The Women's Studies Program is accepting applications for the Mothers Memorial Scholarship. This award honors those who are or act as mothers to members of the NIU community by providing scholarships to upper division and graduate students at NIU whose current activities and career goals include improving the lives of women. The application deadline is February 1, 2009. For applications and more information, visit the scholarship website, or stop in Reavis 103.
The Women's Studies Program has worked with the departments of Anthropology and Philosophy, as well as NIU Foundation, to create a memorial scholarship for Austin Sawicki. The Fund was established to provide scholarships to upper division and graduate students at NIU who make major contributions to NIU Women’s Studies and/or lives of women at NIU and to honor the memory of Austin Sawicki. We are now accepting applications for this scholarship. Male students are encouraged to apply. The deadline for applications is February 1, 2009. For more information, visit Sawicki Scholarship site, or stop in Reavis 103.
The Presidential Commission on the Status of Women is now accepting nominations for the 2009 Outstanding Women Student Awards. These awards are intended to encourage the full participation of women students in all facets of the University experience and in their communities. Women with a graduation date during the 2009 calendar year are eligible for this award. Visit award website to learn more about the award. Email nominations to urwomen@niu.edu. Nominations must be received by Friday, January 23, 2009.
The Presidential Commission on the Status of Women sponsors three awards for faculty and staff: The Wilma D. Stricklin Award for the Enhancement of the Climate for Women on Campus honors a NIU-affiliated individual who has distinguished herself or himself by making continual and extraordinary contributions to the climate for women campus wide; the Outstanding Mentor Award recognizes one or two NIU civil service, professional staff or faculty employees who have shown exceptional commitment to advancing the career and/or educational goals of NIU women students, staff and/or faculty; and, the Women Who Make a Difference Award is presented to one or two NIU civil service, professional staff or faculty employees who have shown outstanding dedication to the empowerment of NIU women. The nomination deadline for all awards is March 2, 2009. For more information on any of these awards, visit the PCSW awards website, or call 815-753-0320.
This year's Crafty Women Holiday Sale was our most successful sale yet. We raised over $2000 to benefit the Mothers Memorial Scholarship and Austin Sawicki Scholarship Funds. We are grateful to everyone who donated items and who purchased items. We would especially like to thank Josh Adair for donating many items, including four beautiful quilts handmade by his grandmother, as well as for helping us set up and providing homemade fudge for our opening reception. Thank you also to Georgia Brown for once again donating her gorgeous quilted items.
If you are an artist or crafter, please consider donating items for us sell at next year's art and craft sale. Monetary contributions to the scholarship funds are also appreciated. Donations may be dropped off in the Women's Studies office (Reavis 103) from 8:00-noon and 1:00-4:30, Monday-Friday.
On Wednesday, November 12, we held our second panel discussion on the sexualization of girls in the media. Jonna Schwartz, a Women's Studies teaching assistant and intern in the Women's Studies office, organized the event. One panelist, Colette Morrow, former President of the National Women's Studies Association, discussed the representation of lesbian, bisexual and transgender girls in the media. According to Morrow, the media reinforces compulsory heterosexuality by generally ignoring the LGBT community. When LGBT people are represented, they are often demonized. The second panelist, Emily Prieto, Director of NIU's Latina/o Resource Center, talked about media representations of Latinas. Prieto reports that representations of Latinas are also infrequent, and when they do appear in the media they are often hypersexualized. Both panelists concluded that more research needs to be done, and they encouraged participants to continue the discussion started at this event.
There are many exciting events on the Women’s History Month calendar that will focus on this year's theme of "Women, the Environment, and Sustainability." For further information or a complete listing of the activities, please visit: Women's History Month webpage, or call 753-1038. Also, look for our posters designed by Kim Strom, a fine arts graduate student here at NIU. Events Include:
Tuesday, March 3
All day. Fourth annual "This is What a Feminist Looks Like" Sticker Day! Stop by Reavis 103 to pick up a sticker and wear it with pride. Stickers are available after February 16.
Noon. "How Green is NIU?" Mary Crocker, NIU's Recycling Specialist, will discuss NIU’s efforts to be an "earth-friendly" campus. Sponsors: Women's Studies Program. Location: DuSable Hall, Room 276.
