Women's Resource Center Newsletter: January 2012


Message from the Program Director:

Greetings! And welcome to the Spring 2012 semester with the Women’s Resource Center.

We have an exciting semester planned for you, beginning with two events this coming week!

First, the kick-off of our new series Taboo Talks. This series offers students a space where they can openly engage issues that affect women’s wellness. The first taboo talk will be on women + mental health, this coming Tuesday at 5pm in the Santa Cruz room. Join us for sandwiches, drinks, freebies, and interesting discussion with experts!

Our second event will be the first in our Feminist Film Series, Jane: An Abortion Service. This documentary reveals the story of a secret women-run collective that took matters into their own hands when abortion was illegal by creating a safe underground network in the Chicago area. After the film, there will be a panel of speakers who will share their own stories and connect "Jane" with the situation we face in Arizona today.

We have a great team of new and returning F.O.R.C.E. interns to bring you fun and provocative events this Spring, especially with Women’s Herstory Month coming in March.

We look forward to seeing you at the events!
In solidarity,
Krista

What's Happening This Month:

Women's Resource Center/F.O.R.C.E. Events

  1. Taboo Talk: Women and Mental Health - January 17, 5pm, Santa Cruz Room, Student Union
     
  2. Women's Resource Center Film Series Presents: Jane: An Abortion Service - January 18, 7pm, Gallagher Theater

Campus Events

  1. The Abolition Conference: Combating Modern-Day Slavery - January 14, 8:30am-4pm, Student Union Grand Ballroom
     
  2. Spring LGBTQA Welcome - January 17, 5pm, CSIL Classroom (4th floor Student Union)

Community Events

  1. Other Voices Women’s Reading Series Featuring Kim Nelson and Shelly Taylor - January 13, 7pm, Antigone Books

Opportunities

  1. Social Justice Interneship
     
  2. "One Day at the UA" Video Contest
     
  3. Work for Justice with Jesuit Volunteer Corps
     
  4. YWCA's 22nd Annunal Women's leadership Conference
     
  5. National Student Exchange: A "Study Abroad Alternative"
     
  6. Want to be an Orientation and Welcome Leader?

Spotlight on Women, Peace, and Security

 

The Details:

Women's Resource Center/F.O.R.C.E. Events

  1. Taboo Talk: Women and Mental Health 
    January 17, 5pm, Santa Cruz Room, Student Union


    F.O.R.C.E. and the Women's Resource Center are pleased to invite you to the first event of our brand new series Taboo Talks, a space where students can openly engage issues that  affect women's wellness.  Come enjoy free food and beverages (provided by the Corporate Sponsors Grant for Student Initiated Programs), a vendor fair, and a panel discussion on women and mental health.  The following knowledgeable experts will join us to share research, trends, and information on resources surrounding this important issue: 

    • David Salafsky, Director, Health Promotion-Preventive Services
    • Dr. Leslie Ralph, Psychologist, CAPS
    • Amy Cunningham, Mental Health-Clinical Care Coordinator, CAPS
    • Dr. Shannon Snapp, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences
    • Emily Gaspar, Coordinator, Student Advocacy and Assistance
       
  2. Women's Resource Center Film Series Presents: Jane: An Abortion Service 
    January 18, 7pm, Gallagher Theater

    This documentary reveals the story of a secret women-run collective that took matters into their own hands when abortion was illegal by creating a safe underground network in the Chicago area.

    After the film, Abortion Access Network of Arizona has organized a panel of speakers, including AANA volunteers, who will share their own stories and connect "Jane" with the situation we face in Arizona today.

     

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Campus Events

  1. The Abolition Conference: Combating Modern-Day Slavery 
    January 14, 8:30am-4pm, Student Union Grand Ballroom
     
                                   

    Slavery did not end with the Emancipation Proclamation. In fact, there are approximately 27 million people in slavery today, more than ever in human history. Modern-day slavery, also known as human trafficking, occurs not only in developing countries, but also right here in the United States and in Arizona. For this reason, we are excited to announce The Abolition Conference: Combating Modern-day Slavery, Tucson’s first-ever regional anti-trafficking conference.

