The health and wellness department hosted a bonus convocation titled “Healthy Masculinity: Authentic Conversation,” on Tuesday, Jan. 28. The event, which took place in the evening, drew a crowd of 131 students, with 78 identifying as male, according to Kevin Schultz, assistant director of residence life. 

Though convocations which address identity and cultural norms aren’t new to campus, they aren’t a frequent occurrence. Schultz said, “Having them less often makes the message, I think, ring a little louder.”

Patty Hartshorn, director of health and wellness and Title IX coordinator, said that the idea for this convocation began last semester. “There was a need to help inform and promote what healthy masculinity is to students,” Hartshorn said. She also said that it was important to step back and allow men to lead the conversation. 

Five panelists were featured in the convocation — Schultz; Spencer Castillo, admissions counsellor; Jesse Loewen, associate director of academic success; Isacc Hernandez, connections advisor; and Juan Pacheco Lozano, student success program coordinator.

One major idea was the “man box,” which is a visual representation of the typical societal expectations of men. Those expectations include “Don’t depend on anyone,” “Always need to win — whether in sports, work or sex” and “Only have emotions of bravery and anger.” One student attendee referenced another expectation, that men should “show no grief.”

Another primary focus was that of open conversation. This began when each of the panelists shared what they referred to as their “man story.” Each of these stories was different from the last, reflecting the perspective on the definition of masculinity that the panelists shared. “It might mean something very different for each one of you here in this room,” Schultz said. 

Castillo described his high school experience with cross country; Loewen talked about being a man in the social work field, which is typically a female dominated field; Hernandez discussed his exposure to gang culture and machismo; Pacheco Lozano talked about growing up Mennonite in Colombia and being raised by his mother; Schultz talked about his home state of North Dakota and the prevalent homophobia and misogyny present there.

After Schultz outlined the environment that they were hoping for, the panelists led three separate breakout groups. Schultz led a group focused on the effect of masculinity on relationships. Hernandez and Pacheco Lozano led a discussion of how Latino culture impacts how men express emotions. Castillo and Loewen’s group focused on masculinity for a person of color in a predominantly white community and the effect of masculinity for all student athletes.

Loewen was happy with the overall turnout for the event, and speaking specifically of his breakout group, he said, “To my surprise, some of our male athletes sort of spoke up and started the conversation.”

Liam Shaw, a first-year business major, was in Loewen’s breakout group. He found that conversation and convocation as a whole were very helpful, especially with respect to the mental health side. Shaw said, “I thought it was really good. It was really nice for me as somebody who does struggle with their mental health to hear other men … talk about their mental health.”

Hernandez spoke about how machismo culture is largely centered around how men are breadwinners and are therefore entitled to certain things. He added that those ideas exist outside of machismo culture specifically, saying, “I think, just in general, you can take this notion of … competitive male dominance and you can apply it to anything.”

Anthony Beatriz, a junior elementary education major also attended the event. “I thought it was great,” he said, adding that it is very important for men to have the space to talk openly about their emotions and how they feel. 

Beatriz said that he grew up in a family that was very influenced by machismo culture. He emphasized just how important it is to reframe those ideas. He said that men “start going through all these great lengths to show that they’re strong, that they’re powerful. And you know, it’s not healthy.”