Women's Center

The Women’s Center, CPGC, KINSC, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program, Student Activities Office, OMA, and Quaker Affairs Office are proud to present Winona LaDuke’s visit to Haverford’s campus! She will be speaking publically on Friday, March 30^th, at 7:30 p.m. in Stokes Auditorium, on the topic “Recovering the Sacred: Religion, Faith and the Land from a Native Perspective.”

Ms. LaDuke is an internationally acclaimed author, orator and activist. A graduate of Harvard and Antioch Universities, with advanced degrees in rural economic development, she has devoted her life to protecting the lands and life ways of Native communities.

Ms. LaDuke is the founder and co-Director of Honor the Earth, a national advocacy group encouraging public support and funding for Native environmental groups. She is also the founder of the White Earth Land Recovery Project, one of the largest reservation based non-profit organizations in the country. Ms. LaDuke served as Ralph Nader’s vice-presidential running mate on the Green Party ticket in the 1996 and 2000 presidential elections. In 2007, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.

Before Ms. LaDuke’s public talk, we are offering two opportunities to get to meet her in person! Any Haverford student, faculty, or staff member can apply to engage in a workshop or to enjoy a catered meal with Ms. LaDuke. There are twenty spots open for each activity.

The workshop will take place from 4:30-6:00 p.m. at the Multicultural Center in Stokes and will center on the topic of women and leadership, and the potential for women leaders to enact meaningful social change.

The dinner will be held from 6:15-7:15 in the Swarthmore room of the Dining Center, and will provide the opportunity to get to know Ms. LaDuke personally!

Applicants can apply for one or both of the activities. To apply, simply answer the questions below and email your answers to womenctr@haverford.edu. Please make sure to specify the activity or activities for which you are applying. The application deadline is Friday, March 23rd at 11:59 p.m. (the next minute being Saturday).

1. Why are you interested in meeting Winona LaDuke?
2. If you could discuss any topic with her, what would it be?

We look forward to reading your applications!

Chocolate + Strawberries + Marshmallows + Pretzels + Oreos….Mmmmm
Women’s Center is hosting our annual Valentine’s Day Chocolate Party!!!

When: Saturday, February 11th, 2012 @ 1pm – 4pm
Where: CPGC cafe

Come make chocolate dipped goodies for yourself, your friend, and/or your lover with the Women’s Center. What a nice way to start off your Saturday afternoon, eh?

Last Friday, I left Haverford’s cozy and quiet campus with a friend and took the train into Philadelphia. Our goal: to participate in an abortion rights visibility event. The event was put on by the Pennsylvanian nonprofit We’ve Had Enough and was planned two days before the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruling which stated that a woman’s decision to have an abortion was covered under the privacy clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

We’ve Had Enough was created in opposition to several recent Pennsylvanian bills that, if passed, would restrict women’s access to safe and affordable reproductive health benefits. One of the bills, SB 732, was signed into law in December. The bill mandates that free-standing abortion providers comply with regulations required of Ambulatory Surgical Facilities. These regulations will demand that expensive changes–most involving unnecessary physical makeovers of the facilities–be made to the 20 free-standing abortion clinics in Pennsylvania. To read more about that bill, visit the Women’s Law Project’s writeup.

Other pending legislation include SB 3 and HB 1977, both of which would render the health insurance companies participating in state health care reform unable to pay for even medically necessary abortions, except for in narrowly defined circumstances of rape, incest, or explicit danger to a woman’s life. The private insurance companies participating in the state health insurance exchange will serve employees in small businesses and other people who do not receive employee health benefits. None of these bills outlaw abortion in wording; all of these bills would, in effect, force many women to seek abortions illegally and unsafely.

These pieces of legislation provide a sobering backdrop for a celebration of Roe v. Wade’s anniversary. The awareness event was still full of good cheer, though. My friend and I arrived halfway through the event and, after creating our signs (mine said “Honk to Protect Abortion Rights!”; my friend’s said “Respect my Life, Honor my Choice”), crossed over to the crowded meridian on Broad Street, where around twenty five people were holding up signs for the passing cars and people to read.

We were positioned between Walnut and Chestnut streets, right in the middle of mid-day inner city traffic. We stood on this thin strip of protected land, tssking when cars, uninterested or unacknowledging, would speed on by, and cheering when cars, often in a kind of sing-songy attention to the horn, would honk at us. (One taxi driver grinned when he saw us, gave us two thumbs up while beeping, and continued honking well past Chestnut Street.)