Wednesday, March 4
Noon. "Past, Present, and Future: The Women of Environmental Science." Lesley Rigg, Associate Professor of Geography, will describe women scientists who focus on the environment. Sponsors: Women's Studies Program and Department of Geography. Location: DuSable Hall, Room 280
3:30-4:30 p.m. "Green Grrrls: What is Eco-Feminism, Anyway?" Diana Swanson, Associate Professor of Women's Studies and English, examines the connections between environmental activism and feminism. Sponsors: Women's Studies Program and LGBT Studies Program. Location: Holmes Student Center, Heritage Room.
Thursday, March 5
Noon. "Green Job Challenges." Kimberly Lombardozzi, Sustainability Manager for The Mohawk Group, will explore the challenges involved in working toward environmental sustainability in building and manufacturing. Sponsor: Women's Studies Program. Location: DuSable Hall, Room 302
Tuesday, March 17
Noon. "Greenmedia Futures: Art & Technology to Promote Sustainability." Tiffany Holmes, Associate Professor and Chair of Art and Technology Studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, will lecture on the ways that art and technology may combine to encourage ecologically responsible behavior. Sponsors: Women's Studies Program, Graduate Colloquium Committee, College of Engineering & Engineering Technology, and School of Art. Location: Holmes Student Center, Heritage Room.
2:00 p.m. "DIY Eco-Tech: Solar Panel Sculptures." Tiffany Holmes will show participants how to make their own solar panels. Additionally, Holmes will discuss the ways individuals can use art and technology to promote environmental responsibility and sustainability. Sponsors: Women's Studies Program, Graduate Colloquium Committee, College of Engineering & Engineering Technology, and School of Art. Location: Holmes Student Center, Heritage Room (tentative).
Wednesday, March 18
2:00 p.m. "Trading Off or Trading Up for Housing?" Janet Smith, Associate Professor of Urban Planning & Policy and Co-Director of the Nathalie P. Voorhees Center for Neighborhood & Community Improvement at the University of Illinois-Chicago, will explain the tradeoffs that lower-class women face in finding affordable housing. Sponsors: Women's Studies Program & Graduate Colloquium Committee. Location: Campus Life Building, Room 100.
6:00 p.m. "A Woman's Place is in a Green Kitchen." Janet Smith will explain how non-profit developers and community activists bring green living to lower income women and women of color. Smith will examine homes, kitchens and food systems that reduce costs so green habits may be economically as well as environmentally sustainable. Sponsors: Women's Studies Program & Graduate Colloquium Committee. Location: Holmes Student Center, Heritage Room.
Thursday, March 19
TBA. Chicago Alumnae Networking Event. NIU alumna Jolene Skinner will give a keynote talk about her work with Dell's award winning work-life program. Skinner is currently a Talent Management Senior Consultant for Dell. For more information about this event, contact the NIU Alumni Association at 815-753-1452, or email alums@niu.edu. Sponsor: NIU Alumni Association and Women's Studies Program. Location: TBA.
Wednesday, March 25
5:00-6:00 p.m. "'Drill, Baby, Drill'. . . for Soil and Water." Melissa Lenczewski, Associate Professor of Geology and Environmental Sciences, will showcase a method of drilling for soil and water in environmental investigations using the Geology department's Geoprobe 6600. Participants will gain hands-on experience with the drill. For safety reasons, all participants must wear jeans and closed-toe shoes. Hardhats, safety glasses, and ear plugs will be provided. Sponsors: Women's Studies Program and Geology Department. Location: Eco-Park (north of Stevenson towers).
Thursday, March 26
Noon. "The Dedza Hills Livelihood Improvement Program: A Path to Sustainable Development and the Empowerment of Women in Malawi." Margaret Asalele Mbilizi, Assistant Professor of Counseling, Adult & Higher Education and Director of International Initiatives, will discuss her sustainable livelihood improvement program for women in Malawi. She will describe practices that facilitate community involvement in poverty reduction while empowering women and girls to take control of their lives. Sponsors: Women's Studies Program and Department of Counseling, Adult & Higher Education. Location: Holmes Student Center, Regency Room.
This month's "Student in the Spotlight" is Josh Adair, an English Ph.D. student, who is also pursuing graduate certificates in Women's Studies, LGBT Studies, and Museum Studies. He will defend his dissertation in February and plans to graduate in May 2009. Adair joined NIU after completing his Master of Arts in English at Western Illinois University. He received his Bachelor of Arts in British and American Literature with a minor in Written Communication from Blackburn College, near St. Louis, IL.
