The Oscars reign as the biggest night in Hollywood for film stars and fans. This is where the industry recognizes the best of the best under the gleaming lights. However, since the 1920’s the Academy has segregated males and females, but nearly 100 years later, UNM students feel a change needs to be made. 

In the latest episode of It’s (Probably) Not Rocket Science (IPNRS) titled "And the Oscar goes to UNM students," students and faculty from a University of New Mexico Constitutional Law class devised a plan to change the two-gender category in the Oscars. 

The idea stemmed from a final project in Professor Lawrence Jones’ class about Constitutional Law in the Fall of 2023 and has picked up significant traction since then. 

The final project blossomed into a 99-page formal presentation and proposal submitted to the President and Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in California. 

The Presentation and Proposal focus on why the Oscars' nearly century-long tradition of segregating nominees by gender may be legally and socially flawed and should be the subject of further focus via an official Academy Task Force. 

Senior Abigail McCoy, who contributed to the thesis they metaphorically nailed to the door, says she didn’t think much of the final project in the beginning but is now happy with how it has developed. 

“Professor Jones kind of ran us through the syllabus and what was expected of us… he briefly mentioned the possibility of turning it into something bigger, but that was way in the future, and I wasn’t too worried about it,” McCoy said. “It’s progressed into a lot more than I was expecting.” 

Jones introduced a controversial debate topic in his Constitutional Law class at The University of New Mexico, prompting students to examine gender-based award categories at the Academy Awards. He said the issue is significant because it exposes the Academy’s long history of misogyny—something his students explored in their proposal.

“It’s also important, and the students focused on this as part of the presentation, to take a look at the history of how we got here in the first place,” Jones said. “We keep in mind historically that women didn’t even have the right to vote in this country until maybe six or seven years before the first Academy Awards. Men dominated the film industry at the time, and it [separate award categories] may not have been for the purpose of helping women but kind of segregating women in the acting field.”

McCoy, another participant in the discussion, said the change was long overdue and could have been implemented sooner.

“This is probably something that could have happened earlier. We have seen it earlier with other award shows, like the MTV Awards, and I believe the Tony Awards have also done something similar. But I think it’s coming to the point where our society has shifted so much and evolved so much, and it’s about time that they should consider changing their traditions to be more inclusive.”

The debate does not take a position on whether the Academy should integrate the acting categories into gender-neutral awards. Instead, it highlights the legal and social complexities surrounding the issue and supports the creation of an official Academy Task Force to analyze it publicly. The task force would be responsible for reaching a detailed and transparent conclusion to share with the movie-going public.

While a resolution to this Hollywood saga may be far from a blockbuster ending, UNM students, faculty, and staff can still tune in for the 97th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 2 on ABC—starring Conan O’Brien as host.

It’s (Probably) Not Rocket Science is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or anywhere else you get your podcasts.