    The Abolition Conference will take place on Saturday, January 14, from 8:30am to 4pm in the University of Arizona Student Union Grand Ballroom. With nationally-renowned speakers, an incredible selection of workshops, and tangible ways you can help, this is one event you do not want to miss. Tickets are $45 for general admission  or $25 for students. No prior knowledge of human trafficking is required, and the conference will appeal to all sorts of people: law enforcement personnel, health professionals, social workers, students, educators, people of faith, and more. Learn more and register at www.abolitionconference.com today!

  2. Spring LGBTQA Welcome
    January 17, 5pm, CSIL Classroom (4th floor Student Union)

    This welcome event is a chance for students to reconnect with friends and find out how to get involved with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and allied (LGBTQA) community on campus. We'll have free pizza! Sponsored by: LGBTQ Affairs, ASUA Pride Alliance, Women's Resource Center, Student Advocacy and Assistance, and Pink Berry.

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Community Events

  1. Other Voices Women’s Reading Series Featuring Kim Nelson and Shelly Taylor
    January 13, 7pm, Antigone Books

    Kim Nelson is an award-winning author whose published works include Southwest Kitchen Garden,A Desert Gardener’s Companion, and Mommy I’m Still in Here: One Family’s Journey with Bipolar Disorder.

    Shelly Taylor is the author of a book of poetry entitled  Black-Eyed Heifer, as well as two chapbooks.  She has current & forthcoming work in Columbia Poetry Review, Catch Up, and Black Warrior Review.

    Calling All Writers: An Open Reading will Follow!  Come read a short piece of your work: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry. Please arrive 15 minutes early if you’d like to sign up to read.

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Opportunities

  1. Social Justice Internship
     

                               
    The UA’s Intergroup Dialogue Internship Program is now accepting applications for the Spring 2012 semester! This 13 week 1 credit internship challenges participants to confront issues in our current society while reflecting on their own thoughts, beliefs, and ways of working with people from various cultural backgrounds and social identities. It’s an opportunity to challenge our own boundaries and expand our thinking, while learning more about social justice, identity, and how to deal with conflict.     The Internship Application deadline is WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18th.

    Selected interns will be responsible for:
        (1) Attending weekly group dialogue trainings beginning Monday, January 23rd.
        (2) Weekly assigned readings and 2 page reflection papers.
        (3) 1 group project designed to impact our campus or local Tucson community.

    The internship is open to all students but we’re only able to award undergraduate credit at this time. Click on this link for more information and to sign up! For more information, contact Maria Moore at moorem@email.arizona.edu. Intergroup Dialogue is sponsored by the Student Services Fee and coordinated through the Dean of Students Office.

  2. "One Day at the UA" Video Contest

    Show us your day! Enter the "One Day at the UA" Video Contest, share your creativity to win an iPad or other apple prize.  Click here to check out guidelines and rules.
     
  3. Work for Justice with Jesuit Volunteer Corps

    Have you ever considered a year of post-graduate service working for justice? JVC Northwest engages women and men in a transforming experience of full-time volunteer service. Jesuit Volunteers serve for a year or more in solidarity with persons living on the margins of society and with vulnerable places in the Pacific Northwest (Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana). Jesuit volunteers serve in both urban and rural environments, including Native American reservations. Our program is rooted in the values of community, spirituality, simple living, and social and ecological justice.

    If you are interested in learning more or applying, check out the website at www.jvcnorthwest.org. If you would like to speak to the recruiter and former Jesuit Volunteer, Emily Ruef, feel free to email (recruiter@jvcnorthwest.org) or call (503-902-2770). She’d be happy to discuss the program with you!

    Please remember that the priority deadline for the application for the 2012-2013 volunteer year is March 1.

  4. YWCA's 22nd Annual Women's Leadership Program

    The 22nd annual YWCA Women’s Leadership Program begins on March 6th, 2012, and runs for eight consecutive Tuesday evenings, ending on April 24th, 2012. 

    The Women’s Leadership Program is designed to help women discover and develop the qualities and skills that they need to be effective leaders in the workplace and in the community.  The eight-week program, open to fifty women each year, challenges women to examine not  only their skills, but their attitudes about themselves and their willingness to accept the challenges and risks that come with leadership.

    Applications can be submitted online at ywcatucson.org. The deadline for applications is January 31, 2012 and participants will be notified of their acceptance status by mid-February, 2012. For additional information, contact Lillian Perez at 884-7810 ext.112 or Janet Marcotte at 884-7810, ext. 103.
     
