Pass,Fail: Student Writing Showcase, Gender Pay Inequality

By Kara Mercer

Pass: 

The Department of English and First Year Composition will hold its Annual Showcase of Student Writing from 3-5:15 p.m. on April 7 in the Holmes Student Center, Duke Ellington Ballroom

Any chance students get to show off the hard work they’ve done in class is a great opportunity for students. Students deserve to have their work displayed and become a part of the many conversations going on in research. Students can explain their research and create displays for judges. The showcase could lead to more great opportunities for the students who participate if they meet someone interested in the same things they are.

Fail: 

Virginia Naples, a professor in the biological studies department has studied gender pay inequality at NIU for 20 years and found that there could be a gender-based pay discrepancy of potentially $8,000 according to a Northern Star article.

Women being paid less than men has been a trend in a lot of careers, but it’s not something I would have expected to see at NIU. Salary discrepancies based on gender make no sense, as women get the same degrees as men. It is a good move for NIU to implement a salary equity task force to examine the issue further to try to resolve it.