The 5B minority coalition group grows to six to include gender equity

The main minority coalition groups on campus, commonly known as the 5B, have elected new leaders for 2019. But this year, the 5B will undergo a major change and will now include the Penn Association for Gender Equity, becoming the 6B.

PAGE was added after a unanimous decision from the 5B leaders, PAGE Chair and College junior Tanya Jain said. She added that PAGE and the 5B informally worked together in the past before the change was officially made.

The now-6B umbrella organization works closely with the administration on policy and developments concerning minority students. The student leaders also attend regular meetings with the Vice Provost for University Life. Other members of the 6B include the Asian Pacific Student Coalition, the United Minorities Council, UMOJA, the Latinx Coalition, and the Lambda Alliance.

“It was a period of time when things weren’t as connected because most members on the PAGE board were white,” Jain said. “In recent years we have prioritized women of color, so the 5B recognized that we represented all women and specifically women of color on campus.”

Former PAGE Chair and Engineering junior Curie Shim said this new change will provide the group with "more individualized attention" from administrators to lobby for their advocacy efforts.

As this year's chair, Jain said she plans to tackle rape culture and sexual harassment on campus, which she believes are some of the most pressing issues for women.

“We need to have better checks and balances on frats when there are instances of abuse,” Jain said. “They need to be punished more in those instances so this campus knows that rape culture should not be normalized.”

Jain also hopes to work more with Abuse and Sexual Assault Prevention and Men Against Rape and Sexual Assault to address gender roles and rape culture on campus.