  5. National Student Exchange: A "Study Abroad Alternative"

    Hey students! Look into this unique opportunity: the National Student Exchange sends undergrads to another university in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands! Participate in this "study abroad alternative" for a semester or academic year and try out a new academic experience while still paying UA tuition! A diverse array of campuses participate, including large or small, urban or rural, and French, Spanish, and English-speaking universities. It is important to know, most scholarships and financial aid still apply while you are on exchange!

    To learn more, check out our NSE webpage, nse.arizona.edu or shoot us an email at ArizonaNSE@gmail.com!  *Applications to exchange during the 2012-2013 school year are due February 17, 2012* so ask questions and start the application ASAP! We hope to hear from you soon!

  6. Want to be an Orientation and Welcome Leader?

    New Student Orientation and Wildcat Welcome are programs designed to help our newest Wildcats become familiar with our campus while preparing for academic success.  The New Student Orientation program includes academic advising, course registration, and opportunities to meet other new students.  New Student Orientation is offered many times throughout the summer (May – August) with Welcome activities taking place the week prior to and the first week of school.  All of the orientation sessions and welcome activities are offered on-campus.

    Orientation Leaders are paid $8.75 an hour as well as a stipend of $150 that will be placed on the student’s CatCard. There are currently 12 Orientation sessions scheduled, sessions may be scheduled if needed. 

    Click here to visit the Orientation website with more information about the application.  Questions concerning the application or the position can be directed to Stephanie Basij at sbasij@email.arizona.edu. 

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Spotlight on Women, Peace, and Security

On October 21, 2000 the UN Security Council unanimously adopted United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, requiring parties in a conflict to respect women's rights and to support their participation in peace negotiations and in post-conflict reconstruction. Over a decade later, on December 19, 2011, President Barack Obama issued an executive order establishing the United States' first-ever National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security  to formalize the nation’s implementation of UNSC Resolution 1325.

The National Action Plan contains commitments by a variety of governmental departments and agencies targeted at meeting five primary objectives:

  1. To institutionalize a gender-responsive approach to US diplomatic, development, and defense-related work in conflict-affected environments.
  2. To promote women’s participation in peace processes and decision-making.
  3. To strengthen US efforts to prevent and protect women and children from harm, exploitation, discrimination and abuse, and to hold perpetrators accountable in conflict-affected environments.
  4. To promote women’s roles in conflict prevention.
  5. To respond to the distinct needs of women and children in conflict-affected disasters and crises, including by providing safe, equitable access to humanitarian assistance.

Lest we view this news through rose-colored glasses, it is worth here noting that the United States is one of only six countries in the world not to have formally committed themselves to women’s rights as human rights by ratifying the Convention for Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). It is perhaps surprising to many that along with Iran, Sudan, Somalia, and two small Pacific islands, the United States has not ratified this important international treaty for women's rights.  According to CEDAW advocate Kavita N. Ramdas, former President and CEO of the Global Fund for Women, the Obama administration is theoretically friendly to CEDAW, but in reality they are reluctant to move forward on ratification because of the potential for pushback by the Republican party.  “And at the moment, they don’t appear to have the stomach right now to do that.”

Still there is reason to celebrate the administration’s move in issuing the NAP, and to be hopeful that its implementation will occur.  As stated by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton:  “It is time for all of us to take charge of the future, to change how the world thinks about conflict and how we stop it and prevent it; about security and how we provide it; about peace and how we realize it. And as we do so, it is past time for women to take their rightful place, side-by-side with men, in the rooms where the fates of peoples, where their children’s and grandchildren’s fates, are decided, in the negotiations to make peace and in the institutions to keep it.”

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Check out our blog to find out all about what the F.O.R.C.E. interns are thinking and doing to make the UofA community a better place for us all!

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The WRC Newsletter comes out on the 1st of every month.

If you would like something included in the newsletter, please email ralminas@email.arizona.edu with a brief event description and relevant website link at least 5 days prior to the newsletter deadline. In your email please name your subject: “FOR THE WRC NEWSLETTER.”

WRC Newsletter Disclaimer:  Some of the events, views and opinions expressed in the UA WRC Newsletter are solely those of their authors and/or organizations, and do not necessarily reflect an endorsement by the Women’s Resource Center. The WRC encourages you to contact the event sponsor for more information.