In the heat of this election season, speculation is raging about whether Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will run for the office of president of the United States again in 2016. Some members of the campus community weighed in on the idea.

“I think Hillary Clinton will run for President,” said Ken Gilmore, associate professor of political science. “But I think she will take the next two years testing the waters and recuperating from an exhausting 20 years of public service — as First Lady, Senator, and Secretary of State.”

If Clinton decides to run, many say it will enliven the Democratic Party.

“If she does run, the base will certainly be energized,” said senior Dwight Price, a College Democrats student representative. “She was expected to win the Democratic nomination in 2008.”

Although she did not win the nomination, she came close.

“She came within a hair’s breadth of winning the nomination in 2008,” said Gilmore. “Don’t forget her years in the Senate. She is beyond qualified for the office.”

Robert Duncan, visiting assistant professor of political science, agrees with Gilmore’s sentiments. He also points out the significance of the U.S. possibly electing a female president.

“It’s about damn time society in the U.S. took the blinders off and saw people for who they are and what they contribute to the country,” Duncan said. “There are still women being marginalized and put down in the world. I think it’s time for the U.S. to carry the flag and set the model.”

If Clinton does run, she will have to contend with the often cited invisible barrier that prevents women from advancing in politics and the workplace, also referred to as the “glass ceiling.”

According to Maria Rosales, associate professor of political science, women are often stereotyped as being more nurturing and compassionate.

“Although women are over 50 percent of the population, only 17 percent of congress is female,” Rosales said. “It is improving for women. More people are voting for women than ever before, but the stereotypes remain.”

Duncan expands on this point.

“The good old boys who have been there forever resent women in positions of power,” Duncan said.  “For example: the Republicans’ restrictions on women’s access to healthcare … (like) telling women if they should get pregnant, they should not have an abortion.”

Duncan continued, “That mindset has to be broken. This illustrates the glass ceiling, the male chauvinistic attitude towards women, as subservient, lesser humans. That really frosts my pumpkin.”

Clinton just might be the right person to shatter the glass ceiling, according to Price.

“I think it would be great for her to run,” Price said. “She has advocated for universal healthcare coverage, the rights of women, the LGBTQ community, and religious freedom.”