Male students form support group

Being a man isn't easy. At least, that's what a small group of students who founded a male support group say. The Men's Alliance for Change and Openness --"MACHO" -- will begin holding meetings in the next several months, group founder and College sophomore Guilherme Roschke said. In an open-discussion forum held later this semester, members will discuss everything from their discomfort around women to testicular cancer to stress, said Kurt Conklin, a health educator for Students Together Against Acquaintance Rape who is advising the club's founders. One of the major issues MACHO will address is the male role in the feminist movement, Conklin said. "I think a lot of college-age men are curious about feminism," he said. "Some aren't sure they agree [and] some do not feel safe talking about it because they are afraid it would be interpreted as them being against women's groups." Roschke said he is hoping a diverse group of heterosexual, bisexual and homosexual men will come to MACHO meetings. But Conklin said attracting a large crowd to MACHO meetings may be difficult because many men are conditioned by society to talk less about their problems than women. "For men I think there is a discomfort about talking confidentially," he said. "Men are often raised to withhold emotion and not talk about what they feel." Still, Conklin said, "all men are encouraged to attend," even those with more conservative political viewpoints about men's role in society. And although the club is intended to address men's problems, even women interested in sharing their viewpoints are invited to MACHO meetings, he said. While a male support group may seem a bit unusual on the University's campus, Conklin said MACHO-like organizations have been popping up all over the country in the past few years. Men Acting for Change -- a progressive group similar to MACHO -- recently formed at Duke University, he said. Along with discussing issues dealing with men and feminism, MACHO will also focus on homophobia and racism -- and any other issue of concern to the members, Roschke said. The founders of MACHO met for the first time late last spring semester, but the club has yet to gain Student Activities Council recognition. "It's still at its very early stages," Roschke said.