VOL III, NO 10

JUNE 1997

COORDINATOR'S CORNER

This is it - my last issue of the newsletter as Coordinator of the program! I will be continuing to edit future issues, and you will hear from the new Coordinator, Diane Krantz, in this section, whenever she has profound words of wisdom to impart. I want to thank everyone who helped to make the last three years of my life so educational and so memorable! And speaking of memory - remember the spring social: 3 - 5 p.m., Monday, 2 June, in room 152 of the Student Services Center.

This month's issue departs from the usual format of providing a faculty profile in order to feature information about our graduating minors. We have only one who will complete her degree prior to June graduation - Jackie Bell. However, Kathy Leavitt will finish her coursework at the end of summer quarter, so I have asked her to share her comments and future plans as well. I suspect that, with the coming semester conversion, this part of next year's newsletter may run to multiple pages!

And while we're on the subject of semester conversion .... Our program is in the final stages of approval for the semester calendar, so we will soon be able to let students know how semester conversion will affect their coursework for a Women's Studies minor. I will be continuing to serve as advising coordinator for this process, and, as part of the attendant responsibilities, I hope finally to be able to finish the advising plan that I began last fall quarter. Each student who has expressed an interest or declared a minor or BIS concentration in WS will receive an advisor assignment - a faculty member who will be a contact person, not only for semester conversion program approval, but for any other advising issues that may arise. I will serve as the person to fall back on should the assigned advisor be unavailable during "times of need." If you are a student who has an interest in a WS minor, and you have not let us know, please call 626-7632 or stop by SS381 to bring us up to date. If you come in before the end of the quarter, be aware that Norma is in the office from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m., Monday - Thursday. She will not be in on a regular basis during summer quarter, although we will continue to check the voice-mail daily. You could also contact either me (gwurst@weber.edu) or Diane Krantz (dkrantz@weber.edu) on e-mail. Please don't let the uncertainty of this process un-nerve you; we will do everything to make the transition as smooth as possible. Please do feel free to contact me with questions as they arise. During fall quarter, we will schedule an informal meeting for those who need to consult with me.

One final note.... Both the Patti O'Neal dance scholarship and the Women's Studies traditional student scholarship have reached the endowment level and awards will be made for the first time next year. I'm sure that it will not surprise you to know that we would welcome any additional contributions to help make the scholarships more meaningful financially for the recipients.

GRADUATING WS MINORS

Word has it that Jackie Bell is completing graduation requirements this year! To accompany her WS minor, she will receive a B.S. in Psychology, which should be helpful as her twin boys are growing up. After graduation, Jackie will be applying for admission to Bastyr College of Naturopathic Medicine in Seattle. She reports that she "loved her coursework and the program" which "opened her eyes" and made her more thoughtful about her activities and their consequences. She feels she has gained a new perspective on life, increased her awareness of issues of gender and multiculturalism, and found a fulfilling sense of community as a result of her WS minor.

Our second minor to graduate this year will be Kathy Leavitt. Kathy is a single mother of two boys and a girl; she will complete the requirements for a B.S. in Social Work at the end of summer quarter. Kathy joined the ranks of the Women's Studies program rather late in the recent incarnation of her Weber State career and she has gobbled up the coursework since last spring quarter. After a brief hiatus from schoolwork next year, she hopes to pursue graduate work and an M.S.W. degree from Boise State. Kathy found her coursework in Women's Studies to be challenging and enjoyable and she was excited particularly by the opportunity to explore issues of diversity in the classroom.

We send our very best wishes along with both of these energetic and enthusiastic young women as they apply their classroom experience in the "real world!"

CONGRATULATIONS (!)

- are in order for Mary Rosa Moraga-Barrow who received a Mattie Wattis Harris Spirit of the American Woman Award in Arts and Humanities from the Ogden Y.C.C. Mary Rosa organized, and keeps us informed about, the writers' reading series at the Thought Continuum, where she was honored at an Open House on 18 May. - also to Norma Hassell and all the secretaries in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences who are this year's recipients of the Dello Dayton Award. This award recognizes the crucial role they play in the smooth functioning of the college, even under such trying circumstances as semester conversion.

- and to Executive Council Member Frances McConaughy who is the recipient of the Warner Lambert/American Dental Hygienists' Association Award for Excellence in Dental Hygiene.

THANKS, GOODBYE & GOOD LUCK!

It seems appropriate in this issue to say some words of thanks, goodbye, and all our best wishes to faculty members who have been involved with the program and are now leaving Weber State.

Ami Ahern-Rindell joined Kathryn MacKay in the teaching team for WS 405 last spring. She will be leaving the zoology faculty to accept a position in the biology department at the University of Portland, OR. I'm sure that, although she'll miss us terribly, her heart will pine most for the opportunity she has enjoyed this past year to serve as a member of the University Curriculum and Gen. Ed. Committee during semester conversion!

Sue Fairbanks will also leave the zoology ranks to become a faculty member in biology at the University of Nebraska - Omaha this coming fall. This move will be a delight for her family because it will bring her within hours', rather than days', travel range. Sue filled in for me as a member of the Executive Council the year that I was on sabbatical leave. She'll be continuing her pronghornresearch on Antelope Island over the summers, so we can look forward to having her return for some brief visits at least, although my plans to rope her into becoming a member of the Women's Studies teaching faculty will have to go by the wayside!

Graciella Italiano has resigned her position in teacher education to become the chief administrator of the Centro de Familia in Salt Lake City. We will all miss the opportunity, that I hoped might arise next year, to have her teach some of our core courses.

Sue Carol Theisen is also leaving the HPER faculty, effective the end of this academic year, to the great disappointment of many faculty and students. Her Women's Health Issues course has been very popular and one that many students hoped to take in the future; we hope that someone else will be able to pick up this assignment. Sue Carol's plans are uncertain at the moment, but she and her husband, Paul Curry, are looking forward to the possibility of living and working in the same community, perhaps back east where they would be closer to families.

To all of you: we will miss you and we hope that your change of scenery and professional activity provides a multitude of positive experiences!

CALENDAR

2 JUNE - Spring Social; SSC152, 3 - 5 p.m.

5 JUNE - The Working Women's Summit broadcast, "Economic Equity: Responsibilities and Rewards"; 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m., Ogden-Weber Applied Technology Center; for more information, call Jan Dickson, Turning Point Program, 538-7843.

12 JUNE - Commencement, 6 p.m., Dee Events Center, with an address by Deborah Tannen.

13 JUNE - College Convocations

18 - 22 JUNE - NWSA Meeting, St. Louis, MO.

23 JUNE - Summer Quarter Begins.