Perhaps because of the immense intellectual influence of Iowa State, Ames High students are some of the most socially and politically active in central Iowa. From service organizations like SHEPH and Key Club to advocacy groups like Spectrum, a multitude of interests are represented within the walls of our school. The Feminist Club, founded by junior Zeynab Ghandour and senior Greer Brown, was added to Ames High’s extensive list of clubs in December. Ghandour and Brown said they saw a need for a women’s rights group at Ames High after hearing about the Gentlemen’s Breakfast Club. The co-founders originally intended for a rivalry between the two clubs, which is why they enlisted social studies teacher Tim Mooney to sponsor Feminist Club. “Initially, we were just trying to create a rivalry between (social studies teacher Chad) Zmolek and Mooney,” Ghandour said. “Gentleman’s Breakfast Club doesn’t exist anymore. I guess men can’t hold up their commitments.” Mooney agreed with Ghandour’s assessment of Gentleman’s Breakfast Club. “We’ve accomplished several of our goals already,” Mooney said. “We kicked the crap out of Gentleman’s Breakfast Club. They went down. They were a paper tiger.” Unlike the Gentlemen’s Breakfast Club, which met sporadically in Zmolek’s room in the fall, the Feminist Club has met every Friday morning in Mooney’s room since its founding in early December. Ghandour said she and Brown were surprised by the turnout at the club’s first meeting. “Honestly, it was out of impulse,” Ghandour said. “We didn’t think it would happen. The day of the first meeting, a bunch of people showed up, including five guys.” Ghandour added that although the meetings have not quite developed a predictable rhythm yet, the Feminist Club’s members are full of ideas. “The meetings aren’t structured,” Ghandour said. “We just talk about stuff and eat. We discussed what we’re going to do as a club and came up with some pretty bad ideas.” In addition to the absence of good ideas in the club’s first few meetings, another student organization that meets in the same place and at the same time as Feminist Club has presented Ghandour and Brown with a unique challenge. “Kat Klub meets in Mooney’s room during our meetings,” Ghandour said. “They make cat noises in the corner, so it’s like two clubs combined. They are a nuisance and a virus.” Despite the difficulties posed by bad ideas and Kat Klub’s incessant meowing, Ghandour said that Feminist Club has several exciting events planned for January. “We’re going to have a Make Your Own Damn Sandwich stand in the multi-purpose room both lunches during the second week of second semester,” Ghandour said. “We’re going to have tomatoes, lettuce, bread, and mayo and you just make your own damn sandwich. We’re also going to have a feminist speaker, Mr. Klass’s wife, come to one of our meetings.” Mooney added, “We haven’t burned everything yet, but that remains a possibility.” Despite Mooney, Ghandour, and Brown’s unwavering enthusiasm for the club, not every Ames High student is feeling the luh. Senior Emily Meese was eager to express her distaste with the Feminist Club. “The Feminist Club is just a bunch of liberal crazies burning bras,” Meese said. Ghandour said another one of the club’s goals was to change the Americans’ image of the feminist movement, which many perceive to be as radical anti-male activism. “People think that feminists are crazy women who burn bras, but they are just people who respect women’s rights,” Ghandour said. “We get degraded pretty hard in the media. We’re just going for equal rights here.” Mooney said that he sees a lot of potential in the club’s leaders and members. “I think that if the group’s energy can be channeled in a positive direction, the possibilities are unlimited.”