's Showcase, concluding, "There are still gentlemen on college campuses. And with a little encouragement, there will be more. Instead of trying to change men on campus, we should seek to bring out the best in them. And this lesson applies to women as well."
and the corresponding observance of V-Day. NeW members, including Agness, wrote articles criticizing Eve Ensler
's play as vulgar, demeaning, and offensive, arguing that the explicit content and anatomical obsession of the play has made feminists "their own greatest enemy."
, The Washington Times
, Politico, More
magazine, Townhall Magazine and many other media outlets. In October 2006, the comic strip
Mallard Fillmore
featured NeW twice.
Repeatedly, NeW has been praised for equipping young women on campus to engage in intellectual discussions and for representing a view of women and feminism that has for too long been silenced or ignored on the collegiate level. Writing in The Washington Times, Rebecca Hagelin called NeW "feminine defenders" and notes the increased interest in the work done by NeW ladies on college campuses all over the country.
, University of Florida
, Arizona State University
, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
and Ohio State University
.
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
women at American universities. Started as a book club at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
in 2004, NeW seeks to cultivate "a community of conservative women and expands intellectual diversity on college campuses through its focus on education."
NeW members meet to discuss issues ranging from politics and gender to conservative principles. Since its founding, NeW has expanded to over 20 colleges campuses nationwide. It has grown into the nation’s premier organization for conservative college women.
Founding
NeW was founded in September 2004 by Karin Agness as a book club at the University of Virginia (UVa). Agness found the feminist environment at UVa hostile to conservative women. "I loved being around other conservative women and wanted to find more women like that at UVa," said Agness, who hails from IndianapolisIndianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
. "Unfortunately, all the women's groups on campus were really liberal and biased. And when I asked a [women's studies professor] if anybody would be interested in sponsoring a conservative women's group, she just laughed at me." In response, she founded NeW as an alternative to the liberal groups for women on campus. Within a year of its founding at UVa, NeW began to spread nationally.
Activities
While NeW chapters continue to read books together to become better educated, their members also seek to engage their larger campus communities by hosting speakers, holding debates, promoting chivalrous behavior through a "Gentlemen’s Showcase," and challenging the controversial play The Vagina MonologuesThe Vagina Monologues
The Vagina Monologues is an episodic play written by Eve Ensler which ran at the Off Broadway Westside Theatre after a limited run at AFRICA in 1996. Ensler originally starred in the production which was produced by David Stone, Nina Essman, Dan Markley, The Araca Group, Willa Shalit, Mike Skipper...
.
The national organization also hosts an annual national conference in Washington, DC each summer.
National conference
Each summer, NeW leaders, NeW supporters and those interested in learning more about NeW gather in Washington, DC for the annual NeW National Conference. The 2010 conference brought more than 60 women together, and Christina Hoff Summers (author of Who Stole Feminism?: How Women Have Betrayed Women and The War Against Boys: How Misguided Feminism Is Harming Our Young Men) was the keynote speaker. The Heritage FoundationThe Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation is a conservative American think tank based in Washington, D.C. Heritage's stated mission is to "formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong...
's Insider Magazine praised the conference, and noted that NeW women are "hard at work... bringing intellectual diversity back to campus", commending NeW for "rescuing feminism from the feminists."
Genetlemen's Showcase
Each spring, NeW hosts the NeW Gentlemen’s Showcase, which is a national event recognizing and honoring gentlemen on college campuses. The event seeks to encourage mutual respect between the sexes on campuses. Nominees are submitted through FacebookFacebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
and are voted on by students from all over the country. Some individual chapters also host their own college-wide contest.
After the tallying the votes of more than 1,000 participants, Bryant Condrey, a junior at Patrick Henry College
Patrick Henry College
Patrick Henry College is a private, independent college with Evangelical Christian basis that focuses on teaching classical liberal arts and government, located in Purcellville, Virginia, United States The first college in the United States founded specifically for Christian home-schooled...
, was named NeW’s 2011 Gentleman of the Year in March 2011.
In an op-ed in the Richmond Times-Dispatch
Richmond Times-Dispatch
The Richmond Times-Dispatch is the primary daily newspaper in Richmond the capital of Virginia, United States, and is commonly considered the "newspaper of record" for events occurring in much of the state...
, Agness discussed the Gentlemen's Showcase, concluding, "There are still gentlemen on college campuses. And with a little encouragement, there will be more. Instead of trying to change men on campus, we should seek to bring out the best in them. And this lesson applies to women as well."
The Vagina Monologues and V-Day
NeW has attracted attention for its campaign against the performance of The Vagina MonologuesThe Vagina Monologues
The Vagina Monologues is an episodic play written by Eve Ensler which ran at the Off Broadway Westside Theatre after a limited run at AFRICA in 1996. Ensler originally starred in the production which was produced by David Stone, Nina Essman, Dan Markley, The Araca Group, Willa Shalit, Mike Skipper...
and the corresponding observance of V-Day. NeW members, including Agness, wrote articles criticizing Eve Ensler
Eve Ensler
Eve Ensler is an American playwright, performer, feminist and activist, best known for her play The Vagina Monologues.- Personal life :...
's play as vulgar, demeaning, and offensive, arguing that the explicit content and anatomical obsession of the play has made feminists "their own greatest enemy."
Reception
NeW has been profiled in TIMETime
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
, The Washington Times
The Washington Times
The Washington Times is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. It was founded in 1982 by Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, and until 2010 was owned by News World Communications, an international media conglomerate associated with the...
, Politico, More
More (magazine)
More, launched in September 1998, is a women's lifestyle magazine published once a month by the Meredith Corporation with a rate base of 1.3 million and a circulation of 1.5 million...
magazine, Townhall Magazine and many other media outlets. In October 2006, the comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
Mallard Fillmore
Mallard Fillmore
Mallard Fillmore is a comic strip written and illustrated by Bruce Tinsley that has been syndicated by King Features Syndicate since May 30, 1994. The strip follows the exploits of its title character, an anthropomorphic green-plumaged duck who works as a politically conservative reporter at...
featured NeW twice.
Repeatedly, NeW has been praised for equipping young women on campus to engage in intellectual discussions and for representing a view of women and feminism that has for too long been silenced or ignored on the collegiate level. Writing in The Washington Times, Rebecca Hagelin called NeW "feminine defenders" and notes the increased interest in the work done by NeW ladies on college campuses all over the country.
NeW chapters
NeW has more than 20 chapters across the United States, including at the University of VirginiaUniversity of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
and Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
.