Adair is an extremely accomplished and involved student, who has received numerous awards since coming to NIU. In 2008 alone, he received an Outstanding Graduate Student Award and a Dissertation Facilitation Award from the Department of English; an "Honorable Mention" in the LGBT History Month Essay Contest; a LGBT Ally Award; and, Second Place in the Women's History Month Essay Contest. He is a member of the Presidential Commission on the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and the LGBT Studies Executive Committee. He has worked as a graduate teaching assistant in the Department of English and the LGBT Studies Program.
Adair's research interests are broad and interdisciplinary, and include the "formation of gay and lesbian narratives via popular literature and decorative arts movements, (and) the representation of LGBT people in museums, particularly house museums in the United States." In the area of Women's Studies, his focus is on issues related to social justice and equality. "My goal in all scholarship," he says," is to explore methods of achieving equality for all people." In the future, he hopes to become a full professor of English, Women's Studies, LGBT Studies and Museum Studies, teaching in "an interdisciplinary fashion. He also hopes to "produce artwork worthy of exhibition and own (his) own bistro."
When asked why he became interested in Women's Studies, Adair replied, "I love women, I always have. I spent a significant portion of my childhood in a rural area where women were. . . expected to cook, clean, and raise children. They weren't encouraged to pursue education or careers—it was like living in a time-warp—I felt this was extremely unfair and I wanted to see that changed." He has enjoyed all of the Women's Studies courses he has taken, and has particularly enjoyed working with Professors Diana Swanson and Amy Levin.
Adair encourages other students to embrace all aspects of the collegiate experience. "Don't get so focused on graduating in a specified amount of time that you miss out on exploring academic opportunities—sometimes it's better to stay in school longer and get a more well-rounded experience. School is what you make of it—don't wait for learning and life experiences to present themselves—go out and find them!"
Margaret Asalele Mbilizi is an assistant professor in the Department of Counseling, Adult and Higher Education, and Director of International Initiatives in the College of Education. She holds degrees in Educational Administration and Planning, and Secondary Education from the University of Malawi. She received her M.S. Ed in Instructional Systems Technology and Ph.D. in Education Policy Studies with a minor in Women's Studies from the University of Indiana at Bloomington. Her dissertation is entitled, "Gender socialization in education: Accommodation and resistance by girls in Malawian schools." Before coming to NIU, she held a number of positions in Malawi, including Director of Higher Education in the Ministry of Education, Deputy University Registrar, and Special Assistant to the State President.
Since joining NIU in 2005, Mbilizi has taught numerous courses, including “Administration of Higher Education," "Student Development Theory," and "Legal Aspects of Higher Education." She particularly enjoys teaching "Cultural Diversity in Education" and "Feminist and Critical Pedagogy in Education," which she says provide her with the "opportunity to share my personal journey and transform lives."
Currently, Mbilizi's research “examines gender differences in choice, performance, and persistence of community college students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects and careers with particular emphasis on ethnic minorities and women.” As part of her study, she has conducted "a quantitative assessment of performance of students in STEM classes, a survey of attitudes and perceptions towards STEM related subjects and careers, and qualitative interviews with minority and female students" at two Illinois community colleges. She plans to expand this study to other community colleges.
Mbilizi's second research project "examines Flexible Learning Systems (FLS) as a strategy for providing cost effective non-traditional vocational and technical education to out-of-school youth and young women in developing countries." FLS involves "designing instruction around the needs of the learners in terms of time, location, and type of curriculum offered." She received a Dean's Mini Grant of $1800 from the College of Education in January 2008 to further her research. In August 2008, she made a poster presentation of her research findings at the College of Education's All College meeting. (See also “Margaret Asalele Mbilizi” in the “Accomplishments” section of this bulletin.)
Since becoming a Women's Studies faculty associate in 2007, she has contributed a great deal to the program. Her contributions have included leading a collaborative effort with Women's Studies in June 2007 to sponsor a scholar from the University of Barcelona who presented a lecture on "Romani Women: A Silenced Revolution in Europe," at the John Niemi International Lecture Series; she presented "Microfinance in Developing Countries: Creating Pathways for Enterprising Women" during Women's History Month 2008; and, she is presenting a talk on sustainable livelihood for women in Malawi during this year's Women's History Month celebration (see WHM events above).
