WEBER STATE WOMEN'S STUDIES NEWS

VOL. V  NO. 5  JANUARY, 1999 

 COORDINATOR=S CORNER

Abundant best wishes for a joyful 1999--the last year of the decade, of the century, and of the millennium. The time is getting close again for applications for the Phoenix Achievement Scholarships. If you are over twenty-five and are a Women=s Studies Minor, you are strongly encouraged to apply. Full and partial scholarships will be available, and completing the application is not difficult or time-consuming. Where else could two or three hours work Aearn@ you between $993 and $1986? If you want help filling out the application, feel free to come to either of the coordinator=s offices (SS344 or SS382) for assistance.

Dr. Kathryn Mackay and Jay Hart are offering a very exciting course, Introduction to Men=s Studies, this semester. If you have friends that might be interested, suggest to them that they sign up. The course, cross-listed with Honors, promises to be informative and eye-opening as faculty and students explore and reflect on key issues impacting men today.

Plans for Women=s History month are well under way. The committee, comprising interested faculty and staff and including representatives from Women=s Studies and from Services for Women Students, is being coordinated by Donna Hunter, the newest counselor at SWS. Plans so far include involving all the colleges on campus and having speakers on women=s issues, as well as sponsoring a social, video showings, a Writing Contest, and displays. Plan to support all these events in March. Also in March and April, Women=s Studies is sponsoring a series of readings featuring letters from a nineteenth-century American woman who attended Oxford University. Elizabeth Sheldon wrote home with vivid descriptions of her adventures at one of the two great universities in England. Her letters provide clear and startling insights into what it was like to be a woman at an all-male college, where only men could receive degrees even though women took and completed the same series of courses. Present plans are to offer the readings at 1:00 pm on March 10 and 24 and April 7 and 21. If you are interested in attending but would prefer a later time in the afternoon, please e-mail Linda Shoemake.

FACULTY PROFILE

We begin the new calendar year featuring a relatively new member of the Women=s Studies Executive Council, Dr. Shirley Leali, also Associate Professor of Teacher Education. Shirley first began teaching at WSU in 1993. She left for a brief hiatus as Associate Professor of Education at the University of Northern Colorado in 1995-96. Shirley=s focus is in Elementary Science and Math Education and she has taught courses in this area to both pre- and in-service public school teachers. She, herself, has also taught in the public schools at all levels and served in a supervisory role for math education in the Denver Public Schools. She continues to pursue professional development activities in this area as well, having been an invited co-author of a College Short Course for math education faculty, held at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee in the summer of 1997. The preceding summer, she attended the Summermath program at Mount Holyoke College (Massachusetts) with 20 other college and university faculty, focusing on the Alearning process and women=s ways of knowing and learning about math, science and technology@ - an experience that provided a Atremendous impact@ on her teaching and scholarship.

Shirley has conducted research in math and science education and gender equity, resulting in local and national meeting presentations and refereed publications. Her current work will be presented at the April AERA conference in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Shirley=s committee service includes all levels at WSU, from the department to the university. She has been, and continues to be, a member of statewide committees addressing educational issues in both Colorado and Utah and is a current member of the State of Utah Black Advisory Council Board. Her professional discipline benefits from her membership in many organizations as well as her contributions as a manuscript reviewer for several books and journals.

Shirley has been honored for her contributions by being the recipient of the Denver Public Schools Super Teacher Award and has been recognized by AACTE for her work in advancing Gender Equity and Awareness. She is also included in the 1998-99 edition of AWho=s Who in Science and Engineering.@

Women=s Studies is delighted to benefit from Shirley=s membership on the Executive Council and her active participation in shaping the program=s activities. We also appreciate her never-ending efforts to infuse gender equity and awareness in all her areas of influence.

Congratulations to Dr. Jean White, former professor of political science and recipient of an honorary degree at WSU=s 112^th commencement, held 18 December 1998. Jean was a pioneer in teaching about gender issues in the legal arena. We also offer congratulations to Dr. Kathleen Herndon, professor of English education, who was recently appointed to the Ogden City Multicultural Advisory Committee.

On 7 January, Drs. Kathryn MacKay and Sally Bishop Shigley led discussion groups for the Brigham City Library=s AWomen of the Frontier@ series and the Weber County Library=s ACross-Cultural Education@ series, respectively. For further information on these discussion groups, call (435) 723-5891 (B.C.) or 745-2220 (W.C.)

January is Diversity Month and many of the activities will be of particular interest to Women=s Studies students. There will be several forum discussions on diversity on the WSU campus, the diversity curriculum requirement, and white privilege, in addition to exciting convocation=s presentations. Angelika Pagel will show a video and lead a discussion on Frida Kahlo on 15 January in SC154, and Tracy Callahan will direct AMother Hicks@ at Ogden High School, opening 27 January. Many other events will round out an educational and entertaining series celebrating diversity.

Remember that the scholarship application deadline is 1 February. In addition to the Phoenix scholarships, other opportunities are available. Student Support Services in conjunction with Services for Women Students will sponsor a one-time seminar AWriting a Winning Scholarship Application@ at noon on 22 January, SC154.

CALENDAR

11 Jan. - Classes begin.

15 Jan. - Executive Council meeting., 1:30 pm, SS 115.

Diversity Month activities!