End of the Year Issue - Spring 2008
SUSAN B. ANTHONY WOMEN’S CENTER
NEWSLETTER
ISSUE 9
MCLA
May 2008
Susan B. Anthony Women’s Center
Year in Review / 2007-2008
Women’s Center Events
Co-Sponsored Events
♦ Clothesline Project
◊Conversation/Dinner with
Charmaine Neville
♦ Gender Equity Bake Sale
◊Adilah Barnes: I Am That I
Am: Woman, Black
♦ MCLA United Lunch
♦ Get Out the Vote Night:
◊National Girls and Women in
Sports Day
Iron Jawed Angels
♦ StereoTalk: How We Use Language
◊Jennifer Miller of Circus Amok
to Diss and Dismiss
♦ Women’s History Month Display
♦ Sixth Annual Women’s Studies Dinner
♦ Cell Phone Collection for Battered
Women
♦ School Supply Collection for Teen
Parent Program
♦ Six Special Topics Newsletters
Inside this issue:
Parting Words From Our Gradu- 2
ating seniors
School Supply Collection for
Teen Parents
4
Staff Reflections
5
Cell Phone Collection for Battered Women
5
◊Open Mic Night
with Brandee Simone
SUSAN
B. ANTHONY
WOMEN’S CENTER
SPECIAL ISSUE ON ADOLESCENTS
WOMEN AND STRENGTH
Page 2
Parting Words from our Graduating Seniors
Katherine Bosco
Katherine Bosco is an English major from Oswego, NY. She found out about the
Women’s Studies minor through MCLA’s course catalog. She notes that she was happy to
find out that MCLA offered a minor in Women’s Studies, as she had been thinking about
declaring this minor since high school.
Katherine believes that Women’s Studies, although seemingly a narrow field, is
quite enlightening. One can learn a lot about both genders and how they are perceived
by society. Likewise, the minor helps one recognize the stereotyping that people are exposed to on a daily basis, and helps one understand how they can break through it. She
says that the minor isn’t just about women’s history, but about how humans treat each
other.
Katherine believes that learning the true history and goals of the feminist movement has helped her to become a better person. By taking Women’s Studies courses she
has learned that people must drop their preconceived notions of others and start to collaborate and compromise with one another, if society is to progress. With her background in gender study, she thinks that she may be one of the people who helps with this
needed progression.
Katherine has no firm plans after graduation, but hopes to start working when she
can.
Sarah Buckley
Sarah Buckley is an English major from North Attleboro, MA. After taking the Introduction to Women’s Studies course she knew that what had began as an interest had
blossomed into something more, so she began taking more Women’s Studies classes.
If someone were to ask her about taking a Women’s Studies class she would tell
them that history typically comes from a man’s point of view and that learning about
Women’s Studies can help you to see how far women have come as a whole. Being a
woman today means you are not inferior to men. Be proud to be a woman!
After graduation, Sarah plans to join the Americorps VISTA program and then attend Emerson College to continue her education in graduate school.
Ashley Hauswirth
Ashley Hauswirth is a History major from Methuen, MA. She heard about the
Women’s Studies minor through her Anthropology classes.
She would, and has, encouraged people to minor in Women’s Studies because it is
interesting and important to learn how womanhood is experienced within our culture, as
well as cross-culturally. Ashley says that the most important thing that she will take from
the WMST program is more of an understanding of what being a woman encompasses,
here and around the world.
Ashley plans to take a year off after graduation and then continue her studies in
grad school.
B. ANTHONY
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CENTER
SUSANSUSAN
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End of the Year Issue
Alicia Lepage
Page 3
Alicia Lepage is a Sociology major from Belchertown, MA. She heard about the
Women’s Studies minor through the Women’s Center’s monthly newsletter.
