Idaho student Ally Orr turned her indignation into positive action and raised over $130,000 to fund a scholarship for women after hearing a professor say in his speech that women should not be recruited to work in the fields of engineering, law, or medicine.
Professor Scott Yenor, who teaches political science at Boise State University in Idaho, said during the National Conservatism Conference last November 2021 that recruitment efforts should be made for more men in these fields because women are more suited for jobs in marketing, management, and protection of the environment. He also said that women are "medicated, meddlesome, and quarrelsome," which triggered a strong reaction from the female audience.
In an interview with People, Orr said that she could not believe what she heard from the professor in this day and age. She described feeling disheartened and frustrated because many female students and their families have invested in expensive colleges only to have someone say that they are not worth hiring because they are women.
Starting the Scholarship Fund
However, instead of letting Yenor's words get to her, Orr organized a fundraiser to help female students secure their college education at Boise State. She emailed the school community about her fundraiser, specifically stating that she plans to put up a scholarship for "medicated, meddlesome and quarrelsome women." She also directed them to a GoFundMe page.
Her initial goal was to reach $10,000, which she said she quickly achieved with donations from the college professors. In a matter of days, the Boise community also supported her initiative, which reached more than $25,000. The fundraiser has earned $133,978 with more than 850 donations as of press time.
Speaking with "Good Morning America," the 22-year-old marketing major said that she got the idea to start the fundraiser after expressing her disappointment against Yenor on Facebook. Someone suggested starting a women's scholarship under the professor's name.
"I thought with the little that I can control about the situation, at least I can help the people that he's hurting," Orr said. "And those are the women at Boise State."
The Idaho student said that she also received messages from women of different ages who expressed hope for her initiative. Mike Sharp, a spokesperson for Boise State, said that they supported Orr's fundraiser and thanked the donors who want to give more women a chance to succeed in the STEM field. According to the American Association of University Women, only 28 percent of women make up the STEM workforce.
Protest Against Yenor
Meanwhile, women from various sectors protested against Yenor's controversial comments. Idaho State Representative and Transportation Planner Brooke Green led one of the rallies to let Yenor know that women are not going anywhere and will be critical to finding solutions to the world's problems today.
Anna Cousins, a student at Boise State, said that women are so much more than just moms or wives, but society has built this idea that boxed and limited women's abilities. Green said that the rallies are just the start, and there will be more initiatives to help women pursue careers in STEM, aside from what Orr started.