Standing for half an hour in the heart of sunny Philadelphia is small work compared to the people crafting alternative legislation or organizing community protests, but I felt connected to this Pennsylvanian battle in a way that I, as a Connecticut Yankee, have never felt when reading of these fights in the paper or on blogs. I finally realized that I could, and should, be a part of a battle that isn’t necessarily being fought in my backyard. In a country as wealthy as the United States, access to safe reproductive health care should be a right. This access is obviously not just a Pennsylvanian right, and not even solely a women’s right. It is a human right, and I, as a human, enjoyed both celebrating our recognition of this right and warning legislators of a human commitment to our lives and our bodies.

Welcome back, Haverford!

The Women’s Center would like to invite you to an exciting event happening this ***Friday, January 20th from 12pm to 1pm in Broad and Walnut St.***

The 39th anniversary of Roe vs Wade is this sunday. To celebrate the women’s right to choose and to protest against all of the recent attempts to restrict abortion services, join us this Friday in Philadelphia.

Here’s the website for the organization and the event:
www.wevehadenoughpa.org/join-us-on-january-20th.html

To register: (it’s FREE)
roevwadephilly.eventbrite.com/

More information:
www.wevehadenoughpa.org/blog.html

Date: Friday, Jan 20th
Location: Broad and Walnut Streets
Time: Noon to 1:00pm (SEPTA train leaves Haverford Station at 10:56am, 11:21am, 11:56am to get you to downtown Philadelphia)

Hey Haverford!

The Women’s Center is officially back into the swing of things!

Last Thursday we screened a documentary at the Center titled “Miss Representation,” which explored the complicated relationship between women, the mainstream media, and people in positions of influence.  We had a great turnout, and everyone seemed to leave interested in knowing more about the subject. If you’re interested in finding out more about the documentary, visit missrepresentation.org/.

THIS Thursday (i.e. tomorrow), we’re holding a pumpkin-decorating event! Join us at the MCC at 8 p.m. to decorate your very own mini pumpkin. We’ll have tons of holiday-themed art supplies and snacks. So take a break, come on down, and decorate a pumpkin for your dorm room or a friend. We’ll see you there!

Love,

Gavi

Dear Haverford,

October is the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. During the week after fall break, we will be tabling in the Dining Center to hand out pink ribbons for FREE to help spread the awareness. Additionally, the Women’s Center staff and intern have placed a breast cancer self-exam guide on every shower head on the campus!

***Few Q&A from www.nbcam.org/…

Q: What is breast cancer?
A: Breast cancer is cancer that forms in tissues of the breast, usually the ducts (tubes that carry milk to the nipple) and lobules (glands that make milk). It occurs in both men and women, although male breast cancer is rare.

Q: How common is breast cancer in the United States?
A: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, aside from skin cancer.

Q: How many new cases of breast cancer were estimated in the United States in 2009?
A: According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), an estimated 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed among women in the United States last year. Approximately 1,910 new cases are expected in men. The ACS also reports that an estimated 40,610 breast cancer deaths are expected in 2009 (40,170 women, 440 men).

Q: How can women get low-cost or free mammograms?
A: For information on low- or no cost mammography screening, contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at (888) 842-6355 or visit their Web site at www.cdc.gov. Women seeking mammograms at a reduced rate are urged to make their appointment early in the year, as space may be limited. To find a breast-imaging facility, contact the National Cancer Institute at (800) 4-CANCER.

***Other risk factors – and lifestyle choices to avoid them***
Common to all women are daily lifestyle decisions that may affect breast cancer risk. These day-to-day choices involve factors such as poor diet, insufficient physical activity, alcohol use, and smoking. Besides possibly reducing breast cancer risk, lifestyle improvements represent smart steps for a healthier life, since they can help prevent heart disease, diabetes, and many other chronic, life-threatening conditions.

*Decrease your daily fat intake – especially saturated or hydrogenated fats. Eat leaner meats and limit red meat. Reducing your fat intake helps prevent other health problems such as heart disease and stroke and may reduce your chance of developing breast and colon cancers.

*Increase fiber in your diet. Fiber is found in whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. This type of diet is beneficial for your heart and can help prevent other cancers such as colon cancer.

*Eat fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition to their fiber content, fruits and vegetables have antioxidant properties and micronutrients that may help prevent some cancers.
Limit alcohol. Evidence suggests that a small increase in risk exists for women who average two or more drinks per day (beer, wine, and distilled liquor).

*Stay active. The U.S. Surgeon General has recently reported that you can help prevent many health problems by engaging in a moderate amount of physical activity (such as taking a brisk, 30-minute walk) on most days of the week. Strive to maintain the body weight recommended by a health professional, since excess fat may stimulate estrogen production.

