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PROVO — A Change.org petition is asking Brigham Young University to name the new life sciences building after a Mormon woman in an effort to encourage girls and young women to pursue studies in STEM fields.
Kristi Thomas Boyce, an Arabic studies and political science alumni of BYU, posted the petition to the crowdsourcing website Tuesday after noticing most of the prominent buildings on BYU’s campus were named for men. Since Tuesday, the petition has garnered more than 1,300 signatures.
“I noticed that the LSB didn’t have a name associated with it and as I thought about it, I thought they should name it after a woman," she said. "I’m sure there are lots of Mormon women scientists.”
She said that led her to researching Mormon women scientists and feeling inspired to do something.
Boyce proposes the building be named for one of four women, Martha Hughes Cannon, Ellis Reynolds Shipp, Romania B. Pratt Penrose — pioneer doctors in Utah during the 19th century — or Jane Manning James, the first documented black Mormon pioneer to arrive in Utah.
“As I reflect on my BYU experience and things that I could have, would have, should have done, I think I would have been more interested in STEM had I known more women in it or had I had more role models,” Boyce said. “For me, that was never really a path I considered even though I loved math and even though I loved chemistry. I took those classes in high school and I had a lot of fun in them and I did well. But then as soon as I got to college, for whatever reasons, it never struck me as an option.”
Would we name a building after a woman? We certainly have no objection to that. The trend has been not to assign names to a building, however.
–Carrie Jenkins, BYU
Carrie Jenkins, assistant to the president for university communications spokesperson, said for the last 20 years or so, brand new buildings have been named after their function, rather than an individual. Though, she added, the buildings are named on a case-by-case basis.
“The trend recently has been to have the names reflect what takes place in the building,” Jenkins said. “We have the museum of art, our student athlete building, the life sciences building carries the name the Life Sciences building. Our recent new buildings, our residence halls, do not carry the names of individuals as well.”
She noted two exceptions, the new Joseph F. Smith and Joseph Smith buildings, which were razed and rebuilt and kept the name of the previous buildings.
“Would we name a building after a woman? We certainly have no objection to that,” Jenkins said. “The trend has been not to assign names to a building, however.”
Boyce hopes that an exception could be made.
“Just because something’s a trend doesn’t mean it can’t change, and I hope it does in the future, because it’s time,” Boyce said.
Boyce acknowledged the lack of prominent buildings named for women is not unique to BYU’s campus.
“I don’t think things are the way they are now because of malicious intent or systemic plot to oppress women at BYU,” she said. “To be honest, this is not just a problem at BYU.”
She said that, more likely, it just hasn’t been considered. Boyce hopes women’s accomplishments in STEM fields will be highlighted, regardless of what happens with the building.
“Looking forward as I think about the type of future I want to build for my daughter someday and for other women coming to BYU in the future, I think raising the visibility of women in STEM and women in general at the university can hardly be construed as a bad thing,” she said.
