January 2016
Upcoming Events
MSWC Events
Stalking Awareness Month
When: Throughout the month of January
What: January is Stalking Awareness Month. To raise awareness, the MSWC created a social media campaign using the MSWC Facebook page. 



MSWC Spring Volunteer Training
When: January 29th, 5:00-6:30pm
Where: Sloss House
Who: Those interested in volunteering with the Margaret Sloss Women's Center
What: Mandatory volunteer training for MSWC volunteers. This comprehensive volunteer training session will allow us to describe all aspects of volunteering with the MSWC so our volunteers can be ready for volunteering for any event or program. You do not have to attend this training if you attended training last semester.
The Vagina Monologues
When: February 3rd at 7pm, February 4th at 6pm and February 4th at 9pm
Where: SunRoom, Memorial Union
Who: MSWC, Society for the Advancement of Gender Equity, and Student Union Board
What: The Vagina Monologues, is based on V-Day playwright Eve Ensler's interviews with more than 200 women. With humor, seriousness and grace the piece celebrates women's sexuality, strength and the things that women have had to endure.The Vagina Monologues has given voice to experiences and feelings not previously exposed in public.
The purpose of The Vagina Monologues is to raise awareness and funds for anti-violence groups within our community. ISU Student Ticket price: $10 ($12 at the door). Non-student Ticket price: $13 ($15 at the door).  

The Gender Monologues: Second Writing Workshop
When: Friday, February 12th at 1pm
Where: Hixson-Lied 1020
What: Join the Writing & Media Center and the Margaret Sloss Women's Center for a writing workshop to help prepare your submissions to The Gender Monologues! If you plan on attending, please RSVP to wmc-writing@iastate.edu
Campus Events
10th Annual 2016 Women Impacting ISU Calendar Unveiling Reception
When: Wednesday, January 13th at 3:30 p.m
Where: Sun Room of the Memorial Union
What: The Women Impacting ISU calendar was started in 2007 with a mission to recognize and pay tribute to those who have distinguished themselves through their leadership and the positive differences they have made. The unveiling reception will honor all 12 women who were selected. The Margaret Sloss Women's Center is especially excited because our very own Assistant Director Som Mongtin is being recognized at the event and will be featured in the calendar. Come to the event to honor all 12 women and to show love to Som for all her great work at Iowa State University.

The Status of WGS programs at Community Colleges
When: Wednesday, January 20 from 12:10pm-1:00pm
Who: Alissa Stoehr, the Women's and Gender Studies Program and the School of Education
Where: 208 Carver Hall
What: This study analyzes data from eight community college faculty, all who identified as women, who were interviewed on why students enroll in women's and gender studies courses, issues of intersectionality and identity within women's and gender studies programs, and the importance of women's and gender studies programs at community colleges.

Elect Her
When: Saturday, January 23, 2016 from 9:30am-3:00pm
Where: 0119 Gerdin
What: Elect Her is a free, interactive workshop that encourages and trains young women to run for student government and to be engaged in politics beyond their time in college. The workshop will train participants to campaign, serve and lead in elected office. Participants will also have a chance to network with women serving in leadership positions.
NCORE/ISCORE Project Student Application
When: Applications are due January 18th, 2016
What: This year-long developmental course on race and ethnicity includes attendance and participation in NCORE- a national experience on building multicultural relations and applying new knowledge on the Iowa State University campus through interaction, workshops, and preparation for presentation at ISCORE. At the end of the program, students receive three credits that fulfill the university's diversity requirement. Find more information about eligibility criteria!

What's been happening?
Volunteer Appreciation Party at Perfect Games
The MSWC Staff celebrated volunteer appreciation with pizza and laser tag at Perfect Games. We are very grateful and appreciative of all our volunteers! 
The Gender Monologues
The Gender Monologues are monologues, poems, or short essays regarding gender oppression, identity, and privilege. Other intersecting identities may also be a focus, but the basis of the monologue should revolve around gender. The monologues will be shared on the Margaret Sloss Women's Center website and social media with the option to submit to Iota Iota Iota's Zine.

Submit your monologue at this link:
www.mswc.dso.iastate.edu/events/the-gender-monologues
Alumna Spotlight
Hi! I am Shreya Bhardwaj, an ISU alumna and a former intern/volunteer at the Sloss House. At ISU I majored in Economics, Women's & Gender studies, and International studies. Thanks to my wonderful teachers and friends, I am currently pursuing my master's degree in Public Administration, with a focus on economic public policy from Cornell University!
My passion for feminism was nurtured at the Margaret Sloss Women's Center and in Society for the Advancement of Gender Equity (SAGE) meetings (formerly knows as the Vagina Warriors) in my freshman year. The conversations I was around inspired me to add Women's Studies as my third major, making feminism a part of my academic work. Keeping feminism and gender equity central, I accompanied my friend, another ISU alumna and a professional badass, Chelsea Schmidt along with some fellow SAGE members to discuss the issue of sexual assault on campus with Dr. Hill. We were involved in discussing and questioning some policies concerning sexual assault, which we deemed inadequate at ISU.
Keeping the motivation to help create safe and equitable communities, I am concentrating in the interdisciplinary work of economic public policy and gender at Cornell University, where I also serve as an Associate Editor for the Cornell Policy Review, Cornell's official public policy journal. Currently, I am struggling with summer internship applications, but hopefully I will have a fulfilling adventure this summer!
Women's Words Blog: Celebrating Advocacy
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, advocacy is "the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal," and being an ally means "to join (yourself) with another person, group, etc., in order to get or give support." Both related terms are important for social justice movements because they are reliant on these types of actions from participants. So how does one become an ally or advocate for feminism and related gender justice issues?
Continue reading...
Who Needs Feminism
The Margaret Sloss Women's Center brought the "Who Needs Feminism?" campaign to Iowa State University because we want to debunk myths about feminism and decrease negative associations with the word. Our hope is that the campaign will inspire dialogue about feminism and its importance in our everyday lives and encourages students, faculty, and staff to stand up and speak out.

For more information about the national "Who Needs Feminism?" campaign, check out their tumblrwebsite, twitter, and   facebook.

For information on how you can participate, email Dominique Gant at ddgant@iastate.edu or complete the form.
Feminist Quote
"If I didn't define myself for myself, I would be
crunched into other people's fantasies for me and eaten alive."

-Audre Lorde, Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches, 1984
Iowa State University
(515) 294-4154 | womenctr@iastate.edu | www.mswc.dso.iastate.edu

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