“Behind every successful man there is a woman; behind every successful woman there is a man,”- Anonymous.
March 1 commemorated the beginning of Women’s History Month [WHM]. It was first declared by Congress in the late 80’s and has been celebrated ever since.
The Women’s Resource Center [WRC] at UM, in conjunction with other organizations – COISO, Sexual Assault Response Team [S.A.R.T], Women’s Commission, Islamic Society, Yellow Rose Society, Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Education, Counseling Center, Wellness Center, the Theatre Department and Multicultural Student Affairs – have planned a host of activities for the entire month.
” We want to create awareness about women’s issues on a campus and national level,” said Tricia Shatley, director of WRC.
“We are trying to bring women together on campus to provide a forum to discuss issues affecting women, such as eating disorders and violence against women,” Shatley said.
One of the highlights of the past week was the Pink Party on the UC Patio, where the WRC and its event co-sponsors- ISIS, COISO and The Islamic Society- handed out pink carnations and provided free food and entertainment.
It helped create greater awareness of WHM, organizers said.
“One of the main obstacles we have faced thus far is getting women to work with the WRC. They are unaware of our projects and are uninformed of the benefits we offer,” Shatley said.
“We need women, and even men, to come in and get involved to create projects that will ultimately benefit themselves,” she said.
An upcoming event during WHM includes a presentation on March 7, given by Dr. Pamela Deroian, assistant director of UM Counseling Center. The lecture is titled “Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History.”
“Women’s Health Issues” presentation is scheduled for March 20 at the Wellness Center.
“We want to get students thinking about how they can take care of themselves,” said Carolyn Eberhardt, a counselor for S.A.R.T.
S.A.R.T., along with the Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Education, will sponsor a “Kristen’s Story” presentation on March 20 in the UC Flamingo Ballroom, about a young woman’s acquaintance rape and subsequent suicide as told by her mother, Andrea Cooper.
“It’s going to be powerful! It’s one thing to hear the facts and another to have a real story,” Ebenhardt said. “I expect that Kirsten’s story will give human meaning to the information.”
On March 21 the Women’s Commission will hold an awards breakfast with a keynote address by Arva Moore Parks on ” The Pathway to Greatness.”
“We want to highlight the lives of historical women and the impact women have on society,” Shatley said.
“Women play a very important role in society and they deserve a lot of respect. Women’s History Month is a way of showing them this respect,” said Wendy Cintron, a sophomore in the school of arts and sciences.
Another highlight of the month is a presentation on March 29 by Amy Richards, co-author of “Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism and The Future,” a book about third wave feminism.
“The Motherline” presentation on March 31 is sponsored by UM theatre department.
“It’s all about getting women together, to talk about issues that affect them-economic, academic, social, and to highlight their achievements,” Shatley said.
In addition to these, the WRC has numerous other events planned for the rest of the month.
Students can pick up a calendar of events from the WRC office in UC 236.
“There’s something for everyone! This is the month for women to come together,” Shatley said.