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College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

WOMEN'S STUDIES
BULLETIN

April/May 2006

Table of Contents:
Events
Women's History Month Wrap-up
Faculty Associates Event
Outstanding Women Student Awards Ceremony
PCSW Gala to Honor 25 Amazing NIU Women
WS Cords for Graduating Seniors
People
Student in the Spotlight
Faculty in the Spotlight
Goodbye & Thank You Lauren Whalen
Welcome New Faculty Associates
Accomplishments
Opportunities & Announcements

EVENTS
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH WRAP-UP
Women’s History Month ended on March 31, and now it is time to take a look back at the highlights of this year’s celebration. We kicked off the month by honoring the winners of our poster and essay contests. The ceremony was presented by sisters Betsy Brint and Sally Higginson, hosts of the WLBK (1360 AM) radio show, “Walking on Air with Betsy & Sal.” The winner of our poster contest, Andrew Williams, produced a bold, eye-catching design, which drew a lot of attention. Everyone at the ceremony was also impressed with the excellence of this year’s winning essays. Congratulations again to the following winners:
Graduate -
1st Place: Cortney Barko, English (“Rediscovering Female Voice and Authority: The Revival of Female Artists in Wendy Wasserstein’s The Heidi Chronicles”)
Undergraduate-
1st Place: Caleb Medearis, Economics (“Pornography v. Erotica: A Debate in Semantics”)
2nd Place: Amber Marie Keyes, English (“Working Mothers and Gender Socialization”)

On March 1, we celebrated the second annual “This is What a Feminist Looks Like” Sticker Day. Interest in this event continues to grow, and this year we gave out nearly 1500 stickers. By wearing the stickers, people were able to show the NIU campus the many faces of feminism.

Dr. Valentine Moghadam, Chief of the Gender Equality and Development section of UNESCO, was our first Graduate Colloquium speaker. She was very generous with her time, presenting not only her colloquium lecture and seminar but also speaking at the President’s Women’s History Month breakfast for administrators and at the International Women’s Day Luncheon. Moghadam’s seminar focused on the challenges facing Middle Eastern feminists today and was very well attended. Students were particularly appreciative of Moghadam’s willingness to answer their questions and engage them in conversation.

After Spring Break, our second Graduate Colloquium speaker, Professor Kelli Lyon Johnson of Miami University Ohio-Hamilton spoke about Native American and Chicana literature. In her presentations, Johnson discussed the use of maps as metaphors for power. We were pleased to have this alumna back on our campus to help us celebrate our 25th anniversary.

Yet again, Women’s Alliance sponsored two very successful events, the Vagina Monologues and the Vagina Seminar. Attendance at both of these events was high. Over 300 people attended the performances of the Vagina Monologues, which raised over $1000 for Safe Passage Domestic Violence Shelter in DeKalb.

The month’s activities concluded with a reading of Chicago author Sara Keely McGuire’s play, “Triple Goddess,” directed by Lise Schlosser. The reading of this play helped give meaning to our theme, “re-imagining sisterhood.” Following the performance, McGuire answered questions and discussed the inspiration for her play.

Thank you to everyone who helped to make this Women’s History Month a success!

