Vol. 2, No 5

COORDINATOR'S CORNER

This month a slight change in the Faculty Profile highlights our co-sponsors of the Winter Quarter video series, the staff of the office of Services for Women Students (formerly WERC), who have acquired a new name, new coordinator and new office space in the Student Services Center(SSC.) Together we present the lives of women in science through the PBS series "Discovering Women." One of the six videos will be shown each Wednesday at 2 PM in SSC 154, from 24 January until 28 February. The preceding Wednesday, 17 January, we will have the distinct pleasure of hearing from/interacting with Dr. Sharon Emerson from the University of Utah, who will introduce our topic. Sharon's long-term interest in evolutionary biology and functional morphology has been playing out most recently on a group of flying frogs from SE Asia; her creative contributions to science were recognized last year when she was named a MacArthur Fellow. We look forward to having you share some winter Wednesdays with us, getting to know a few of the leading women in a variety of scientific disciplines.

FACULTY PROFILE:

The office of Services for Women Students (SWS) first came into existence under its previous epithet - the Women's Educational Resource Center - in 1980. It grew from the efforts of Toni Weight, then Associate Dean of Student Affairs, who at the time was working with Kay Evans, then Dean of Student Affairs, and Mary Jo LaTulippe from the Counseling Center, to provide orientation and a support group for re-entry women. This informal program established the need for and value of such a service and its activities inspired the formal mission of WERC as a resource and support center for re-entry women to help them adjust to and be successful in the college environment with their academic, vocational and personal goals. At the urging of student officers, UB 354 was designated as a multipurpose room, meeting place, lounge, study area, and library of information related directly to women's issues and concerns. Supervising this November's move to SSC 150 was a job skill acquired by Margarita Guerra, the new Coordinator this year; she succeeds Sherry Burkes who remains on the staff as a counselor. Margarita received her B.A. in Sociology from Alma College in the Michigan town of the same name and has a Masters of Social Work from Michigan State University. Prior to joining the staff at Weber, Margarita lived in Michigan, where she held positions at a Veterans Affairs hospital, a domestic violence shelter and in the MSU Graduate Admissions office. Her parents, one brother and two sisters make their homes in Vermont, Florida and Michigan, giving her plenty of opportunity to pursue her love of traveling, and she especially enjoys visiting other countries. When she is closer to home, she enjoys hiking and exploring the "wild west." Sherry is a southerner and moved to Utah when her husband John accepted a faculty position at Weber State. She completed her B.S. in Psychology at Weber and then went on to earn an M.Ed. in Guidance and Counseling from BYU. After seven years as Coordinator of the Women's Center, she decided to move on to other things, like visiting her daughter and grandchildren in California. (And I know from personal experience that both Sherry and John have spent a lot of "quality time" in the racquetball courts as well!) Jan Noyes is also a staff counselor for SWS and likes to focus her talents on re-entry women and community outreach presentations. She earned her Masters degree in Counseling and Guidance from BYU and has been at Weber for six years. Jan, her husband, and their four children are all active in theatre and musical productions in the region, with Jan's most recent efforts focusing on Promised Valley Playhouse. Carol Sonntag is a part-time counselor who holds her baccalaureate degree from BYU and a master's in family counseling from Arizona State University. In addition to helping WSU women with personal and family issues, she is a full-time mother,&127; who enjoys skiing (when there is snow!), bicycling, and tennis. Ranee Arave Johnson has served as regional coordinator of Turning Point for Single Parents and Displaced Homemakers for 8 years. A cooperative agreement allows her to counsel WSU students in technical education programs, offering her extensive knowledge of resources to assist re-entry women attain their education. She also offers Assertive Communication and Self-esteem Workshops each quarter. In her spare time, she likes hiking, biking, skiing and tree-hugging. The secretary in the office is Teresa Smith, who holds a WSU degree in administrative systems. When she isn't behind the SWS desk, she enjoys sports, the outdoors, and spending time with her family.

