VOL. VI, NO. 8 MAY 2000

Ave Atque Vale! - an ancient Roman greeting and farewell. In my final coordinator’s corner, I want to give thanks and praise to a plethora of wonderful persons who made my job as coordinator both easier and more rewarding. First, to our great students - young women and men who are the cream of WSU: I am truly amazed by all you do in balancing work, families, studies, extra_curricular activities, while still doing well in courses that you describe as the university’s most difficult. We hope that you take with you an assurance of your wonderful capability, and that you feel prepared for your future continued studies and/or work. Secondly, my thanks to the Women’s Studies faculty: you are Weber’s best and brightest and it has been a privilege to cooperate with you in the education of our students. Special thanks to Professor Priti Kumar, whose retirement leaves an obvious vacuum in our literature offerings and denies us the continued presence of a warm and wonderful woman. To the Women’s Studies Executive Council: thanks for sage advice, timely assistance with activities, points of view that have greatly enlarged my own, and dedication to the program’s continued vitality. Thanks, in particular, to Dr. Sandra Powell who has chaired the council over the past three years, moving meetings along and supporting all of our activities with her presence, besides having the generosity to step in as the next coordinator. Finally, and above all, thanks to two people without whom I could not have survived as head of Women’s Studies. Linda Shoemake has become a major force behind the program. She may, at times, find her own super efficiency and perfectionism to be ‘a pain’, but these qualities have guaranteed smooth operation and creative innovation for Women’s Studies. Linda’s energy, enthusiasm, and insightfulness allow a quarter_time coordinator to accomplish other goals while meeting program needs. My largest thanks go to Dr. Gloria Wurst who has become, in the past three years, a wonderful friend as well as a most helpful mentor. Gloria guided (sometimes prodded) my first faltering steps as coordinator; she maintains her assistance, support, and advisement, and continues to do a spectacular job in producing the newsletter. I could always count on Gloria to help with a task, to provide information, or to attend functions. I only hope to be as helpful to Sandra.

This May, five remarkable young women complete Women’s Studies minors and leave us, going out into the world bent on making a significant difference. Two of them, Kat Frith and Terri Sloyer, share the title of Outstanding Student in Women’s Studies for 2000; all of the graduates command our respect and gratitude for their quality work, in and out of the classroom. Below you’ll find excerpted comments from them as well as information about their future plans.

Christina Babkirk, a BIS major with emphases in Women's Studies, Psychology, and Criminal Justice, is currently working as a Deputy Probation Officer at the 2nd District Juvenile Court in Ogden. An internship begun in May, 1999, extended on a volunteer basis until she was formally hired that August. Her work to empower female juvenile delinquents springs from the belief that supporting even one girl, trying to navigate the transition between childhood and adulthood, will repay the favor that a 16 year-old delinquent Christina was given by a concerned probation officer. She credits WS especially with enabling her to gain necessary theroetical knowledge that she dovetailed with her life experiences in proposing a residential gender-based program for at-risk girls and adjudicated female offenders. WS has been very useful in everyday life as well, helping her to conquer an eating disorder, to explain and overcome feelings of oppression, and to redirect her anger to more constructive activities. She is not alone in crediting WS classes with developing her critical thinking. She says, "I love women's studies! Every class has been interesting and useful. The professors are great too! The Women's Studies program opened up a world of knowledge that I had no clue existed." She is passionate about helping teenage girls, still being shuffled around in a justice system created by and for men. Ultimately, she aspires to a professional position allowing her to provide a (female) voice for female juvenile offenders, because "It makes little sense to have adult men try to teach young girls how to become women."

Kat Frith is a Social Work major who has applied to graduate school at California State University, Sacramento, where she hopes to be pursuing an MSW this fall semester. In addition, she’ll continue working as an advocate for social justice, with a special interest in gay/lesbian, women’s, and poverty issues. After completing graduate work, she plans to return to Utah and continue working as an agent for change. She "can think of no other state that is in need of change more than my beautiful home Utah." Finding her minor in WS very valuable already, she "learned more about thinking critically in my WS classes than any others, helping me to be a better student and a more effective advocate for social justice. I enjoyed WS classes more then any other classes I took at WSU. The faculty is the best!"

Cari Morphet graduates with a Psychology major and minors in Women's Studies and Anthropology. She hopes to find a job related to psychology and WS, such as being a mentor/counselor for disadvantaged women or working in a center dealing with women's issues, like domestic violence, rape, or birth control. She’ll be saving her pennies and anxiously awaits the day she’ll be "outa here!", moving to the West Coast, preferably Portland or San Franciso, to continue her chosen work. After a year or two, graduate school is in her plans; she’s considering a doctoral program in clinical psychology, either immediately or after a masters degree in feminist psychology.

Terri Sloyer is a Political Science major/ Women's Studies minor, turning 40 this week. She and her "incredibly supportative" husband Phil have been married for 20 years and they have three kids, Mitch (17), Emily (14), and Katy (9). Terri and Phil returned to school in March 1996 "after losing nearly every worldly possession due to military downsizing." This June, Terri begins Law School at Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA, looking to a career in social justice law. Having competed with the WSU Mock Trial team (which placed 10th of 64 qualifying schools in a recent National Tournament), she has developed a strong interest in trial law and quite likely will either do public defense or work for an organization such as the ACLU. She says, "It is very difficult to think about accomplishments as it seems [I am] just being a responsible human." She is most proud of serving on the Matthew Shepard Scholarship Committee, a group of individuals "with a vision and commitment to change [who received] mean-spirited attacks as a result of … by far the most progressive stance taken by any organization on campus."

Michelle Stephens will complete her degree in Geography with an emphasis in urban planning. She hopes to live in the "real world" for a little while, working in a planning job in a small western city, before pursuing an urban planning master's degree. Depending on her endurance and finances, she might take another break prior to her ultimate goal of a doctorate in feminist geography or a law degree. Michelle echoes comments about the challenging nature of women's studies classes at Weber State. She says, "The professors were great and so were my classmates. Women's Studies is an incredible program and I hope it continues to grow." (Thanks, Michelle; we hope so also!)