Mbilizi first became interested in Women’s Studies while she was studying at Indiana University. "Growing up in a highly patriarchal society in Africa," she says," I was raised to believe that male superiority was inevitable and sanctioned by God. Women's Studies offered me a safe space to re-examine gender inequality from a feminist perspective and to re-affirm a belief in gender equality." She recommends that students take Women's Studies courses, because they "are self-liberating and emancipating, (and) they help …build self esteem as a woman or person belonging to an oppressed group."
PACKAGING GIRLHOOD
-by Lise Schlosser, Women's Studies graduate student and program secretary
In Packaging Girlhood: Rescuing our Daughters from Marketers’ Schemes (St. Martins, 2006), Sharon Lamb and Lyn Mikel Brown present practical advice for parents of girls, although it becomes apparent that their imagined audience is mothers, to whom their advice is more specifically targeted. Lamb and Brown include chapters on what girls wear, watch, listen to, read, and do. Each chapter is further broken down into sections about young girls, pre-teens (or tweens), and teens. Packaging Girlhood meets the authors’ goal of writing both as academics and as parents. Their casual and sometimes blunt style is readable, and their analyses are easily accessible to non-academics. Their examination is extensive and thoughtful. A hybrid of consciousness-raising and self-help text for parents, Lamb and Brown’s work analyzes the products, behaviors, and activities marketed to girls and suggests methods for talking with daughters about these marketers’ methods. Their goals include empowering parents to help girls learn a new way of seeing the culture around them. To this end, their final chapter presents several sample conversations between parents and their daughters. Despite the fact that the text is explicitly addressed to parents, the strategies presented in Packaging Girlhood would be helpful to anyone who is involved in the life of a girl. Whether we are aunts or uncles, older sisters, grandparents, or simply involved adults, we all share an interest in fostering strong, self-aware girls. (Excerpted from Feminist Collections 28.4 (2007): 6-8.
Jenni Jakob, who completed her graduate certificate in Women's Studies in spring 2007, has received a tenure-track position in English at Daley College in Chicago, IL, beginning in January 2009.
Elizabeth Bowman won the Fall 2008 Arnold Fox Research Writing Award from the English Department for her paper, "Gender Memory in the Tragedy of the Duchesse of Malfy: Webster, Theobald, Figgis." Bowman presented her paper "Licensing and Censoring Webster: Mortality, Anxiety, and Authorship in the Eighteenth Century" at a graduate conference at the University of Notre Dame in October 2008. Finally, Bowman presented her paper "John Webster and Gender Memories in the Italian Renaissance" at the South Central Modern Language Association Annual Meeting in San Antonio, TX in November 2008.
Andrea Mathie has been accepted to participate in a Practicum on Advocacy at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women from February28-March 7, 2009. She will also be traveling to Tanzania with Dr. Kurt Thurmaier this summer to assist in teaching a course on NGOs and political development. While there, she will assist in the building of a girls' dormitory for the Nyegina Parish in Western Tanzania.
Lise Schlosser presented "Drest' for Success in Poems and Fancies: Margaret Cavendish's Domestic" at the "From Res Publica to The Republic of Letters: The Common Good in Transition and Translation" regional graduate conference hosted by the University of Notre Dame in October 2008.
Faculty News
Mayra Daniel's "Critical Literacy for Monolinguals and Bilinguals-in-the-Making" was published in The Colombian Journal of Bilingual Education, no. 2. Her "New Frontiers of Literacy: Comprehension at the Junction of the Verbal and the Visual" (with Karen Parada) was published in the International Journal of Learning, 15.10; she also presented this paper in June 2008 at the 15th International Conference on Learning, in Chicago, IL. Daniel's "Promoting High Levels of Literacy for English Language Learners" (with Betsy Hoelting) was published in the Illinois Reading Council Journal 36.4. In May, she presented "Family Literacy: What Do Teachers Need to Know?" at the Early Literacy Pre-Conference Institute of the 53rd Annual Convention of the International Reading Association, in Atlanta, GA. Finally, she was awarded the 2007-2008 Outstanding Article Award in the teaching category by the Organization of Teacher Educators in Reading.
In January, Adrienne Holloway presented her paper, "The Availability of Affordable Housing in the Suburbs of Chicago-Phase I Findings," at the Southern Political Science Association Conference, in New Orleans, LA.
Kei Nomaguchi's article, "Gender, family structure, and adolescents' primary confidants," was published in the Journal of Marriage and Family 70 (2008).