For a complete list of activities, go to our Women's History Month website .
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FACULTY ASSOCIATE EVENT
On April 3, Lourdes Torres, Associate Professor of Latin American and Latino/a Studies at DePaul University, spoke about Tortilleras: Hispanic and U.S. Latina Lesbian Expression, a book she co-edited with Inmaculada Perpetusa-Seva. This anthology is the first to focus solely on queer readings of Hispanic and U.S. Latina lesbian culture and literature. As Torres explained, “tortilleras” is a Spanish slang term for lesbian, which many Latina and Hispanic lesbians are now attempting to reclaim. After explaining the title, Torres briefly described the genesis of this text. She then discussed a number of the issues and themes that are explored by its authors, including issues related to “passing,” the evolution of the Latina and Hispanic lesbian movements, and the history of same-sex desire in Hispanic and Latin American texts. Currently, Torres is editing a book on Caribbean Latina lesbian culture.
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OUTSTANDING WOMEN STUDENT AWARDS CEREMONY
Since 1987, the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW) has recognized successful women students with the Outstanding Women Student Awards. These awards are meant to acknowledge students who take on leadership roles, overcome significant obstacles, pursue non-traditional career goals, or whose accomplishments might otherwise go unrecognized. This year’s recipients will be honored on April 23 at the PCSW-sponsored ceremony. Congratulations!
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PCSW GALA TO HONOR 25 AMAZING NIU WOMEN
In honor of its 25th anniversary, the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women, in cooperation with the Office of the President, Women’s Resource Center, and the Women’s Studies Program, will recognize 25 Amazing NIU Women at a gala to be held April 27. Happy anniversary to PCSW, and congratulations to the 25 Amazing NIU Award winners!
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WS CORDS FOR GRADUATING SENIORS
The Women’s Studies Program has special purple cords for minors to wear with their graduation gowns. If you are a graduating minor in Women’s Studies, stop by Reavis 103 to pick up your cord to show off your achievements!
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PEOPLE
STUDENT IN THE SPOTLIGHT
In honor of our 25th anniversary, we continue to focus on some people who are directly involved in the Women’s Studies Program. Lise Schlosser is our student in the spotlight. In addition to working on her graduate degree, Lise is also the Women’s Studies secretary. In the future, she hopes to be an English professor.

Lise received her undergraduate degree from NIU in 1997, with a major in Anthropology and a double-minor in Women’s Studies and English. She will graduate in May with her M.A. in English. In fall 2006, she will enter the Ph.D. program in English.

Schlosser became interested in Women’s Studies during her first semester as an undergraduate. After reading about the Women’s Studies Program in the NIU catalogue, she decided to declare the minor. In fact, Schlosser says, “I knew what I wanted to minor in long before I chose my major.” Schlosser believes that all students should take at least one Women’s Studies course during their academic careers, “because it is important to challenge our assumptions about knowledge and the world around us.”

Schlosser is an extraordinary student who has accomplished a great deal in both her academic and professional careers. This year alone, she has received an Ally Award for service to the LGBT community and an Outstanding Woman Student Award. She was also named one of NIU’s “25 Amazing Women.” In order to be successful students, Schlosser advises, “Whatever you decide to do in college, do it because you love it, and not because you think it will get you a job.”
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FACULTY IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Lois Self came to NIU as a “faculty spouse” in 1969 and started as a Teaching Assistant in Communication the following year. Shortly thereafter, she was hired as an instructor for Communication Skills (CHANCE Program). After completing her doctorate in Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Self was re-hired by NIU as Assistant Professor of Communication and Coordinator of the Communication Skills course in 1979. Between 1986 and 1995, she served as the Coordinator of the Women’s Studies Program. Then, she served as the Chair of the Communication Department for 9 years. Although she retired in July 2005, Self has continued to teach courses in the COMS department. This semester, she has been the interim Director of Women’s Studies while Amy Levin is on leave.

Self has been the recipient of numerous awards. Two that she is particularly proud of are the NIU Wilma Stricklin Award for Improving the Campus Climate for Women, of which she was the first recipient, and the Francine Merritt Award from the National Communication Association for improving the status of women in her academic discipline. She says that she is also very proud of the “many great students [she] has been able to work with.” Finally, she is “especially proud of [her] daughter, Sarah, a fine young feminist who spent formative years around Women’s Studies.”

Self says that her initial interest in Women’s Studies likely came from her mother. She was also influenced by the Women’s Liberation movement, which took place during her “formative” years in the 1960s. Then, while doing her doctoral work at UW-Madison, she became interested in feminist film theory and also had the chance to sit in on an early Women’s Studies undergraduate class.

