In the greatest of Brady lessons, girls can beat boys

It all began with Adam and Eve. It started in the garden of Eden -- woman created from man.

And the battle of the sexes began. It went on through time: cavemen dragging their "possessions" around by their hair, colonial men enslaving their wives, depriving them of any rights.

And then came the invention of television.

With this industry came the birth of new stereotypical representations. The women in most shows were simply accessories: the men were the foundation, doing the work, the women were merely decoration, sewing and cleaning.

This occurred throughout most of the 1950s and 60s until one show, one transforming sitcom, was born.

The show would help revitalize America's view on women. It would fight for the equality of females everywhere and give the battle of the sexes a place to be shown.

From the season premier, the battle began. In one of the first episodes the girls attempt to integrate the boys' male-only clubhouse by forming a picket protest outside the door.

The conflict continues throughout the episode, boys fighting with girls, with even Mr. and Mrs. Brady getting into the swing of things.

The hostility finally simmers down when the entire bunch works together to build a unisex club. In one memorable episode, the entire clan has contracted the measles and is in dire need of a doctor.

The problem? Marcia, Jan, and Cindy demand being treated by their usual doctor, a woman; Greg, Peter, and Bobby insist on using their doctor, a man. The hi-jinx lasts the entire half-hour until both doctors are hired.

Now in all honesty, this would be far too expensive today, but it did help prove a point. This single episode helped struggling women doctors gain the respect they deserved.

In yet another episode, the Brady boys find themselves in an awkward situation when dear old Dad breaks the news that the entire family is going camping -- even Alice. Their sexist minds believe the girls will ruin the entire outing.

In reality, the females wind up being the saviors, and the boys wind up feeling a bit foolish.

By the time the second season of The Brady Bunch begins, the crusade is in full swing. The boys find themselves brawling against the girls constantly.

"The Liberation of Marcia Brady" revolves around the women's lib movement. Daring Marcia makes a comment on television that bluntly states her position on the sexes: "Anything that a man can do, a woman can do better."

The family sees this on the nightly news, and the boys quickly challenge the statement she has made.

Marcia and Peter are the chosen ones to fight this battle. In one corner we have Marcia Brady, who recently joined the Frontier scouts. And in the other corner we find Peter Brady, the newest bud to join the Sunflower Girls.

While the eldest Brady daughter is roughing it in the woods, the middle Brady son is going door to door in a "green dress and matching knee socks," trying to blossom from a bud into a true Sunflower.

The male Brady breaks and quits, while the female toughs it out. The conclusion of the episode is one that will be remembered by women everywhere. The Brady boys, including Mike, admit "that maybe, just maybe, women are men's equals after all."

It was a giant step for women at the time. It was rare for a top-rated sitcom to declare the sexes equal.

The last season of The Brady Bunch finds the children older and grown. Marcia and Greg are both driving, and the stereotypical "women drivers" comments are flying left and right. A Brady bet is made, and the two decide to take it to the driveway and compete on a homemade driver test.

Marcia, calm and collected (as many women are), breezes through the course. Greg, on the other hand, is a complete disaster. Once again, the female gender prevails. Everyone in Bradyland is happy, with the exception of Greg who is forced to do his lovable sister's chores for a month. What a Brady bummer!

You're probably wondering what brought on the battle of the sexes topic, and why the Bradys, right?

Well, my roommate and I (and the other female residents of Ewing Hall) received a letter from Housing and Food Services not too long ago. The letter said a men's residence hall in West Halls would be closed next semester.

The women on the second and fourth floors of Ewing are getting kicked out so the men can be reassigned.

I am a bit confused as to why the University isn't relocating these people to another male dorm. It is unfair to the women in Ewing who are very comfortable in their surroundings.

We must now find another place to live, and we get assigned after current residences.

So, how does The Brady Bunch apply to all of this? In those episodes, the women always overcame the odds and achieved what they desired. What do I want?

I want to live in South Halls again next year. I want to live in a coed dorm next to Redifer Commons. I want to live with my roommate again. Will it happen?

If I was one of the Brady girls, it sure would. After all, The Brady Bunch always reminded us that no Brady is a better Brady, and neither sex is a better sex.

Let's just hope that I'm as lucky as the grooviest family around.