She would encourage someone interested in a Women’s Studies minor to look into the
classes being offered and see what is appealing. She also says that persons interested should
explore what it means to have a Women’s Studies minor beyond your preconceptions. Alicia
thinks that her Women’s Studies classes have empowered and encouraged her to look beyond stereotypes and to question, rather than just to accept, the things around her. These
classes empowered her and taught her to challenge the modern, often negative, stereotypes
of what it means to be a feminist, to explore what it means in our contemporary society, and
what it means to her personally. She notes that she believes that this is a great program that
only has the potential to become better. Also, the Women’s Studies courses were excellent;
highly intelligent and enthusiastic educators lead the program.
Alicia plans to return to her home area and to pursue a job in human services working
with young, troubled youth to gain some experience in the field before going back to school
and getting her Masters in social work.
Beth Shaw
Beth Shaw is a Sociology major from Sandgate, VT. She heard about the Women’s
Studies minor through the course catalogue.
She would happily encourage anyone to be a Women’s Studies minor. She declares
that it is such an important topic and would relate to anyone, which is one of the most valuable things she found in the program. She mentions that the professors who taught the
classes came from different disciplines, backgrounds and perspectives which created a rich
environment to explore the far-reaching subject. Beth feels that the most important idea she
takes away from her Women Studies classes is what is private is also political. This is an important idea that allows women to understand that the personal troubles they struggle with
are not theirs alone. Individual dilemmas are often social predicaments, and it is important to
speak about the unspoken. After graduation, Beth plans on pursuing a graduate degree in
Sociology.
Sigourney Wendt
Sigourney Wendt is a Psychology major, whose hometowns include Boxborough, MA
and Yorktown, VA. She heard about the Women’s Studies minor from Susan Birns. She notes
that Dr. Birns encouraged her to complete the minor, as she had already completed many of
the minor’s requirements and Dr. Birns thought the minor would interest her.
Sigourney would encourage someone to minor in WMST because of all the great
courses offered; courses that present new and interesting perspectives on a variety of issues
relevant to women and minorities. Sigourney feels that the most important thing that the
WMST minor has taught her is that although the U.S. has come far in its accommodations, services, and rights now available to minorities, there is still a long way to go. She believes that
there is still a need to fight in order for all persons to have basic rights and equality.
After graduation, Sigourney plans to take a year off and to work in a job where she can
apply her psychology degree combined with her love of children. Then she plans to continue on to graduate school in clinical psychology.
SUSAN
B. ANTHONY
WOMEN’S
SUSAN
ANTHONY
WOMEN’S CENTER
CENTER
End of theB.
Year
Issue
Page 4
STOP!
Don’t throw out
your school supplies!
Donate them to someone in
urgent need!
The Susan B. Anthony Women’s Center will be
accepting slightly used and new supplies to be
donated to the Helen Berube Teen Parent Program. They currently have NO supplies for
Fall 2008. You can help!
Donate supplies such as:
•
Binders
•
Notebooks
•
Folders
•
Pens, pencils, highlighters
•
Loose-leaf paper
ool
Sch lies
p
Sup
Leave donations in the collection
boxes, located at the front desk of
each resident area, the Greenhouse, or the Women’s Center
(room 322, third floor of the Campus Center).
Questions? Contact us at [email protected] or x5497.
NO TEXTBOOKS, PLEASE.
B. ANTHONY
WOMEN’S
CENTER
SUSAN SUSAN
B.
ANTHONY
WOMEN’S
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End of the Year Issue
Page 5
Staff Reflections, May 2008
One of the most important perks of my job
as Director of the Susan B. Anthony Women’s
Center is the opportunity to work with the next
generation of feminists. This year’s team has
been a talented, committed, smart, energetic,
and fun one! They produced 6 fabulous “special
issue” newsletters and a wide variety of campus
programs. They generated great ideas and followed through with the implementation. I look
forward to working with our returning students
(Raechel Doughty, Katie Hermance, and Holly
Huffstutler) again next year and will miss our
graduating seniors (Brandee Simone and Sigourney Wendt).
