USU celebrates women who make a difference
When students read textbooks, a big part of history seems to be missing. Women are often absent in the pages and frequently unaccounted for in lectures. This month, as national women in history are celebrated, USU Women’s Center Director Patricia Stevens hopes students will better know and embrace the accomplishments of women in the past.
“Women have played a major role in several inventions, developments in medicine, society, sociology, engineering, aerospace technology and science,” Stevens said. “This month allows women to celebrate those accomplishments and accomplishments of their own.”
Throughout this week and month, several events on campus will be dedicated to honoring women and minorities of the past and present. Because March 8 is International Women’s Day, Stevens said speeches, music and performances by and about women will be presented in the International Student Lounge. Stevens said she hopes women attending USU can feel empowered and know that they are important.
“I think this campus is a part of a community, country and world that continues to need to be reminded of the significance of women and minorities,” Stevens said. “Even though we have more laws now, we still face domestic violence, inequities in the workplace and a lack of encouragement to reach our full potential.”
This year marks 50 years since the integration of Central High School, which helped launch the 2007 theme of Women’s History Month, “Generations of Women Moving History Forward,” according to www.nwhp.org, the National Women’s History Project Web site. Six of the nine teenagers who helped integrate the high school were girls.
Stevens said the reason women and other minorities are sometimes left out of history is because history has mainly been written by white men who have focused their attention and interests on people similar to them.
However, knowing how women have shaped history helps females today want to contribute in the present, according to the National Women’s History Project. History must tell the whole story, its Web site states, and knowing women’s strengths is crucial to all children and adults.
Educators are often willing and will encourage the history of women to be taught in classrooms. However, teachers frequently lack the resources, according to the Web site.
Stevens said students can learn more about women who influenced America and the world while attending events this week. Tonight, the Native American trio Ulali will sing at the Performance Hall. Stevens said although the three women are from the United States, seeing the concert would still give student the opportunity to see women of another culture. Students get in free with USU ID.
Thursday’s events will take place at the International Student Lounge from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Both women and men can “Speak Out” for women during an open microphone session and can watch a movie about how women are rebuilding Rwanda. Music and dance will be performed by survivors of violence, and later that night, Alphi Chi will be helping with a women’s expo that will include eight sessions on women-related topics including personal safety, health, relaxation, money management and identity theft.
For more information about Women’s History Month and how to get involved, contact the Women’s Center at 797-1728 or drop in the TSC Room 315.
-mnewbold@cc.usu.edu