Roberta Salper Off-Campus Activism
Despite a planned space to speak and protest the Dream Girl contest, due to unexpected time constraints, the group representative was unable to attend. Roberta Salper was chosen to release a statement to the University of Pittsburgh News and Publications. Her statement included a summary of the probelmatic aspects of the contest, such as "the dehumanizing image of femininity," citing the bathing suit portion of the contest as an example, as well as the obvious objectification of women and reinforced gender roles. Their solution to this is the removal of the contest, or instead a focus on women's intelligence instead of their superficial qualities.
Around the country in the 1970's, was a parallel to the various women's liberation movments, occuring in the academic field. Universities began to focus on subject of women's studies as a topic of discourse, including the Univeristy of Pittsburgh. Women activists at that time, commonly referred to as women agitators, were involved in this discourse. Roberta Salper in particular, focused on capitalism as the source of many inequalities both politically and socially.
Throuhgout her career, Roberta was actively involved with the New University Conference. This national organization, made up of both students and faculty, sought to bring radical social change in the 1970's. Some issues they were involved in were educational reforms, women's liberation, anti-war protests, and much more, with the primary purpose of being the academic arm of socialist development in the United States.