The Women’s Forum, held Wednesday and Thursday, provided positive feedback about NIU’s campus and also offered suggestions for further improvements in university programs.

Anne Kaplan, assistant to the president, cited the need for NIU to access how it is providing for women on campus.

The forums, sponsored by the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women and the Women’s Alliance, were designed in response to the American Council on Education. The ACE asked campuses across the country to look at their institutions and how they provide for women, as well as how men view women on campus.

Kaplan said the ACE’s statement was a positive step towards recognizing women as a majority on the nation’s campuses. Kaplan also added women make up more than 55 percent of the student population at NIU.

Although women are a majority on campus, Susan Vermuelan, of the Women’s Alliance said the forums were held during Unity in Diversity Week because women often are considered a minority.

Among the issues discussed were positive aspects of NIU, including the Late Nite Ride Service, coed floors, and an overall positive attitude towards women students.

Most of the women agreed sexism in the classroom is the exception rather than the norm. Several women said they had experienced sexism in the classroom, but most felt NIU’s faculty is very supportive of women. However, eliminating the sexist attitudes that exist was cited as an important concern.

Carrie Meglie, of the Women’s Alliance, said the NIU Gynecology Service is excellent, adding that other universities do not provide such extensive services.

Although the forum generated many positive responses, problems also were addressed.

On-campus promotion of pornography and campus safety were topics discussed. The need for increased lighting in several areas around campus, including the Altgeld/Swen Parson area, was cited.

The forum discussed date-rape and the need for social responsibility on the part of both men and women as a way to prevent such incidents.

Vermuelan said awareness is the first step towards solving these problems. The students at the forum agreed, emphasizing university awareness must begin at an individual level.