Celebration and recognition of the day may be hard to find at SIUC though, according to some SIUC women.

I’ve never heard of it before, Edna Hand, storekeeper for microbiology, said. It s not even on the calendar.

I didn’t even know about it, so I haven’t made any plans to celebrate it, Audra Daniliauskas, a senior in photography from Chicago, said.

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Beverly Stitt, coordinator of women’s studies, said most women and children are not told the story of the women’s suffrage movement.

I don’t think there are a whole lot of us who know about Women’s Equality Day, Stitt said. Most women are unaware of the celebration.

Debbie Morrow, secretary at women’s studies, said the day falls right before or after school starts so it is often ignored or forgotten.

A lot of the history of women wasn’t publicized or considered important, Morrow said. (Recognition is) getting better but more still needs to be done.

Marlo Foster, a graduate student in radio and television from New York, said the University should do something on campus to recognize the women’s movement.

Anna Chlebek, a sophomore in advertising from Chicago, said women should not stop in their efforts to influence democracy.

This is a continuous movement with a very big impact, Chlebek said. Women should recognize its importance and remember their past to influence the future.

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Stitt said there have been past studies indicating that more women believe their vote does not matter.

(Women’s views on voting) is changing but it needs to change faster, Stitt said. Part of the signifigance of remembering is to remind men and women how things used to be compared to today and to learn from that.

Debbie Letarte, outreach and group counseling coordinator at Women’s Services, said she regrets not being able to do anything to celebrate the day.

I wish I had more time to organize something on campus because I think it’s very important for college students to be aware of their history, Letarte said.