Susan Birns
Raechel Doughty
Spring 2008 Office Manager
If you told me in my days of waiting tables
that in two years’ time I would be paid to research the music of Buffy Saint-Marie, promote
performers like Jennifer Miller, and create illustrations for a feminist publication, I’m not sure if
I would have laughed at you or given you a big
hug. My second year at the Women’s Center has
afforded me all sorts of groovy opportunities
like this. StereoTalk had to be my favorite thing
to work on—it pulled together a lot of different
people to cover a lot of different topics. Hopefully, those conversations will continue—there’s
always more to talk about. I’m looking forward
to working at the Women’s Center and with our
allies on campus to give voice to these intersecting and important issues next year.
All original drawings by Raechel Doughty.
SUSAN B. ANTHONY WOMEN’S CENTER
Page 6
Katie Hermance
Staff Member
Sigourney Wendt
Fall 2007 Office Manager
This semester seemed to fly by. I think it was
all of the research papers that made it appear that
way for me. Working at the Women’s Center this
year has been an escape from my otherwise chaotic
schedule. I love coming in, entering this world
where I can really make a difference and show the
world how far women have come and how much
fight our generation is capable of. My favorite event
this semester was StereoTalk, where so many of us
on campus came together for our voices to be
heard and we were able to raise our own questions.
I can not believe that I only have one year left to
take advantage of this opportunity of working at the
Women’s Center, but I can promise you that I will be
as energetic as ever when we all come back from
the summer. So enjoy your break because next year
is going to be the best yet.
As a soon to be graduate of MCLA, I’m about to
start a new chapter in my life, a.k.a. the “real world”.
Although I’d like to think that I’ve been a part of the
“real world” this entire time, I know that my time
spent at the Women’s Center has prepared me for
the world outside of college. I’ve learned so much
since I started working here only two years ago.
Through research and events, I have learned that
women have made an extraordinary amount of progress in terms of gaining equality and basic rights in
comparison to their male counterparts. I have also
learned, however, that women and all minorities still
have a long way to go before they achieve the same
rights and opportunities as those granted to males
and all others in majority positions. Awareness is
the first step in social change.
With the hope and energy of many of my fellow graduates, I believe that with persistence, we
can make change happen.
SUSAN B. ANTHONY WOMEN’S CENTER
Page 7
Brandee Simone
Staff Member
Holly Huffstutler
The Women’s Center is so awesome! Our
newsletters are filled with incredibly wellresearched and detailed articles, and they really
got better and better as the year went on. Most
importantly, all of us at the Women’s Center truly
care about feminist issues. That passion and
dedication definitely shone through when it mattered, such as when, as a group, we took time to
brainstorm ideas for events or newsletter article
topics. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know everyone here and working together with them to
make some really great programs happen. Two
events that stand out to me in particular were our
screening of Iron Jawed Angels, and the Language of Stereotypes forum (StereoTalk). While I
am excited about my upcoming graduation, I’m
sad to be leaving the Women’s Center behind!
I’m proud of all that we accomplished this year.
At the beginning of this year, I wrote in my
bio that I was looking forward to a fun and meaningful year. Now looking back, I know that is exactly what I got working at the Women’s Center. I
knew I’d enjoy writing articles for our newsletter,
but the thing that’s taken me by surprise is how
much I’ve enjoyed taking part in planning our
events this year. I’m especially proud of our Get
Out the Vote Night, because I got to introduce
people to Iron Jawed Angels, one of my favorite
movies, and encourage people my age to vote. I
feel very fortunate to have gotten a Work Study
job that is so much more than filing and copying.
ISSUE 9
MAY 2008
Mail to:
Phone: 413-662-5497
E-mail: [email protected]
Campus Center Room #322
MCLA
North Adams, MA 01247
Susan B. Anthony Women’s Center
Each year we collect
used cell phones to be donated to women who are
survivors of domestic violence. They are sent to an
organization that reprograms the phones and distributes them to women to
be used as a life line in the
case of an emergency.
Drop them off in the collection box outside the Women’s
Center (CC322) any time before
May 15th, 2008.
Contact Us: x5497, [email protected], or Campus Center Room 322