*Don’t smoke. Although smoking doesn’t cause breast cancer, it can increase the chance of blood clots, heart disease, and other cancers that may spread to the breast.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact us at womenctr@haverford.edu

Love,

Sumin

Hey Haverford,

As some of you might know, the month of October marks Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a month to recognize and raise awareness of the issues of violence in relationships.  This topic, while discussed, is often brushed under the carpet when it comes to dating.  People forget that dating violence, especially on campuses, is not uncommon and is not okay.

This year is my first year as an intern at the Women’s Center, and my main focus project is on increasing awareness about dating violence on campuses, educating the Haverford community on the issue, teaching students how to recognize the warning signs, and providing support for survivors and assistance in how to get out of a violent situation.  While this is an ongoing project, I chose this month to start in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

What can you do now?  If you are here over fall break and are free on October 15th, why not run/walk at the Kristin’s Krusade over at St. Joseph’s University?  You can register yourself at www.kristinskrusade.org!  Kristin’s Krusade is an annual run at St. Joseph’s University, started by the family of a girl who became a victim of dating violence when her boyfriend killed her after their break-up.  The run was started to raise funds and support survivors services, education on the issue, and other awareness raising activities.  Look out for more information in the weeks to come!

Much love,

Jari

Calling all INTERN applicants!

Hey Haverford, The Women’s Center is looking for new interns for this academic year!

Interns attend and participate in all staff meetings as well as events hosted by The Women’s Center. As an intern, you are encouraged to contribute your creativity and ideas for exciting new events, as well as other ways that we can continue to be a great resource to the community. Although the position is unpaid, it is a lot of fun and very rewarding. We’re encouraging both men and women from the freshman and sophomore classes to apply.

We ask that you have your application in by this Friday, September 30^th at 11:59 PM. You can access the application through the link below, or you can find it on the Haverford College Women’s Center Facebook page or the Go! Boards. We look forward to hearing from you!

Love,

The Women’s Center

Apply! docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHNrczdtM0NkeFFLR3BBMzhidnYxVFE6MQ

Dear Haverford Community,

Welcome, or welcome back, to the Women’s Center’s blog! Our goal for this year’s blog is twofold: first, we’ll be updating you (our faithful followers) about upcoming events we’re hosting and the ways in which you can get involved, and second, we’ll be commenting on issues close to our hearts and raising questions for your consideration. Get excited–we are!

Who is “we”? I’m glad you asked. “We” refers to our current staff members: Sumin, Krysten, Maria, Emma, Gavi, and myself (Sara). Our job includes:

* Working with Marilou Allen, our director, to create and execute awesome events for the community

* Managing the Student Assistant Hotline and taking calls about experiences with rape and sexual assault

* Working at the center, where visitors can read through our extensive collection of literature, obtain information and resources, grab some free contraception, or just hang out!

“We” also includes our current intern, Jari. More interns will join him later this year, but we’ll be blogging about that next week so stay tuned (ESPECIALLY if you want to intern with us!). In the meantime, you can find out more about each of the current WC members by clicking the Director/Staff tab at the top of the page. You can also (read: definitely should) come visit us during our shifts in the center! Here is our schedule for this semester:

We’re located in the Campus Center, room 209 (the floor above Admissions), and we love visitors, so we encourage you to stop by. Check back next week for a posting about INTERN APPLICATIONS!! (Which, if you were wondering, are located here and are due on Friday, September 30th at 11:59pm.)

WC love,

Sara

The weeks following spring break usually call for a fresh start.

This past Wednesday we held out SECOND ANNUAL MAN SPEAK and it went wonderfully. Man Speak is a pluralism-style, safe space to speak about what being a man and masculinity means to the male students – here at Haverford as well as beyond. A couple of years ago, the Women’s Center asked the  student body to fill out a survey about the kinds of events they would like to see more of. Overwhelmingly, the students responded that they wished that more of our events were made accessible to men as well as women. As a result of that, we’ve decided to provide men with a safe space and a forum in which they could discuss what what maleness and masculinity means to them. Last year was the first time we’d done Man Speak and due to the positive feedback, we’ve decided to make it an annual event.

On Saturday afternoon – sunny, but still a bit chilly – we gathered in and in front of Founders to celebrate Women’s History Month with a Be-You-tiful Celebration. Students got to paint, sculpt, decorate gingerbread women, and enjoy other yummy refreshments. We even got a henna tattoo artist! The centerpiece was a photography exhibition “Mirror, Mirror” a display of stunning, thought-provoking photographs featuring the work of some of the BiCo’s most talented female artists. Here are some pictures!

Gingerbread creation

Students checking out the photo exhibit

Decorating a poster with make-up

Henna tattoos!