February 27, 2007
SIUC to observe Women's History Month
CARBONDALE, Ill. – "Generations of Women Moving History Forward" is the theme of Women's History Month activities, beginning Thursday, March 1, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Organizers will address the theme through films, discussions, fundraisers, musical recitals and a workshop for faculty and teaching assistants on how to respond to victims of violence.
Eve Ensler's ground-breaking play, "The Vagina Monologues" will run at McLeod Theatre in the Communications Building on Friday and Saturday, March 2 and 3, at 7:30 p.m and Sunday, March 4, at 2 p.m. The play's directors are SIUC students Emily Kelly-Padden, Marina Smelyansky and Andrea White. Tickets are $10 for the general public and $5 for University students with ID. Proceeds go to The Women's Center of Carbondale.
Ensler first performed "The Vagina Monologues" off-Broadway in 1996. Since then the play has been staged internationally and produced on cable television. It explores women's experiences of abuse, as told by dozens of different women. The performance at SIUC will be part of the V-Day College Campaign, a nationwide movement that strives to end violence against women and girls.
Michelle H. Miller, SIUC associate professor of sociology and M. Joan McDermott, director of the Women's Studies Center at SIUC, are joining the cast. "It's hard work and time consuming preparing for the 'The Vagina Monologues,' especially since we're both criminologists, not really performers," McDermott said. "But it's for a good cause – the elimination of violence against women and girls."
Community sponsors of Women's History Month include Big Muddy Film Festival, The Women's Center, The Composters, Longbranch Café, BombsAway Collective and the Carbondale branch of American Association of University Women. Campus sponsors include College of Engineering, College of Science, Creative Writing Program, Department of English, Department of Foreign Languages and Literature, Department of Sociology, Department of Speech Communication, Department of Theater, International Programs and Services, Office of Research and Development, Office of the Provost and Vice Chancellor, School of Art and Design, School of Law, School of Music, Student Development -Multicultural Programs and Services, University Museum, University Professional Advancement, Women's Caucus and Women's Studies.
All events are open to the public. For more information, contact Women's Studies at 618/453-5141. The full schedule follows:
Thursday, March 1
• Film "The Gold Diggers," Big Muddy Film Festival, noon, Kerasotes University 8 Theatre, Carbondale, $5. "The Gold Diggers" explores the exchange value of money and women.
• Female performance group "The BombsAway Collective," 7 p.m., Longbranch Cafe, Carbondale, donations encouraged. Proceeds go to The Women's Center and The Peace Coalition of Carbondale.
• Presentation by Babette Mangolte, juror for the Big Muddy Film Festival, 7 p.m., Student Center Auditorium, free.
• Films "Like a Ship in the Night" and "Sex Slaves," Big Muddy Film Festival, 9:30 p.m., Student Center Auditorium, $3. "Like a Ship in the Night" is about abortion being illegal in Ireland. "Sex Slaves" is about the global trade in women from the former Soviet Bloc.
Friday, March 2
• Play "The Vagina Monologues," V-Day festival and silent art auction, 7:30 p.m., McLeod Theater, $10 for general public, $5 for SIUC students with ID. Proceeds go to The Women's Center.
• Acoustic blues group "Saffire – The Uppity Blues Women," 7:30 p.m., Shryock Auditorium, $10 for general public, $4.50 for SIUC students with ID.
• Films "Sustainable Table: What's on Your Plate" and "Beyond Closed Doors," Big Muddy Film Festival, 8 p.m, Wham Building Room 105, $3. "Sustainable Table: What's on Your Plate" is an unadulterated look into the food you eat. "Beyond Closed Doors" examines the science, ethics and politics of animal agriculture.
Saturday, March 3
• Film "Where Does Your Buried Smile Lie?" Big Muddy Film Festival, 5 p.m., Student Center Auditorium, $3. "Where Does Your Buried Smile Lie?" explores the movie industry.
• Film "The War Tapes," Big Muddy Film Festival, 7 p.m., Student Center Auditorium, $3. "The War Tapes" is filmed by soldiers during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
• Play "The Vagina Monologues," V-Day festival and silent art auction, 7:30 p.m., McLeod Theater, $10 for general public, $5 for SIUC students with ID. Proceeds go to The Women's Center.
Sunday, March 4
• Films "Eyeshot," "Building Bridges," "Hidden Wounds" and "The Unbroken Circle," Big Muddy Film Festival, noon, Wham Building Room 105, $3. "Eyeshot" is an investigation of violence, history and representation of war. "Building Bridges" is about a remarkable group of women in Bosnia who sets aside sharp differences to produce a new law protecting women and their families. "Hidden Wounds" is about three soldiers returning to civilian life after serving in Iraq. "The Unbroken Circle" is the story of an Israeli and Palestinian family in Israel.
• Play "The Vagina Monologues," V-Day festival and silent art auction, 2 p.m., McLeod Theater, $10 for general public, $5 for SIUC students with ID. Proceeds go to The Women's Center.
Monday, March 5
• Film and discussion about "One Survivor Remembers: Gerda Weissmann Story," noon, Student Center Kaskaskia Room, free.
• Discussion by SIUC speech communication professor Naida Zukic about "Unveiling Her Webs of Desire: Forging Agency in Muslim Lesbian Narratives of Survival," 2 p.m., Student Center Illinois Room, free. Zukic will address lesbian writing that considers the questions of survival and political change in North African and Arab cultures that condemn homosexuality.
• Feminism and philosophy symposium on "Perspectives on War," 6-9 p.m., Student Center Mississippi Room. Panelists are SIUC professors Sara Beardsworth, Heather Wilburn, Chesna Braniger, Angela Jordan, Kara McCollum and Sarah Woolwine. Moderator is Leon Niemoczynski of the philosophy department, free.
