Urvashi Vaid will be speaking on Thursday, September 14, at 8 p.m. in Wadsworth Auditorium. The topic of her talk is "Virtual Equality, the Mainstreaming of Gay annd Lesbian Liberation." Vaid was born in New Delhi, India, and is a graduate of Vassar College and Northeastern University School of Law. She helped develop the gay and lesbian community's political strategy for both the 1988 and 1992 presidential election campaigns. You may have read her analysis of feminist and lesbian/gay issues in periodicals such as Ms. Magazine; colleagues have spoken extremely positively about her presentations. The event is free and open to the public; it is sponsored by Contemporary Forum.
The Livingston County League of Women Voters will celebrate their 20th anniversary, as well as the 75th anniversary of women's right to vote. The event will take place at the County Courthouse in Geneseo on Saturday, September 16, at 2:00 p.m. Refreshments will be served, and the program will include skits, poetry reading, and other celebratory entertainment.
Rosemary Agonito, a consultant on gender equity in the workplace who has a PhD in Philosophy, is tentatively scheduled to speak at Geneseo on Thursday, November 2, in the afternoon. Some of you may recall her wonderful presentation on gender equity some years ago. She has subsequently written a book on women in the workplace called No More "Nice Girl", and she will talk on this topic. If you would like to make this event a class assignment, please call Stacey Edgar at 245-5231 so that she can reserve a larger room. We plan to have dinner with Rosemary at a local restaurant (details to be arranged) - please let us know if you'd like to join us!
Ninotchka Rosca, a Filipina writer and activist, will be speaking as part of the Contemporary Forum Series on Tuesday, Novemeber 14, at 8:00 p.m. in the College Union Ballroom. Rosca is the author of several books of short stories and fiction, as well as a nonfiction report on the fall of Marcos in the Philippines. (She had been a political prisoner under the Marcos regime.) She is active in organizations such as the International Women's Committee, Amnesty International, and Women's International Network for Democracy in El Salvador.
1. Women's Action Coalition, the campus student group is thriving! About 70 people attended their first meeting. They meet every Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. in the Fireside Lounge, and they welcome new members! Plans for this semester include a self-defense class, beginning in late September and continuing for 10 weeks (fee $40), and a Day of Action in early October focusing on violence against women.
2. Becky Glass will be offering a special section of Sociology of the Family (210-03) to be taught the secong half of the semester from about October 21- December 13 on Mondays and Wednesdays, 6-9 p.m. This course was not listed in the master schedule. If you are intersested, call her at 245-5260.
3. Marion Fey sent a notice about the Mentoring Committee for New Women Faculty and Professional Staff. If you are interested in either being mentored or offering mentoring to others, please call her at 245-5260.
4. Women's Studies, together with the Psychology Department, has purchased "Growing up and Liking it: The Menstruation Myth," an interesting videotape that I will show in my Psychology of Women course. Contact the Psychology Department if you'd like to borrow it.
1. "Women in the Work Place: The Next Horizon," September 19, 1995, Holiday Inn Holidome, Rochester, NY.
2. "Sexual Assault and Harassment on Campus," September 22-24, 1995, Dallas TX.
3. "La Recherche Feministe dans la Francophone," September 24-28, 1995, Universite Laval, Quebec.
4. "Memory, the Body, and Life Writing: A Conference with Helene Cixous," September 29-30, 1995, Northwestern University, IL.
5. "Prisms of Gender: Organization for the Study of Communication, Language & Gender," October 5-8, 1995, Minneapolis, MN.
6. "Innovations in Perinatal Care: Assessing Benefits and Risks," October 7-8, 1995, Baltimore, MD.
7. "Women's Studies Conference," October 13-14, 1995, Western Kentucky University.
8. "Gender Issues in Higher Education," October 15-17, 1995, Burlington, VT.
9. "Domestic Violence in the Spotlight: Strategies for Law, Health Care, Religion, Mental Health, and Education," (sponsored by Alternatives for Battered Women) October 16, 1995, Rochester, NY.
10. "Feminism: Linking Global and Local Perspectives." October 21, 1995, New Paltz, NY.
11. "In Their Own Right: Women's Solutions to Black/White Issues of Race, Class, and Gender," November 12-14, 1995, Atlanta, GA.
12. "Women in Higher Education," January 4-7, 1996, El Paso, TX
13. "Feminist Generations," February 2-4, 1996, Bowling Green OH.
14. "Womanspan: Generating Bridges" (sponsored by Association for Women in Psychology), March 14-17, 1996, Portland, OR.
15. "The Enduring Spirit: Women as We Age." April 11-13, 1996, Omaha, NE.
16. "A Woman's Place: A Conference on Women in Engineering, Science, and the Humanities," April 18-20, 1996, Terre Haute, IN.
17. "Leadership America will be sponsoring a series of workshops on Women in Politics: March 10-13 in Washington DC; July 14-17 in New York; October 20-23 in San Diego.
1. We received a report from Mills College entitled "Advancing Women's Leadership in Science."
2. We received brochures for the National Association for Women in Education.
3. Penn State is searching for a Director for their Women's Studies Program.
4. We received a catalog from the National Women's History Project, listing books, videos, and posters.
5. San Diego State now offers a Master's Degree in Women's Studies.
6. The State of New York Division for Women sent a request for information on issues facing our community; write to NYS Division for Women, 2 World Trade Center, 57th Floor, New York, NY 10047.
As usual, please let me know if you would like to see any of the information on conferences and other issues!