Between some positions recently being filled on campus by women and the amazing production of the Vagina Monologues held on Feb. 22, I am in in feminist heaven.

MU hired a new provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, along with a new Title IX administrator and assistant vice provost at MU. Both of the new administrators are also women. Garnett Stokes, the new provost, started her position last month and is focusing on getting to know the campus and the culture here at MU. Her duties will vary from administering the colleges on campus to managing international programs.

Ellen Eardley is the new Title IX administrator. In April, she will start her new position and hopefully work towards her promises made in her forum back in December. They included holding forum discussions so she could hear the student population’s voice and concerns.

On top of those positions being filled, two of the four candidates for the Missouri School of Journalism dean opening are women. They are both highly equipped and experienced for the experience and have held informative forums where they discussed what they want to do if they are appointed to the position.

It is amazing to see the university breaking down barriers and finding women to fill roles that some might think only men are capable of. We have come a long way from women being thought of as only mothers and homemakers, and it is great to see MU keeping up with the times.

Being raised by a single mother and growing up in a household with two sisters, I feel that I have always been pro-women. The Vagina Monologues production, which took place at Missouri Theater, really made it clear to me that I should be supportive of women’s rights and feelings. The performances were empowering even for me, a male, and I think it’s a great moment for women to get what they deserve.

Women have been victim to much oppression over the years in America and all around the world. I think right now, there is a sense of awareness of just how much women matter and how much they can do to help our planet be a better place.

Even with women making great strides to break down stereotypes, there is still work to be done. [In a Feb. 25 article published in The Maneater](https://www.themaneater.com/stories/2015/2/25/research-shows-low-female-participation-engineerin/), research was presented that showed how the engineering industry lacks women employees. I believe that this industry, as well as other STEM industries, has been thought to be for males for so long that it is common that women are discouraged from joining.

We should use the accomplishments made by women on our campus as well as all around the world to inspire women here at MU to do what they want. Women can break down barriers and be just as successful as men and it is the perfect time for it. The Vagina Monologues made it clear to me that our campus is full of strong-willed women who are ready to take over the world, and it’s awesome.

Women getting equal opportunity on campus makes me so happy and is a good thing. We are exposing ourselves to a new system of who can do what and it will only help us in the future. I like to think of MU as a place where everyone has opportunities to express himself or herself and move upward, and it’s great to see it actually happening regularly now.