Women's Center
Fall 2011 Semester in Review!
We've been very busy throughout the Fall Semester! The Women's Center has hosted and co-sponsored lots of programs and events over the past few months that have garnered lots of attention and excellent attendance. Here are a few highlights!
In conjunction with the Department of Sociology (among other departments and campus offices), we co-sponsored a screening of Sin by Silence, a powerful documentary about women who have been incarcerated for killing their abusive partners. Over 150 students were in attendance and had the opportunity to speak with Brenda Clubine, one of the women featured in the documentary who has since been freed.
We also hosted two retreats! A wonderful group of students spent a weekend in October at the first annual Women's Retreat exploring what it means to be a woman, examining how this identity intersects with other identity markers like race, class, and sexuality, hearing inspiring stories from women in all walks of life and eating lots of chocolate, of course.
The Men's Retreat was held at the end of October, with almost 20 male students in attendance. The retreat was also featured on the front page of The Mast!
Additionally, 200-plus students took part in our Love Your Body Day photo campaign, which culminated in a runway show held on Wednesday, Oct. 19th that featured students, faculty and staff wearing their favorite body-positive outfit. To share more love, the Women's Center staff and volunteers attended the PLU women's soccer game against Whitman College on Oct. 15!
The Women's Center was also a strong presence during the Residence Hall Association's Annual Gender Exploration Week. A notable highlight was the lecture by Dr. Lisa Wade, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Occidental College, on Oct. 25 about "The Promise and Peril of 'Hook Up Culture'" with other 200 students filling the Scan Center. This event was also part of the Sex + series. The Scan Center was also the location for the screening of But I'm a Cheerleader! and a lively discussion with the film's screenwriter Brian Wayne Peterson.
To list a few more fall events, a record number of students completed our Sexual Assault Peer Education Team (SAPET) training; we raised over $200 for the YWCA at our black light Zumbathon fundraiser; men across campus pledged to not tolerate violence against women as part of the White Ribbon Campaign, and more students than ever before auditioned to be part of our February production of The Vagina Monologues!
While we've already done a lot, we certainly won't be resting on our laurels during 2012! Upcoming events include hosting trainings and programs with the National Stalking Resource Center on February 29th, encouraging college women to run for office with the Elect Her--Campus Women Win program on February 25, celebrating PLU women who make a difference at the Inspirational Women's Banquet on March 21, and holding the Take Back the Night March and Walk a Mile in Her Shoes fundraising event on April 26th.
Be sure to LIKE us on Facebook to keep up to date on all of our events!