Q&A with Gloria Thomas, a candidate for the director of the Carolina Women's Center

Gloria Thomas directs the Center for the Education of Women at the University of Michigan. She is one of three candidates who may become director of the Carolina Women’s Center. Staff writer Harris Wheless sat down with Thomas to discuss her plans and her platform. 

THE DAILY TAR HEEL: What are your thoughts on the current state of affairs for the Carolina Women’s Center and what changes or improvements would you make as director?

GLORIA THOMAS: I would say that what I find most attractive is that it is poised for growth, and there seems to be interest and support for a growth in the possible collaborations around campus and for having a greater impact for women on the campus as well as with faculty and staff. It would be hard to say immediately what the changes or improvements would be, because that would require a lot of listening to all of its constituents and stakeholders before developing an agenda and jumping in with it. 

DTH: Are there any issues that you think are especially relevant to UNC that you would focus on as director?

GT: Well from what I’ve heard from speaking with individuals, it seems that there’s already a big focus on sexual assault awareness and prevention and I think that is an issue that needs to be addressed, and in fact has to be addressed on every campus. 

I think that certainly needs to continue until we can see the elimination of sexual assault not only on college campuses but as a society. That’s an important piece in empowering women in other ways and it might be important to develop support networks for that. 

DTH: What gender related issues do you think are most relevant today in society at large and what steps do you think people in general should take in apprehending them?

GT: There are any number of issues that need to be addressed and that people need to be aware of, but if you’re looking at what’s statistically relevant to North Carolina, the unemployment rate for women in North Carolina is 9 percent, which is higher than the nation’s unemployment rate for women. And Hispanic women have the highest rate of unemployment at 14 percent in the state.

So not only is there a need to address education skills for all women but statistically for those who are racial ethnic minorities, and it’s important to look at the intersections, because they’re also more likely to be living in poverty and to be earning a low wage. 

The gender wage gap is 17.5 percent for women in the state of North Carolina, and if you look at what that is for African American women and for Latinos, it’s an even higher wage gap. So, the important thing to look at is the intersection and look at the experience of women as a whole as well as various segments of women.

DTH: Why do you feel that you’re a good candidate for this particular position and why does it appeal to you?

GT: I find it very appealing because it is a center in its younger stages and I am currently at a center that is in very adult stages. The center at (the University of Michigan) has been around for over 50 years and I’ve learned a great deal and feel like I could provide so much to help this one grow…

I’ve been in this current role now for about seven years and this center has been a well-oiled machine here…I came into a well-endowed center with lots of resources. I didn’t have to start building a donor base, it had a donor base. So, to be able to do some of those things, not from the ground up, but almost, that’s a challenge for me, and I feel like I’d love to meet that challenge.

university@dailytarheel.com