Juistina Chiappelli, president of Seton Hill’s Feminist Collective, participated in the Equal Pay Rally held in Pittsburgh on April 25. Originated in 1996 by the National Committee on Pay Equity, Equal Pay Day is a public awareness event meant to illustrate the gap between women’s and men’s wages. The Women and Girls Foundation sponsored the Pittsburgh rally.

“The Feminist Collective is dedicated to the empowerment of humans and equality for all,” says Chiappelli. “We want to be a haven for progressive thinkers. We want to promote civic engagement among students and raise awareness of the inequalities and injustices found in our world.”

Recent Feminist Collective activities have included a voter registration drive and an “equality bake sale” in honor of Equal Pay Day. For the bake sale, Chiappelli explained, the group “advertised that women would pay .76 and men a dollar to represent the .76 cents that a woman still makes to a man’s dollar. We also offered information about the pay gap found in many other groups as well. In the end we charged everyone a dollar for the sake of equality. It was a great way to get people talking and interested in the many pay inequalities that are found throughout our country.”

The Feminist Collective is advised by Dr. Susan Eichenberger, assistant professor of sociology and Women’s Studies Program coordinator.

“We are very excited about what the future holds,” Chiappelli says, “and hope that we can continue to make our mark here at Seton Hill.”