Tuesday, March 6
• Discussion by "Women in Immigration Law," 4 p.m., School of Law Room 102, attorneys Diane Speir, Cindy Buys and Suzanne Brown, free.
• Wellness Workshop "Body Image and the Media 'No Body's Perfect,'" 6–7 p.m., Student Health Center Room 111/112, free.
• Discussion by SIUC sociologist Lasheila Williams about the "Cycle of Violence," 7-8 p.m., Student Center Illinois Room, free.
Wednesday, March 7
• 11th Annual Celebrate Women Benefit for Women's Scholarships, 4–6 p.m., lobby of Wheeler Hall, $10 for general public and $5 for students with ID. Silent auction 4–5:30 p.m., live auction 5:30–6 p.m. Fundraiser to provide scholarships for SIUC women students.
• Discussion by SIUC journalism professor Jyotika Ramaprasad about "AIDS: A Gendered Epidemic," 6 p.m., Communications Building Journalism Room 1201, free.
Thursday, March 8
• Film "Dinner at Jane's" and brown bag lunch, noon, Student Center Fourth Floor Video Lounge, free.
• Discussion by Moroccan professor Fatima Sadiqi about "Islam and the Women's Movement in Morocco," 3 p.m., Student Center Mississippi Room, free.
Monday, March 19
• Campus police presents "Women's Safety Class," 7–9 p.m., Student Center Ballroom A, free.
Tuesday, March 20
• Workshop for faculty and teaching assistants on how to respond to students' disclosures of violence in relationships, presented by Ami Lilley of The Women's Center, 3–4 p.m., Faner Hall Room 1006, free.
• Readings of winning essays from the American Association of University Women writing contest, reception 7–7:30 p.m., program 7:30 p.m., Faculty Club, 1000 S. Elizabeth St., Carbondale, free.
Wednesday, March 21
• Second Annual Graduate Feminist Scholars Panel facilitated by speech communication teaching assistant Melinda Yeomans, 1–3:30 p.m., Student Center Mississippi Room, free.
Thursday, March 22
• Discussion, "Dialoguing Dissertations: An Event for Female Scholars - The Female Scholars on the Rise," 6–9 p.m., Student Center Old Main Restaurant, free but registration required by March 19 at dissertations07rsvp@yahoo.com. Join us for an evening of lively discussion, networking and resource sharing. Talk with others about preparing your dissertation and learn how others made it through their process. There will be an all female, multidisciplinary, SIUC faculty panel discussion, break-out sessions to brainstorm dissertation topics, and valuable resources. Email dissertations07rsvp@yahoo.com and leave your name, program of study and whether you need a vegetarian option for dinner.
Monday, March 26
• Comedy group "The Composters," 7 p.m., Longbranch Cafe, Carbondale, donations go to The Women's Center.
Tuesday, March 27
• Discussion by graduate students and faculty in science, engineering and technology about the problems in recruiting and retaining women, 4–5 p.m., Student Center Missouri Room, free.
• Guest composer Augusta Read Thomas will join SIUC faculty and students in a concert of her works for large ensembles and for solo artists, 7:30 p.m., Shryock Auditorium, free.
Wednesday, March 28
• "Celebrate Women Day" honors AAUW, Women's Caucus, Women's Studies scholarship recipients and University Women of Distinction Awards recipients. The day includes University Professional Advancement presentation of research, noon-6 p.m., University Professional Advancement informational workshop, noon-1:30 p.m., University Professional Advancement informational workshop 3:30-5 p.m. and an awards presentation, 5–6 p.m. All events take place at Faner Hall University Museum Auditorium and are free.
• Chamber music by guest composer Augusta Read Thomas and SIUC faculty composer Kathleen Ginther, 7:30 p.m, Old Baptist Foundation Recital Hall, $6.50 for general public and $3 for students with ID.
Thursday, March 29
• Presentation by School of Art and Design professor Elka Kazmierczak and sociologist Michelle Miller about "Women, Healing and Art: art as a therapeutic method for survivors of intimate partner violence," 3 p.m., Wham Building Room 205, free.
• Film and discussion about "Comme une image (Look at me)," 7 p.m., Longbranch Café, Carbondale, donations encouraged. "Comme une image" is a film that deals explicitly with women's issues from a metropolitan French perspective.
• Discussion by speech communication professor Nilanjana Bardhan about "Indian Woman Transitioning to Western Culture," 7 p.m., Student Center Ballroom A, Free.
Friday, March 30
• Women's Studies reception celebrating the conclusion of Women's History Month, 3–4:30 p.m. Women's Studies building, 1006 Chautauqua, Carbondale, free.
• Roxana Rivera Memorial Poetry Contest Ceremony, 4 p.m., Student Center Auditorium, reception follows in Old Main Lounge Restaurant, free. The winners of the Roxana Rivera Memorial Poetry Contest and the contest's judge, poet Joy Katz, will read their poetry.
• Film and discussion about "Viva Laldjérie," 7 p.m., Lawson Hall room
201, Carbondale, free. "Viva Laldjérie" deals explicitly with women's
issues from an Algerian perspective.
Saturday, March 31
• Chamber group "Pinotage Ensemble" concert, 7:30 p.m., Old Baptist Foundation Recital Hall, free. "Pinotage" is an all-women chamber ensemble made up of flute, harp, viola and voice specializing in works written after 1900. Pinotage will perform works by guest composer Augusta Read Thomas, SIUC composer Kathleen Ginther and others.