VOL. VII, NO. 3 NOVEMBER 2000

October was a great month. The Diversity Conference, which I chaired, was October 13th. Martin Luther King III gave an inspirational keynote speech, and there were a number of other wonderful panels. One (which came together rather late so we weren’t able to advertise it fully) was ‘A Conversation from the Heart of Diversity: A Panel Discussion with Ogden Senior Minority Women.’ Drs. Roy Van Orman and Sharon Parkinson, from Social Work/Gerontology, invited several older women from Ogden to tell their stories. We need to include more women’s issues in the diversity conference, so if you have any ideas for next year’s conference, please let me know.

A fine time seemed to be had by all at the annual Women’s Studies Picnic on October 22. Although the weather was a little nippy, we visited over hot soup and hot cider and many other delicious foods. We had an opportunity to see people that we don’t see often enough and even made a little money for the program budget as attendees donated and bought each other’s good used books at the book sale.

November promises to be exciting as well. Tracy Callahan is directing ‘The Birthday Party’ by Harold Pinter, which will play from November 10 to 18. In addition, I would like to invite anyone who is interested to attend a special presentation in my "Sex Roles and the Law" class. Christine Knowlton from the Attorney General’s Office will be talking about domestic violence and stalking in SS 278 on Thursday, November 9 at 5:30 pm. Be sure to hold December 6th open for a Women’s Studies holiday open house about 1:00.

October’s featured faculty, Dr. Alicia Giralt, is new to the program this fall, teaching the cross-listed (with Spanish) course "Love, Convent and Intellect: Hispanic Women Writers from the 15th to the 19th Century." Alicia came to Weber State in the fall of 1999 as an Assistant Professor of Foreign Languages and has taught Spanish language and literature courses in her home department. She holds a B.A. in Print Journalism and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Spanish and Spanish-American Literature, all from Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. She also has command of four languages: English, Spanish, Catalan, and French. Prior to joining the Weber State faculty, Alicia taught at Wayne State University, Pima Community College, and the University of Michigan. In addition, she has diverse work experience associated with her journalism baccalaureate degree.

A recipient of numerous scholarship awards during her undergraduate and graduate career, Alicia also was granted a Hemingway Faculty Vitality Award this past year for the development of the cross-listed course. Her dissertation, Innovations and Traditions in the Narrative of Lourdes Ortiz, is in press and she has three other refereed publications in addition to her presenting and serving as a panel member at state, regional, national and international conferences. She maintains membership in professional societies at all levels as well. Alicia provides service to the institution as student advisor, on departmental and university committees, and as Director for Summer Abroad programs in Mexico and Spain. She has offered her time and expertise in service to public schools in her various communities, currently working with the Bilingual Program for the Ogden Public Schools; she also volunteers at the McKay-Dee Emergency Room.

On the personal front, Alicia shares her life with a husband, four boys (two of whom are teenagers) and one male dog @ "Great for a feminist raised exclusively around women." she says The family loves to travel and experience other cultures, enjoying the food in particular! In fact, Alicia likens her fascination with meeting people from other cultures, getting to know them and learning from them to an addiction. She finds that "a good time is learning something I don’t know and finding ways to pass [it] on … to family and students" @ as long as it doesn’t deal with business or mechanics. Her "relaxation" involves doing projects like writing, painting, wood carving and gardening.

The program welcomes Alicia’s enthusiasm and commitment to learning and teaching; may we all benefit mutually from our association.

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Utah NOW will present its 2000 Women of Courageous Action Awards to Julie Ralston, Katherine Stockton, Barbara Toomer and a Lifetime Achievement Award to Jinnah Kelson at their 12th Annual Awards Dinner. It will be held on Friday, 10 November at 6:30 pm at the Wyndham hotel in Salt Lake City. Tickets are $35.00 and can be purchased until 3 November by contacting the Utah NOW office.

Our post-hoc congratulations to Susan Matt, History, who received a fellowship to spend part of her summer in Special Collections at Duke University researching the history of advertising.

Services for Women Students Coordinator Carol Merrill will host a reception and a one-woman art show on Saturday, 4 November, 6 @ 9 PM, at her home in Layton (2660 East 1700 North.) For information or directions, call 547-0566.

The first annual Hinckley lecture will be held on Monday, 6 November, at 3 PM in Stewart Library Special Collections. The 2000 Hinckley Fellow, Dr. John Mbaku, Willard L. Eccles Professor of Economics, will speak on "Africa in the Twenty-first Century: Which Way Forward?"

On 14 November, the Women’s Studies student group FUN will sponsor two videos exploring the socialization of men and women. "Man, Oh Man" and "Killing Us Softly III" will be shown at 1 PM in SS113.

9 Nov. @ Christine Knowlton on domestic violence, 5:30 PM, SS278.

10 Nov. @ Utah NOW’s "Women of Courageous Action" Awards Dinner, SLC’s Wyndham Hotel.

14 Nov. @ FUN video presentation, 1 PM, SS113.

15 Nov. @ WS Exec. Council Meeting, 1 PM, SS113

10 @ 18 Nov. @ "The Birthday Party", 7:30 PM, Eccles Theatre, Browning Center.

13 @ 15 Nov. @ Storytelling Festival, 9 AM- 9 PM, Ogden’s Eccles Conf. Center.