When thinking of the Chapman campus busts, one question always comes to my mind, why is Ella Fitzgerald the only woman on the entire campus? These busts are intended, in addition signifying a large sum of money spent by some charitable donor, to be sources of inspiration to us students. In a school where the student ratio is 4 women to every man, why are there so few role models for us to look to as we stroll to class? Not only is she the only woman, but she is also the only bust with ample exposed flesh. Yes, this portrait has life and embodies a definite free spirited jazz quality, which I admire the artist for being able to convey. However, the girls on this campus are already very aware of how to use flesh and performance abilities to attract praise and attention, shouldn't we supply some better female role models? Amelia Earhart, Sojourner Truth, Virginia Wolf, any of the suffragettes, Harriet Tubman, Maya Lin, etc. My point is succinctly this, I am sick of staring at already widely acknowledged men as sources of my academic inspiration; I want to be greeted by some women of significance once in awhile too.
