VOL. VII, NO. 5 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2001

COORDINATOR’S CORNER

Welcome to a new year and a new semester. We have found a replacement for Amelia Duke, who has moved to Alabama. Gracia Roemer is our new Women’s Studies secretary, and we have never had a secretary so well-versed and interested in Women’s Studies issues. In order to introduce her, she is featured in this month’s profile. Please take a few minutes to stop by and visit with her in the Women’s Studies office if you can.

Here are a few coming attractions. First, the Women’s Studies Video series is being conducted this year in conjunction with the Women on Wednesdays program of Services for Women Students. The theme for this year is the development of identity in women. We will be showing three videos on four different Wednesdays. On February 7 we will be showing Jean Kilbourne’s new video ‘Killing Us Softly 3.’ This describes the negative ways in which the media, particularly advertising, mold women’s sense of identity. The women’s studies student organization FUN (Feminists United Networks) will be leading the discussion on that video. On February 28 and March 7 there will be a two-part showing of the video ‘The Way Home.’ This video highlights women of a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds examining their individual and group identities; Maria Parilla de Kokal and Diane Krantz will facilitate. The final video, ‘Stories of Change’ will be shown on April 4. This video portrays several women from different class and ethnic backgrounds working to overcome barriers standing in the way of their independence and individuality. Alicia Girault has agreed to be the leader as we process our reactions.

Coming soon is the scholarship applications deadline on March 1. The Phoenix Scholarship is available to non-traditional women who are Women’s Studies minors. We can always use more applicants for this scholarship. Women’s History Month is also celebrated in March, so be on the look-out for activities being held in connection with this. Finally, we are looking for a variety of ways to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Weber State Women’s Studies Program. Please let me know if you have ideas (big and small) to help celebrate this momentous occasion.

PROFILING ….

We are delighted to use this space to introduce the new Women’s Studies secretary. Gracia Roemer is a woman of multiple experiences, interests and talents, gathered and developed as she lived in a wide range of environments including upstate New York (Fingerlakes region); Mobile, Alabama; southern California; Ames and Des Moines, Iowa; and rural northeastern Missouri. Along the way, she also acquired an academic background in philosophy and religion, with an area of specialization in business. Gracia has been a Utah resident since 1992, drawn here by the desire to be closer to her sister, who lives in Ogden and was then battling breast cancer. Immediately prior to that move, she was a resident of Cambridge, MA, and worked at the WGBH Educational Foundation. The relocation "resulted in severe culture shock" but it didn’t reduce her activity level. She is a member of the Cambridge-based Women’s Community Cancer Group, investigating synergistic effects of chemicals in causing female cancers. She attends the WSU Religion and Ethics forums and is a member of the Finance Club. She uses her financial skills to help manage an investment portfolio for her mother – an Alzheimer’s Disease sufferer. Gracia has served as chair of the Ogden Disability Action Team, writing a fully-funded grant proposal to create a respite video for Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers. Five hundred copies of that video were distributed and the project was recognized with a monetary award in conjunction with national Make-A-Difference Day. She is currently pursuing a joint project with Mary Ann Anderson (Health Professions), researching the effectiveness of respite videos, with the goal of producing more in the near future. Gracia is not only a doer, she is also a writer who has published on gender issues as well as other topics in the U.S. and Canada. Her efforts fighting looksism (physical appearance-based bias) have attracted international media attention on radio and television and have been featured in articles written for the Associated Press and The Guardian and appearing world wide. Last fall in Ogden, she hosted an international "Barbie-Q" (Bring Your Own Barbie on a Bun) which was filmed by a Canadian Public Television crew and will be included this spring in a documentary about how obsession with female physical beauty has a negative impact on women who are facially disfigured. Gracia’s favorite, and corresponding, feminists include Mary Daly, Naomi Wolf, and Andrea Dworkin. She is a member of the Green Party of Ogden and has interests in socially-responsible investing, the history of sex, eco-feminism, liberation theology, dating men, gardens, birds, cats, vegetarian cooking, and making new friends. She has also joined a new campus Taoist meditation and QiGong group that explores how to channel sexual energy. Still not busy enough, she would like to start a book group that focuses on reading fiction that features appearance-impaired main characters. If you’re interested in sharing common interests with Gracia, give her a call on her cell phone at 603-0852 or in the WS office at 626-7632. Welcome, Gracia; we are looking forward to working with you!

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Congratulations(!) are due to Tracy Callahan who will once again take students to perform in the National Collegiate Theatre Competition. An encore performance of ‘The Birthday Party’, Thursday, Jan. 25, 2000; at 7:30 in the Allred Theater was a benefit for their February trip to compete in Fresno.

February is Black History Month. The campus celebration will kick off with a free public Gospel Music Festival – "Make a Joyful Noise!" – Monday, 5 February, 7:30 PM in the Browning Center’s Sustad Auditorium. Look for announcements about other activities and lend your support whenever possible.

Services for Women Students hosted their annual "Elegant Evening of Recognition" dinner on 4 November 2000, amidst a very elegant backdrop of painted landscapes with lights, ivy covered trellises, fresh roses and live music. More than 120 people, including scholarship recipients, guests and donors, attended the evenings activities, which included presentation of plaques and albums for donors and presentation of certificates to scholarship recipients. Thanks to the generosity of many local vendors, more than 100 door prizes were distributed to participants. SWS has scholarships for spring semester; most were available January 16, although some will be available until April. Counselors in the SWS office can assist with the application process, if desired. If you have questions, please stop by SC150 or contact the SWS office at 626-6090 for additional information, to pick up an application, or to schedule an appointment.

The student organization (FUN) has several activities slated for this month, including the annual Equity Bake Sale, for which they are soliciting donations. This event brings attention to the fact that women still make only 75 cents for each dollar men make; baked goods are priced accordingly. Note the calendar for specific activities/dates and provide support as you can. For more information, you can contact Jason Hurd via email (jhurd@weber.edu) or inquire at the Women’s Studies office.

CALENDAR

7 Feb. - FUN sponsors "Women on Wednesdays" noon, Rm 338, Union Bldg., video/discussion. "Killing Us Softly 3"

8 Feb. - FUN meeting 12:15 PM. Rm 113, Social Science Bldg.

13 - 14 Feb. Equity Bake Sale, 8-11 AM, east of Social Science Bldg.; bring baked goods to donate.

14 Feb. – HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY

15 Feb. – Executive Council Meeting, 2:30 PM, SS 113,

20 Feb. - FUN meeting; 6:00 PM; Grounds for Coffee, Harrison Blvd.

22 Feb. - FUN meeting 12:15 PM Rm 113, Social Science Bldg.

28 Feb. - "Women on Wednesdays" noon, Rm 338, Union Bldg., video/discussion. "The Way Home" – Part I.