This week, I had the chance to sit down with Jason Sinclair, Michigan Tech’s feminist icon and unofficial ambassador of social inclusivity. Sinclair is the only man that can say he is friends with the entire female population on campus: all two of them.
When asked the most important question right away about his thoughts on the male-to-female ratio at Tech, Jason said, “I really don’t see why everyone gets so worked up about it. With most of the guys here at Tech, they would be friends with the same amount of women if it were one-to-one.”
While most students use the male-to-female ratio as an excuse for their lack of female friends, Jason doesn’t think that way. “At the end of the day, it’s not about the numbers; all it takes is to be able to hold a normal conversation.”
With the recent closure of Finlandia University, Jason’s social circle has seen unprecedented growth. “Before Erica came over, it was just Layla,” Jason explained. “We’ve been friends since high school, then Finlandia closed, and Erica transferred in. It was a wild shift. My circle doubled.”
Erica’s arrival was met with what Jason described as “the average Tech guy’s reaction to a girl.” Elaborating further, he said, “You’d see these guys in the library, frozen like deer in headlights. They’d make awkward eye contact from across the room and then go post about their ‘missed connection’ on Reddit and the family they envisioned with her. Meanwhile, Erica was just trying to figure out where the MUB was.”
When asked about the challenges of maintaining these friendships, Jason said it isn’t easy. “The hardest part is the pressure. Most students struggle to maintain a conversation with one woman on campus, let alone two. And if I slip up and accidentally take sides in an argument, there goes 50% of my friend group.”
As our conversation wrapped up, Jason reflected on his unique position. “It’s a privilege to know them both. I just wish more people would step out of their comfort zones. Who knows? Maybe one day, there’ll be three women here.”