January is Diversity Month and planning has been ongoing since October for the various activities which will begin 8 January; a schedule accompanies the newsletter. Sofia Garcia chairs the committee organizing the events around the theme of "Human Connections: A Global Awakening." For more information about campus celebration of those connections, contact Sofia (626-7424). The event most directly connected with Women's Studies is Namu Lwanga's (30 -31 January) visit; we will join several other groups to sponsor her performances for the Weber State and Ogden communities. Namu is from Uganda, and her presentation - "The Mask" - is a wonderfully entertaining introduction to East African culture and to her personal experiences of "border crossings." She has performed to enthusiastic audiences throughout the world and we are delighted that she will be coming to our area. Details regarding performance times and places are still being finalized; call the Women's Studies office (626-7632) or watch for information in the newspapers. Don't miss this opportunity to be educated and entertained by a marvelously talented and energetic performer!

CALENDAR

2 January - New Book discussion "Open Pages" third Sunday of every month. For more info call Thought Continuum 392-3949.

17 January - Dr. Sharon Emerson, University of Utah, SSC 154, 2 PM

24 January - Lydia Villa-Komaroff, molecular biologist (video), SSC 154, 2 PM Poetry Readings - Thought Continuum - Utah Poets - Maxine Jenning, Geraldine Felt, Pat Grimm.

30 January - Performances by Namu Lwangu of Uganda; for info., 626-7632.

31 January - Marcia McNutt, geophysicist (video), SSC 154, 2 PM

Diversity Month

Human Connections: A Global Awakening

January 8th - February 2nd

Art Exhibit: Anxious Times January 2nd-31st Art Gallery Visual Arts Department Collett Art Bldg.

The Psychology of Consciousness: Panel January 4th Wildcat Theater Issues Forum 10:30a.m. Shepherd Union Bldg.

Diversity Month Art Show: Diverse Visions all month Student Art Guild beginning January 10th Val A. Browning Ctr. Visual Arts Department

A "Patchwork" of People all month Diversity Month Quilt beginning January 8th Shepherd Union Bldg.

International Buffet $4.95 every Wednesday Gallery Marriott 11:00-1:00p.m. Shepherd Union Bldg. beginning January 10th

Poetry Readings: Writers of the Metaphor January 9th Women's Center Lounge Multicultural Coffee Hour 10:30-12:00 noon Shepherd Union Bldg. English Department

Diverse Visions Opening January 10th Foyer Student Art Guild 4:30-7:30p.m. Val A. Browning Ctr.

Pete Suazo: The Future of Hispanics in UT January 11th Wildcat Theater Issues Forum 10:30a.m. Shepherd Union Bldg.

Faculty Recital: Shi-Hwa Wang January 13th Allred Theater Performing Arts 7:30p.m. Val A. Browning Ctr.

MARTIN LUTHER KING OBSERVANCE JANUARY 15TH

Poetry Readings: OPEN MIKE January 16th Women's Center Lounge Multicultural Coffee Hour 10:30a.m. Shepherd Union Bldg.

Chicano/Latino /Hispanic Youth Conference January 16th Room 150 Services for Multicultural Students w/Carlos Cortez Student Services

Asian American Youth Conference January 17th Room 150 Services for Multicultural Students Student Services

Campus-Wide Diversity Retreat w/ Carlos Cortez January 17th Aerospace Center Diversity Office 11:30a.m.

African American Youth Conference January 18th Room 150 Services for Multicultural Students w/Dr. ? Rawlins Student Services

Native American Youth Conference January 19th Room 150 Services for Multicultural Students w/Howard Ranier Student Services

Special Olympic Skiers January 18th Wildcat Theater Issues Forum 10:30a.m. Shepherd Union Bldg.

Students with Disabilities Sociology Club Students with Disabilities Panel January 22nd Room 347 Students w/ Disabilities Office 10:30a.m. Shepherd Union Bldg.

Poetry Readings: MESA & Ogden H.S. January 23rd Women's Center Lounge Multicultural Coffee Hour 10:30-12:00 noon Shepherd Union Bldg.

English as a Second Language: Open House January 23rd Room 380 ESL 2:30-4:00p.m. Social Sciences Bldg.

International Marketplace January 24th Foyer of Marriott Allied Health Senator 10:30-1:00p.m. Allied Health Bldg.

Joel P. Kramer: Mens Rites of Passage January 25th Wildcat Theater Issues Forum 10:30a.m. Shepherd Union Bldg. Men's Issues Series

Namu Lwanga January 30th Austad Auditorium Women's Studies 7:00p.m. Val A. Browning Ctr. Diversity Office

The Execution of Saro-Wiwa February 1st Wildcat Theater Issues Forum 10:30a.m. Shepherd Union Bldg. Amnesty International