Joined Whitworth: 1983-1998
Position: Former director of international student academic programs
Current Whitworth connection: Wife of John Yoder, professor of political science
Janet Yoder grew up with all male siblings until age 13 when her only sister was born. Her mother and father showed no gender bias for anyone, she said.
"I had no sense that I should be considered different," Yoder said.
That came later in third grade vacation bible school. Yoder and the rest of her peers were asked to memorize the names of the books of the New Testament.
"In being a very diligent and quick student, I learned very quickly," Yoder said. "But [others,] the teacher prompted and made exceptions for the boys."
Yoder said she thought it was unfair that the girls had learned the books but the boys did not have to.
"I actually stood up and said, 'This is not fair. This makes me so angry. When I grow up, I'm going to be a nun,'" Yoder said.
Yoder said the only thing she knew about nuns at the time was that they were only women.
Yoder used to say she would never get married - not thinking the idea of being subordinate to someone was fair.
She also said she would never change her name. Though she did the first, she did not do the second.
She married John Yoder who had the same last name as her maiden name.
"My Yoder is my Yoder, and it's different from John's Yoder," she said. "For me, that made a huge difference psychologically not giving up my identity."
Whitworth experience
Janet and John Yoder lived in Chicago with their two small children while John went to graduate school. Janet, who grew up in the Northwest, really wanted to be back in the area, she said. Of the available opportunities to do that, Whitworth was the best choice, she said.
When John flew out to interview, Janet came with him. She remembered when she was younger thinking of Spokane as a "dusty little place," but discovered through the visit that it was far more fitting for her and her family. So, in 1980, the Yoders moved to Spokane.
Janet initially taught at Gonzaga, until she received a call from Whitworth's Human Resources director at the time asking why she had not applied for an open position with a new intensive English language program. She applied the day before the cut off deadline and came to work at Whitworth in 1983.
The first event that struck Janet as odd about Whitworth was in her interview. Leonard Oakland, professor of English, asked her an illegal question related to her marital status. She was caught off guard.
"I told him that question was not legal to ask but I'd answer it anyway," she said. "I was shocked that someone who had been at the institution for so long was not even aware of the laws. I was amazed at the lack of awareness."
She also noticed that both male and female employees said gender did not matter and was a non-issue at a Christian institution like Whitworth.
"I had had enough experience outside the pinecone curtain to recognize how unaware they were," Janet said.
Janet said she talked to her pastor during her time at Whitworth and was struggling with the idea that Whitworth was a Christian institution.
"He said, 'There is no such thing as a Christian institution. There are Christian individuals, but the organization itself is not Christian. As a corporate organization or institution, the culture is always going to be for itself and will always be reactive to protect itself rather that doing what the individuals would think is fair and just," Janet said. "He was absolutely right."
Janet left Whitworth in 1998 when her contract was not renewed.
Contact Jasmine Linabary at jasmine.linabary@whitworthian.com.
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