Congratulations to Kathleen Renk, who was recently elected to Phi Beta Delta, the Honor Society for International Scholars! Renk has two forthcoming articles: "Magic that Battles Death: Pauline Melville's Marvelous Realism," in the Journal of Commonwealth Literature (March 2009); and, "Debating Darwin: The Alchemy of A.S. Byatt and Pauline Melville," in Restoring the Mystery of the Rainbow: Literature's Reflection of Science, edited by Cedric Barfoot and Valeria Tinkler (New York: Rodopi).
In June 2008, Tanuja Singh presented a paper, "Cultural Intelligence in Cross-Cultural Selling: Propositions and Directions for Future Research," at the Global Sales Science Institute Conference in Athens, Greece. Singh served as co-chair of the Electronic and Interactive Marketing Track for the World Marketing Congress to be held in Oslo, Norway, in July 2009. She will present a special session, "Are Linked in Yet? The Power of Weak Ties on Social Networks," at the same Congress.
Lynne Thomas published her "Denver Doll: A Brave Girl in Britches" in Dime Novel Round-Up 77.2 (April 2008).
The NIU Alumni Association is launching a new alumnae affinity group for working women. The group will have its kickoff event with a reception and lecture in Chicago after work on March 19 (see WHM events above).
The Department of Gender Studies at Indiana University is accepting applications for a 2-year post-doctoral fellow in "Gender, Race, and Science" to begin August 2009. Applicants can be no more than five years past the PhD and should have the PhD in hand by July 31, 2009. The position includes a stipend of $40,000, health insurance, office space, and clerical support. Review of applications begins February 1, 2009, and the final deadline for applications is March 15, 2009. For additional information and to apply, visit the fellowship website.
The LGBT Ally Program, which is "designed to foster a welcoming and supportive campus environment for (LGBT) students, faculty and staff," is offering spring training workshops. Training is divided into two two-hour workshops. Participants must attend both parts to attain official "Ally" status. The Ally Program is sponsored by the LGBT Resource Center. For more information and to register for the workshops, visit the LGBT Resource Center site.
National Education for Women’s Leadership is holding a 2009 summer institute jointly sponsored by the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois (IGPA) and the Conference of Women Legislators of the Illinois General Assembly (COWL). This week-long institute for students develops women to be leaders in public service careers. The program takes place June 3-7, 2009, at the University of Illinois-Chicago. The application deadline is March 2, 2009. For more information and an application form, visit the institute's site.
The National Women's Studies Association (NWSA) is accepting proposals for panels, papers, workshops, and performances for its 2009 conference, "Difficult Dialogues," which will be held in Atlanta, GA, November 12-15, 2009. This year's conference will focus on five themes: "Thinking, Speaking, and Working Margin to Margin;" "Intersectionality as Theory, Method, and Politics;" "Reconceptualizing Women's Studies within the Transnational;" "Negotiating the Politics of Memory;" and, "Women's Studies 40 Years Later: Where Are We Going, Where Have We Been?" Conference proposals are due by February 15, 2009. For additional information, visit the NWSA's conference site.
June 15-17, 2009, the NWSA and Spelman College's Women's Research and Resource Center is hosting a Junior Faculty Institute, "Women of Color: Theory, Scholarship, and Activism," in Atlanta, GA. Application deadline is March 1, 2009. Click here to apply and for more information.
The University of Sussex in southern England offers a Master of Arts program in Gender Studies. The program is interdisciplinary, with faculty coming from a wider variety of departments, including sociology, media and film, law, English literature, and International Relations. For more information, email Dr. Alison Phipps, Director of Gender Studies, at a.e.phipps@sussex.ac.uk, or visit the Gender Studies site.
Youth Outlook is a popular internship site and resource for students. Formerly known as QYC, Youth Outlook provides a variety of services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth (ages 14-20), as well as their allies. Amongst the services Youth Outlook offers are referrals for mental health, drug/alcohol, and health care; community education on LGBT youth issues; HIVE prevention and holistic health education; and, referrals for family support. On NIU's DeKalb campus, Youth Outlook will offer weekly social/recreational meetings on Mondays in the Women's Resource Center, beginning at 6:00 p.m. Click here for more information on the services Youth Outlook offers or internship opportunities, or call 815-754-5331.
We invite submissions and suggestions for future WS bulletins. Please email Rebekah Kohli with subject heading “Bulletin.” You may also call 753-1044.