News & Updates

WGS Minor Wins LAS Undergraduate Summer Research and Artistry Fellowship

A Feature Story by Kylie Kruis

Kaitlyn Morrison, a senior at Bradley University majoring in History and Social Studies Secondary Education with double minors in Women’s & Gender Studies and Anthropology, was interviewed by Tim Shelley from WCBU over the summer. The interview partly focused on her participation in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Undergraduate Summer Research and Artistry Fellowship.

During the fellowship, Morrison collaborated with Dr. Libby Tronnes, the Director of the Virginia H. Chase Special Collections in the Cullom-Davis Library. Their research centered on analyzing a collection of documents from the Travelers Aid Society, with a particular emphasis on the activist Davina M. Barnhart. These documents were part of the archives of the Peoria Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), a collection that has been assembled over a century by local YWCA leaders and which Bradley Special Collections Staff and Library faculty have been organizing and digitizing.

The collection sheds light on the experiences of women who were involved in providing charitable assistance to other women. It also exposes the gender and race biases that were prevalent among activists during that era. Many of the cases Kaitlyn studied involved YWCA women helping women in the community who were escaping abusive relationships. Some of these women were unfairly labeled as "hysterical" or deemed to have mental issues, despite being survivors of sexual assault and other forms of gender-based violence.

Morrison's goal is to raise awareness about the significance of conducting historical research from an intersectional feminist perspective. The Traveler’s Aid Society collection represents a valuable historical resource that allows us to reexamine the past and consider it from a contemporary viewpoint. Morrison emphasizes that archival research uncovers the voices and stories of marginalized individuals, even though these records may come from a biased perspective.

For the full interview, you can listen to the WCBU piece on their platform.

A Historic Look at "It Girls" and It's Impact on Women Today

A Feature Story by Kylie Kruis

Gloria Rousseau (HIS/WGS ‘23) and Erica Lindquist (HIS ‘23) recently launched their careers as high school history and social studies teachers in central Illinois. During their time at Bradley, they used their WGS 400 Gender Justice Action capstone to publish a digital humanities tool that helps high school teachers and students examine gendered representations of celebrity culture while using gender studies methodologies to hone media literacy skills. Their website, Exploiting the It Girl, empowers high school teachers and students to explore gendered representations in celebrity culture and apply gender studies methods to enhance their media literacy. It includes a history of gendered celebrity portrayals, teaching resources like lecture slides, project rubrics, and discussion plans for teachers, as well as assignments, guided notes, and project plans for students. It also directs users to primary source databases like the Women’s Magazine Archive.

The primary goals of the digital humanities project include sharing information about the harm done to women and girls by gendered media, along with assisting secondary education students with advancing their media literacy skills. Rousseau pointed out that, “We see misconceptions about media and celebrities constantly,” which can be harmful both to women who are being misrepresented and to women and girls who consume media content about “It Girls.” Being able to take that lens and not just approach it from a history lens was cool.” As History and Social Studies Education majors at Bradley who are now high school teachers, Rousseau and Lindquist aim to teach young people how to critically assess their media consumption through an intersectional feminist lens. In a Bradley Magazine feature article about the website, Rousseau recalled, “It really helped the project to look at it with feminist theory. We ask questions like ‘Where are queer women?’ ‘Where are women of color?’ Rousseau and Linquist are also using their website to monitor the way that contemporary “It Girls” like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan are recovering from negative media coverage, and they point out that many women are using social media as a tool of critical spectatorship and a means of challenging negative stereotypes like “the bimbo.” In the case of Lohan and Hilton, Lindquist says that it is “refreshing to see them have their very long overdue redemption arc” following decades of harsh treatment in the media spotlight. 

S.H.E. Speaks Hosts Take Back the Night March During Sexual Assault Awareness Month

A Feature Story by Kylie Kruis

On April 18, 2023, S.H.E. (Sisterhood of Humanistic Equality) Speaks, led by Ashley Guerrero and Zoie Roach-King, held the first Take Back the Night March at Bradley University since 2014. Before the march, S.H.E. Speaks hosted a poster-making party where students created posters that could be carried during the march. The goal of the march was to educate the community about the existence of sexual and gender-based violence on campus and to advocate for the solidarity necessary to combat it. 

