In a horrific act of gender-based violence 32 years ago, 14 victims, all engineering students, were gunned down by an attacker who stormed into their classroom. He then ordered the men to leave and proceeded to open fire on the female students.
Every year since the deadly attack, Saint Mary’s University has a commemorative event to honour the women. Students took turns reading names of all the victims then individually placed 14 white roses in a vase.
The Dean of Science at Saint Mary’s University, Dr. Lori Francis says the women were gunned down for “simply being engineers” and that women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) still face gender-based microaggressions and gender-based stereotypes today.
“Their careers were cut short in a very tragic way but their impact on women who are in science fields live on in us remembering, us creating action and in us really questioning the stereotypes and barriers that prevent women from feeling welcome in scientific fields,” she said.
There was also a scholarship presented to an engineering student. Third-year student Amy Kehoe wasn’t even alive when the massacre occurred, but she has done plenty of research about the tragic day and believes the scholarship is an action that shows commitment to helping women in STEM fields.
“It’s something we’re still missing. We’re trying but we’re not there yet. I think you can pretty much ask any female in STEM and they will tell you at least some story about where it they didn’t quite feel like they belonged. But, things like this scholarship and days like this when we recognize that is a good step towards including women in STEM fields,” she said.
Francis is committed to action toward violence against women and is mindful of the microaggressions against women in science.
“Did you know that there have been studies done that when children are asked to draw a picture of a scientist, whether that child is a boy or a girl, often times they will draw a picture of a male scientist?” said Francis.
“That work is ongoing. It’s a continuous reflection and continuous effort is needed to create spaces where women are included and feel safe in the sciences. And we have been successful in these areas and we have some work to do.”