Women’s Studies Update
VOLUME X, NUMBER 8 MAY 2004

COORDINATOR’S CORNER

It is hard to believe this school year is almost over. I’d like to mention some highlights of my first year as program coordinator. First, the numbers…. More than 200 people participated in the various Women’s Studies activities during this past Women’s History Month. Our courses were well populated, with a total of 33 students completing the WS core courses; in addition, 106 students took the WS cross-listed courses in Psychology, English, Health, and History. Four students are graduating with WS minors this spring; Michelle Groncki, Elsie Hill, Marina Saj, and Vicki Zollinger are featured in this month’s newsletter profile.

Our January retreat was very productive, and we will follow up with an end-of-year retreat on April 30th. This will be an opportunity to assess the activities of the past year and to plan for the upcoming one.

The program depends on assistance from a dynamic Executive Council and capable, enthusiastic faculty and staff that support Women’ Studies. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank them all for their contributions.

PROFILING ….

We are proud to feature our four graduating Women’s Studies minors in this month’s profile. Michelle Groncki will complete a major in Psychology; Elsie Hill, a double major in Social Work and Psychology; Marina Saj, a major in Accounting, and Vicki Zollinger, a Bachelor's of Integrated Studies in Women's Studies, History and English Literature. I’ve asked them to reflect on how their WS minor has impacted their education and their lives. The following is primarily in their own words.

Michelle “was drawn to the women's studies program because I believe in the power of women. I have felt a kindred spirit with the faculty and with my classmates in this program. These wonderful people have given me a much-needed outlet for the frustrations I have towards the worldwide injustices shown women. By being a part of the … program I feel a connection to all people who strive towards equality, past and present.” Michelle plans to apply to USU’s graduate program in Neuropsychology.

Elsie Hill reports “Since my Women’s Studies classes, I have done much research and written papers on domestic violence …. [C]ombined with my social work aspirations, [this] leads me to think I want to work with battered women. However, I will also soon have my certificate in DCFS training, so I'm not sure at this point where I will end up working. I do know my education in Women’s Studies changed the … way I think about domestic violence. For instance, it is not just clinical; it involves many emotions, and corrodes self-esteem. My volunteer work and internship for Social Work and Women’s Studies was at YCC in the domestic violence crisis center. I believe I could be a good counselor for such women, having observed the excellent workers at YCC. Whatever field I choose …, my education, in and of itself, has been just grand and wonderful. I would not have missed it for the world, and I would like to thank all the great professors I had the privilege to learn from.”

Vicki Zollinger responded “Thanks for the opportunity” to say the following. “Graduation will be exciting but I will miss the Women's Studies [program] at Weber. Next year, (this is to allow time for my husband to finish his bachelor's degree and so I can de-stress) we plan to move to California to attend the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto, where I hope to graduate with a doctorate in counseling psychology. Some reflections on the Women's Studies program: I have loved it!

There [were] no other courses I would have rather taken than those offered through the Women's Studies [program.] The faculty were all very intelligent, wonderful scholars, articulate, supportive and have become good friends. Women's Studies has [raised] my consciousness, which in turn has spurred my activism. The things I've learned about women's conditions all over the world, and even more specifically in my own world, as well as the philosophical, theological, psychological and sociological grounding behind these conditions and the answers for improvement …, have inspired my activism.

Women's Studies has informed my decisions and made me more aware of institutions and projects that affirm my womanhood, my humanity and my intellect. Women's Studies has also taught me to see the complexity of the human situation and to proceed with compassion and tolerance. It has taught me to not take for granted the gender roles of society, to question why something is and how to make it healthier. My involvement in Women's Studies will positively affect the way I raise my children, interact with others, and live with and love my partner and spouse. These lessons were instilled in me by wonderful professors and secretaries and [the] thoughtful selection of course materials. Women's Studies, with its unique class circles and non-top-down learning, has created a dynamic of cooperation and sharing that positively affected my undergraduate career. I thank Women's Studies for all it has done for me and hope that I can carry on the rigorous standards of learning and scholarship that I have seen in the Women's Studies [program.]

We express our heartiest congratulations to our graduates and send them forth into the world with all the best wishes for successful fulfillment of their aspirations!

Congratulations to Wangari wa Nyatetu-Waigwa who will serve as Assistant to the President for Diversity next year as Forrest Crawford takes a well-deserved sabbatical leave. Congratulations also to 2003 WS graduate Cassi Meyerhoffer who will be relocating to Buffalo, NY, to begin graduate work at SUNY, leading ultimately to a PhD in Sociology. Cassi was also accepted by the SUNY- New Paltz campus.

And, now, a comment from your editor…. This issue marks the end of ten years of publication. As the newsletter enters its “tween” years, it is time for a change. Beginning next year, we will be altering the scheduling, most likely reducing the number of issues, and we will change the standard format with which you’ve become familiar. We hope to do some “updates” on faculty about whom you’ve heard in the past and perhaps feature some of our alumnae/i who can provide a longer-term perspective on what it meant to be a student in the program. Much of what will happen with the “new” version is still up in the air – after all, there is a summer intervening. So thanks to our faithful readers for your past interest; we’ll see you next year after the makeover!

CALENDAR

6 May – WSU Commencement Exercises, 6 PM, Dee Events Center.
7 May – College Convocations, 8 AM, 10:30 AM, and 1 PM; various locations; contact
individual colleges for details.
17 May – Summer semester classes begin (for some of us.)

ENJOY YOUR SUMMER VACATION!!