The march commenced at the Circle of Pride, where students from several organizations came together to address the crowd. These included leaders of Greek life organizations, S.H.E. Speaks, Bradley H.E.A.T., Queer Coalition, QStema, and several others. Guerrero and King, along with their faculty mentor Natalie Jipson, envisioned the march, which followed a route through campus and the surrounding neighborhoods, as a way to claim expansive public space for survivors and their supporters to make their voices heard. 

More than 100 marchers followed Guerrero, Roach-King, and Jipson along the route chanting loudly in unison and hoisting high their empowering posters. Their loud and unified presence raised the collective consciousness of bystanders to the existence of gendered violence in our campus community, while also affirming solidarity with survivors. Ashley Guerrero pointed out that “survivors often struggle to find a safe space to turn to,” and the march aimed to provide such a space. Turnout exceeded expectations, underscoring the importance of student-led gender justice initiatives at Bradley.

Students Celebrate “Queer Joy” at Bradley University’s First Lavender Graduation 

A Feature Story by Kylie Kruis

Queer Coalition—a student organization led by Kylan Butler (WGS ‘23), Abbey McComb (WGS ‘23), Karla Valencia (WGS ‘23), and Vincent Blissett—hosted Bradley University’s first Lavender Graduation in May ‘23. Lavender Graduation ceremonies allow for a recognition of LGBTQ+ students’ achievements throughout their college career. A capacity crowd of friends, family, faculty, and staff attended a reception and ceremony to celebrate the “queer joy” and “queer resilience” of sixteen Lavender Graduates. Illinois State Senator David Koehler, sponsor of significant LGBTQ+ equality legislation in the Illinois General Assembly dating back to the state’s first civil union law, gave the keynote address. Organizers made clear that Lavender Graduation was the culmination of a long journey by LGBTQ+ student activists to ensure that Bradley’s campus is a more inclusive and welcoming place for everyone. In her remarks to the graduates, Dr. Amy Scott acknowledged the important work of Bradley’s queer student activists: “Long before Bradley declared the institutional prerogative of becoming more ‘welcoming and inclusive,’ the members of Queer Coalition were working to make it so. These young people are the leaders who are helping all of us replace lingering narratives of internalized shame with narratives of queer resilience and joy. Like gay rights icon Harvey Milk, Queer Coalition leaders remind us that, “Hope will never be silent.” That “queer resilience” will never be silent. That “queer joy” will never be silent.” Congratulations to Bradley’s ‘22 and ‘23 Lavender Graduates!

Her Campus: A Magazine for College Women By College Women

A Feature Story by Natalie Jipson

Her Campus, a national online magazine that centers writing by college women for college women (anyone can join regardless of gender) has a growing chapter here at Bradley University. Kylie Kruis, a sophomore Psychology and English double major with a WGS minor, is the president. Articles include theme weeks, personal testimony, self care, campus news and activism, budgeting, and local news. A significant benefit of an organization like Her Campus, Kylie explained, “is that we are not funded by Bradley, which means we can speak pretty freely about our experiences and be activists on campus.” While including entertaining articles about pop culture, Her Campus is making intersectional feminist journalism a priority. Stories regularly focus on equity, diversity, and disparities. Kylie’s WGS education informs her organizational leadership of Her Campus as well as her journalism approach“We are very aware of how we are wording things,” she said, “and the gendered connotations and subtext in our writing.” If you are looking for an inclusive space to have your voice heard, please contact Her Campus at hc.bradleyu@hercampus.com. Check out the latest articles by Bradley's Her Campus chapter and access their social media through their LinkTree.

Regretting Motherhood: A Study by Orna Donath

A Feature Story by Beth Flowers

The WGS Library's featured work this month is Regretting Motherhood: A Study by Orna Donath. In this book, Donath delves into the lives of women who regret their choice, or in some cases, lack thereof, to have children. She places a strong emphasis on giving voice to these regretful mothers, featuring excerpts from personal testimonials gathered during her interviews with research participants. The majority of the text consists of interview excerpts and Donath's analysis of them. By including personal narratives, Donath humanizes the women who shared their stories and provides essential context for a subject often considered taboo.



This book sheds light on an often-overlooked experience that is more prevalent than many might realize. Society often exerts pressure on women to become mothers, expecting them to excel at motherhood and find joy in it. Creating a space for discussing and understanding regret is crucial in breaking down the barriers that silence many women. Moreover, Regretting Motherhood offers valuable insights into the significance of women's reproductive autonomy, particularly in today's political climate.