Conference on Gender Sets Stage for Women’s History

CULLOWHEE – “Gender Across the Lifespan,” a daylong conference examining the influences of gender at various stages of development throughout life, will be held Friday, Feb. 28, at Western Carolina University, kicking off Women’s History Month events at WCU.

Sponsored by WCU’s Women’s Studies Program, the conference is the first of a series of activities during March focusing on the relationships between being a “superwoman”-recognized by accomplishments-and the “superwomen” issues of juggling a career, family and personal aspects of life.

Kathy Ivey, head of WCU’s mathematics and computer science department and the 2002-03 recipient of the Board of Governors’ Excellence in Teaching Award, will deliver the conference’s keynote address at 9 a.m. in the Grandroom of the A.K. Hinds University Center.

Following the keynote address, concurrent 50-minute sessions will begin at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., with a poster session at 11 a.m. Session topics will include “Swimming Uphill: The First Generation of Women in Experimental Psychology,” with James Goodwin, head of WCU’s department of psychology; “Yes, Your Grandparents Are Doing It: Sex After 60,” with Sharon Jacques, associate professor of nursing at WCU; and “The Courage of Women in the Bible,” with Jeanne Delworth, visiting assistant professor in WCU’s department of social work.

Other activities set for Women’s History Month include:

— “Friends and Family,” a presentation of stories and songs that come from the heart and soul of the mountains by Sheila Kay Adams, Mary Jane Queen and Melanie Rice, at 3 p.m. in the Mountain Heritage Center Auditorium on Sunday, March 2.— The 9th annual “Walk for Women” at noon Monday, March 3, at the Alumni Tower on the WCU campus. It will include a presentation by award-winning poet and storyteller Glenis Redmond. Redmond also will give a performance of her original poetry in the Mountain Heritage Center Auditorium at 7:30 p.m.

— “Women’s Ways of Leading,” part of the “Meetings with Remarkable Women Series,” featuring Ann van Harlengen, executive director of REACH of Macon County, on Tuesday, March 4, at 5 p.m. in the Catamount Room of the University Center.

— Antigone Rising, a five-woman band known for powerhouse vocals and strong harmonies, in Club Illusions in the University Center at 9 p.m. Tuesday, March 4. There will be a charge of $2 for students and $4 for all non-students.

— “Women in Management: Shattering the Glass Ceiling,” with Sandra Frappier, former president of the National Club Managers Association of America, speaking on her experiences breaking through the barriers of the primarily male-dominated field of club management, 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 5, in Forsyth Building auditorium.

— “Coping with the Expectations of the Superwoman” featuring women in various stages of family and career commitments sharing strategies for coping with the multiple demands that create the superwoman feeling. The presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Catamount Room of the University Center on Monday, March 17.

— Rania Masri, an Arab-American organizer and activist, speaking in the Grandroom of the University Center at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 18, about the effects of war and sanctions on the women and children of Iraq.

— Second Annual Women’s Center Art Invitational, featuring “Cut to Size” by Ann Rowles, who investigates the human body in a powerful and provocative exhibition. It opens Wednesday, March 19, from 4-6 p.m. in the Chelsea Gallery of the University Center.

— Ann Miller Woodford, speaking as part of the “Meetings with Remarkable Women Series” on Thursday, March 20, in the Cardinal Room of the University Center at 5 p.m. Woodford is the founder of One Dozen Who Care organization, dedicated to raising the self-esteem of the young people of the rural counties of North Carolina.

— Activist Carol King, speaking in the Grandroom of the University Center at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 24, about her work with women in Georgia during the Civil Rights Movement and where those women are today.

— Activist and writer Claire Hanrahan, speaking in the Cardinal Room of the University Center about the U.S. military build-up against Iraq. Hanrahan will present as part of the “Meetings with Remarkable Women Series” at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 27.

— WCU students present a multimedia program focusing on speeches made by women in American history. The presentation will take place at Fairview Elementary School for the seventh- and eighth-grade students.

For more information about Women’s History Month activities, contact Marilyn Chambers of the WCU Women’s Studies Program at (828) 227-3839, or Rebecca Caldwell of the WCU Women’s Center at (828) 227-3982.