WWIL Breaks Up With Affinities

Ranae Littrell, Director of the Warrior Women in Leadership. Photo by Google Images

By Shannon Clark

The Warrior Women in Leadership (WWIL) program will experience changes in the fall of 2018 under the reign of Renae Littrell, the new director of Women’s Leadership.

The changes will impact both the small affinities and the large group Warrior Women in Leadership. Currently, the women are in both WWIL and an affinity. Next semester, however, the groups will no longer be conjoined.

“Students will choose between being in WWIL, which is Warrior Women in Leadership, which will be with Renae Littrell, or students will be in an affinity group through the pillar scholarships,” Affinity Leader David Damm said.

Faculty advisors of each particular affinity will continue to lead the affinity groups under the pillar scholarships. The separation of Warrior Women in Leadership and affinity groups will allow scholarship recipients to focus on either leadership or their specific field–rather than combining the two.

“I think it’s positive … Now it’ll be specific leadership or specific affinity, so I’m in favor,” Damm said.

Separating the affinities from the WWIL program will clarify the expectations for both scholarships. Affinities will have expectations for each specific affinity, and Warrior Women in Leadership will have guidelines set in place for scholars in the WWIL program. Hopefully, restructuring will result in two organized programs rather than one, obscure scholarship.

“I’m excited that there are changes happening, because it’s a bit disorganized now,” Warrior Woman in Leadership Guzel Tuhbatullina said.

Incoming students will choose between the two scholarships, but current students have the opportunity to stay in both the WWIL and affinity programs.

“I will probably stay in both,” Tuhbatullina said. “I like my digital media affinity group; that’s my major, and the Warrior Women in Leadership gives me more opportunity to learn, build my network and go to leadership conferences.”

Currently, Littrell is scheduling individual meetings with scholars to address concerns and expectations moving forward with the programs. Other changes, such as more leadership conferences and “walk ons” to extra-curricular activities, are being discussed, but neither change has been made official.