Women's Studies at Weber State received boosts from two directions in the past several weeks. Although small programs are increasingly threatened by legislators' reluctance to allocate money for education in Utah, Dean Sadler has promised the continued support of the College of Social Sciences and Behavioral Sciences for the Women's Studies Program. Also, implicit University-wide support was offered when Weber State University recently hosted the first statewide diversity retreat. A significant number of administrators and faculty involved with diversity in education came from each of Utah's universities and colleges, public and private, to discuss concerns and achievements. President Thompson's commitment to diversity became a matter of state-wide public record and a model for other administrators in the state. Numerous comments made at the retreat showed Women's Studies programs to be an integral and important part of diversity efforts. Additionally, the retreat provided possibilities for communication among Women’s Studies programs state-wide.

Of course, the greatest supporters of Women’s Studies are the faculty, staff, sudents, and community members that create the program through teaching, working with and for us, making financial contributions, and/or participating in our activities. The WS Fall retreat at the Smith’s cabin was a great success, with a large number of attendees who participated enthusiastically and energetically in group discussions about ways of empowering students in our classes. Suggestions were made that will become part of a future column. Thanks to all who are teaching this year in Women’s Studies.

We are very excited that the Rev. Gwynneth MacKenzie Murphy will be offering Feminist Theologies, a course that hasn’t been offered for several years and one which piques student interest repeatedly. This course will give students the opportunity to engage in dialogue and discussion about a field in which women’s increasing presence has caused more than a little controversy at many religious meetings.

FACULTY PROFILE

Since the Fall of 1992, Weber State has been the beneficiary of the enthusiastic service, teaching and scholarship efforts of Dr. Michael Wutz. Women’s Studies is delighted to welcome him as an official member of the program’s faculty this coming winter quarter, when he will team-teach "Gender in Science and Literature: Writing and Re-Writing Text" with your editor (Gloria Wurst.) This won’t be the first time we have offered the course; two groups of students have experienced "rough drafts" when the Honours Programme housed it exclusively. The new version will be cross-listed with Women’s Studies, Honours and English prefixes and redesigned specifically to carry upper-division (490) credit. It builds on Michael’s research interest in examining the ways in which authors import scientific models into literary works, expecially when those models are used in a misogynistic fashion.

Michael is a native of Germany, born in the small town of Leuterhausen in Northern Bavaria, where he attended the equivalent of U.S. elementary school. At age 10, he was one of 4 students chosen to attend the gymnasium in the larger neighboring town of Anspach. His education included two baccalaureate degrees, one in English and one in Physical Education, prior to coming to the U.S. on a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (D.A.A.D.) He earned an M.A. in English Literature from the University of Montana in 1986, as well as the affections of his wife, Marilee Rohan. After leaving Montana, he studied Modern British and American Literature at Emory University in Atlanta, where he completed his PhD in 1991. He is currently Associate Professor in the English Department and Assistant Editor for "Weber Studies."

Michael maintains an active pursuit of his scholarship interests and has edited or authored numerous books, articles and reviews, in addition to attending conferences in his discipline. He has been awarded grants and fellowships for development of both his teaching and research and was recognized by the Honours Programme as New Professor of the Year (1994) and Ralph M. Nye Honors Professor (1996.) This past summer he received funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities to attend a six-week seminar on Modernism in Paris, an experience he reports was "wonderful!" He spent large amounts of time sight-seeing and sitting in coffee-houses, and, in his spare time, he attended the seminar sessions, focused on the theme of the deeply-felt anti-womanism in modernism. Sponsored by the Cite Universitaire in Paris, the seminar was held on the Boulevard Montparnasse in a building owned by Columbia University and surrounded by such famous artists’ hang-outs as Le Dome, La Copole, and the Dingo Bar, where students would bask in the ambience after formal lectures. He reports several "brushes with fame" associated with the trip, including sharing a New York runway with Air Force One, being a (somewhat distant) spectator at the funeral of Jacques Cousteau (his childhood hero),breathing the same air as the French Minister of Education when his part-time roomate from the course acted in an educational film being produced there, and being close to the finish line of the Tour de France in a huge crush of supportive fans (for the cyclists, I assume.)

During the course, Marilee and children Christian and Anya lifted his spirits by paying a visit to Paris, where they all shared a "monkish cell" in the dormitories for about 10 days, before the "non-students" headed off to resume visiting with Michael’s parents and siblings. After the course, Michael joined them for a couple weeks of travel in the maor cities of Germany and Belgium (which has a greater ratio of 4-star hotels than France) before returning to Utah. Despite all the cramped quarters and stress of traveling, his family remains his top priority and they enjoy outdoor activities, especially skiing in the winter. Michael has a special fondness too for my schnauzer, Schotzi, and looks forward to replacing the canine family member that he and Marilee lost several years ago, although they have chosen to "housebreak the kids first."

We look forward to having a closer interaction with Michael in Women’s Studies and to having our students share his infectious enthusiasm.

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- Relationship Separation Workshop, Oct 9, 16, 23, and 30, from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.

- "Change your World by Changing Yourself",

Turning Point, Wednesday evenings, 6:30 p.m., October 8 through December.

REMEMBER THE VIDEO SERIES ON WOMEN IN THE ARTS co-sponsored by Women’s Studies and Services for Women Students, Wednesdays, beginning 15 October .

CALENDAR

1 Oct. - Readings by Drs. Mikel Vause and Bob Mikkelson and MaryRosa Moraga Barrow, Weber Co. Library, 7-9 p. m. For info., call 773-2109.

5 Oct. - Women’s Studies Annual Fall Picnic and Used Book Sale, Annex 1, west of the Dee Events Center, 3-6 p.m.

15 Oct. - Readings by Beverly Holdstrom, Linda Larsen, and Dr. Joel Passey, Thought Continuum Bookstore, 7-9 p.m.

- Video - "Sun, Moon & Feather", WSU Stewart Library, Rm 9, 12:30-1:30 p.m.

17 Oct. - "The Raid", Egyptian Theater, 7:30 p.m..

21 Oct. - Book discussion, "Journal of Solitude" by May Sarton, Roy Library 7-9 p.m. For info., call 773-2109.

22 Oct. - Video - "M.F.K. Fisher: Writer with a Bite." Stewart Library, Rm 9, 12:30 - 1:30p.m.

24 Oct. - Children’s Dance Theater, 7 p.m., Egyptian Theater.

29 October - Video - "Magic Wool." Stewart Library, Rm 9, 12:30-1:30p.m.