Self’s interest in Women’s Studies has focused on “interdisciplinary networks of people and ideas, as well as gender and communication in various settings.” In her research, she has concentrated on “representations of women in popular media, gender and communication generally, and late 19th century U.S. women rhetors, in particular.” She has written numerous articles on these subjects.

Self believes that the value of Women’s Studies is in the space it provides “to learn about, theorize about, think critically about and be actively engaged in re-formulating hugely important social dynamics and issues that affect us all.” For this reason, she recommends that students take at least one Women’s Studies course. She also says that WS courses provide a “rare opportunity” to consider things from a “fresh, interdisciplinary perspective.” Finally, she says that the program “fosters collegiality and a sense of community among participants.”
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GOODBYE & THANK YOU LAUREN WHALEN
We would like to thank Lauren Whalen for the excellent work she did as a Women’s Studies T.A. for the past two years. Lauren is graduating from Law School in May. We wish her good luck in all of her future endeavors! She will be missed!
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WELCOME NEW FACULTY ASSOCIATES
We welcome our new Women’s Studies Faculty Associates: Valerie Garver (History); Mary Shelden (LA&S External Programming); Sharon Systma (Philosophy); Kerry Ferris (Sociology); Deborah Holdstein (English); Deborah De Rosa (English); Tanuja Singh (Marketing); and, Janet Hathaway (Music).
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Congratulations to this year’s Mother’s Memorial Scholarship recipients--Lisa Kay (Graduate), Catherine (Cassie) Nimerfroh (Undergraduate), and Nicole Ping-(Undergraduate)—who will be honored at the Outstanding Women Student ceremony on April 23.

The following Women’s Studies students presented at the Midwest Conference on Language, Literature, and Media: Elizabeth Bowman, Christine Haskill, Caresse John, Bonnie Miller, and Lise Schlosser.

Holly Harris, former Women’s Studies graduate concentrator and teaching assistant, has co-published two articles: “Gender as a continuum: Implications for trauma researchers and clinicians,” published in the Spring 2004 issue of Traumatic Stress Points; and, “Providing culturally sensitive care for male to female transgender patients,” published in Cognitive and Behavioral Practice (2005).

Lynn Kamenitsa’s tips for teaching students to avoid plagiarism were published in the March 2006 issue of Writing Across the Curriculum at NIU: Newsletter.

Adele Morrison participated in two panels, “The Legacy of Derrick Bell” and “Race, Family and the State,” at the Western Law Professors of Color Conference on March 31, 2006.

Lorraine Schmall was elected to serve on the executive advisory board of Perspectives on Work; she was also appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Capital Cases as professor-reporter.

Congratulations to Denise Schoenbachler for becoming the new dean of the College of Business!

Diana Swanson will present her paper, “Finding an Ecofeminist Woolf in Jacob’s Room,” at the 16th Annual International Conference on Virginia Woolf, to be held in Birmingham, England, June 22-25, 2006.
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Visual Culture & Gender, a new annual peer-reviewed international journal, is accepting submissions of manuscripts for its Autumn 2006 online inaugural edition. The deadline for submissions is September 1, 2006. Visit http://www.emitto.net/visualculturegender for further details.

The National Women’s Studies Association 2007 Annual Conference will be held in the St. Charles, IL, June 28-July 1. If you are interested in helping to plan this conference, contact Amy Levin in Women’s Studies, who will put you in touch with the conference organizers.

The Younger Women’s Task Force, a project of the National Council of Women’s Organizations, has a new chapter in Chicago. For further information, visit http://www.ywtf.org.

April is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Awareness Month. Visit http://www.niu.edu/lgbt for a complete list of related events on our campus.

We invite submissions for future WS bulletins. If you know of any information that we should include in future bulletins, please email Rebekah Kohli at rkohli@niu.edu with subject heading “Bulletin.” You may also call 753-1044.

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