Women’s Studies Update

VOL. VIII, NO. 3 Nov. 2001

coordinator’s corner

This month I have been thinking about the many talented people on campus, who donate time to women’s studies, and do so many other wonderful things as well. I probably shouldn’t name names because I will inevitably leave out some important contributions, however, I will mention a few. I attended Sally Bishop Shigley’s discussion of reading cookbooks, and it was amazing what she found. I also attended the play that Tracy Callahan directed, God’s Country, and that was almost too powerful to absorb. She did a wonderful job. Kudo’s to Nancy Haanstad for bringing Robert Kennedy, Jr. to campus. I, for one, needed to hear what he said. The list goes on and on. Thanks to Kathyrn MacKay for organizing the Jane Austen film festival, and to the many people who helped discuss the films. The Services for Women Students people have been putting on some outstanding Wisdom on Wednesdays sessions, particularly on breast cancer awareness and fighting domestic violence. FUN also did a great presentation for National Young Women’s Day of Action, bringing in Wendi Pinkham from YCC to talk about domestic violence.

There are a number of reasons people are so willing to contribute their energy and talents to women’s studies and to the wider community. One reason, of course, is that we believe in the causes and the issues that are involved. Another reason, however, is that we have the opportunity to interact with such interesting and fine people. It has been a pleasure being involved with the many people who are a part of women’s studies.

in recognition

Congratulations to Marjukka Ollilainen, who gave birth to Stella Maiju Ollilainen-Farro on Oct. 14. (7pds. 7oz., 20 & 1/2 in.)

A job well done to Dr. Nancy Haanstad, who, working with Amnesty International, helped get a bill passed in Utah which prohibits sexual contact between prisoners and guards, in part because the extreme power imbalance removes the issue of "consent" between adults and frequently results in common and sometimes horrific abuse.

This bill, introduced as "Criminalizing Custodial Sexual Misconduct" (SB 1), passed unanimously in the last Utah legislative session (2001) and was subsequently signed by Gov. Leavitt. Nancy also testified to the Interim Session of the Joint Committee on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice last summer on the bill’s behalf.

A job well done also to Women’s Studies graduate Heather Harris and current Women’s Studies minor Elsie Hill who recently completed a training offered through YCC to be rape victim advocates.

Mother Nature

The reading group this month will be meeting at 3:00 on Friday, November 16 at Gloria Wurst’s home, 3389 Van Buren Avenue. Call the Women’s Studies office for more information.

We will continue our discussion of Sarah Hrdy’s Mother Nature, which though lengthy, has proven to be an interesting discussion of the many biological and situational effects on reproduction and parenting, both in humans and in other creatures. All are welcome. Please make suggestions for future readings.

letter from a graduate

Greetings from Ground Zero. My name is Johnn Tan. I'm a graduate of Weber State University, and I currently live in New York City. On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Women's Studies Program at Weber State, I want to say that it has definitely been one of the most influential forces in my life.

It has taught me that my role as a male in this patriarchal society is to undermine that system. While I work as a computer technician as my full_time job , I volunteer my spare time with a nonprofit organization that works with Southeast Asian youth in the Bronx. Periodically, I do "gender focus" groups with the young men, in addition to other political education workshops. The young men always remark how much they get out of these sessions, compared to any other workshop. For the first time in their lives, gender focus was something more than ogling women or playing football. To talk with their male peers about gender issues without having to strike the typical "macho postures" is liberating for many of them. They have so much to say!

Women's Studies is fundamentally about the affirmation of life and of differences, and the achieving of a critical consciousness.

This is particularly important in today's climate. As I wander the streets of the Big Apple, I hear the irrationality and insanity that surrounds us. Last night, I went to a Yankees game with three South Asian friends (none of whom are Muslim, not that it should matter). Within the 20 minutes it took us to walk to the stadium from the parking lot, we received four racial remarks. I re_tell two of them here.

The first was a white woman who yelled at my three friends, "All of your people are terrorists!!" The second was a Latino man selling t_shirts that depicted a witch_hunt for Osama bin Laden. After we declined buying the shirts, the man selling them said, "Why not? Osama bin Laden is your brother, isn't he?"

I wonder if he thought all white men were Timothy McVeigh's brother? I wonder if the white woman thought all white males who enter federal buildings are terrorists?

Unfortunately, my South Asian friends say such incidents have become everyday life for all their

friends and family, let alone people who are actually Muslim or Arab. If anything, they say they were lucky today that it was merely verbal. Some of their friends and family haven't been so lucky.

Perhaps worst of all is the misinformed patriotism which surrounds and deafens us. A sentiment I hear expressed all the time is: "How could those people in the Middle East do this to us? The United States has never done anything in the Middle East except try to negotiate a peace process." Such remarks would be laughable if they weren't so tragically inaccurate.

What happened on 9_11 is about causes and effects. And now, the U.S. response will also be about causes and effects. Unfortunately, the "effects" will mostly be harmful to women on the other side of the world, mostly colored women, mostly the children of those women. The grief that has been on display on all the news channels recently will repeat itself __ just not for our viewing consumption. As it did in Iraq in 1996 (200,000 civilian casualties due to Clinton's unilateral bombings makes our already_devastating 6,000 missing seem woefully small). As it did in Nicaragua during the 1980s. As it did in my country (Viet Nam) during the 1970s. And on into the rest of history.

The leader of the so_called free world said, "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists." Dear Mr. President, I beg to differ. Either you are with life, or you are against it. Affirm life. Affirm life. This is Women's Studies.

FUN notes