 |
 |
|
advance feminist goals,
sharing their time and tal-
ents on campus -- women's
athletics, MPIRG, WRAC,
FACE; and in the commu-
nity -- PAVSA, Safe Haven,
New Moon, Range
Women's Advocates,
Women's Health Center,
YWCA, Take Back the
Night, and more. They are
generous and wise, and I
have learned much from
them. We will all miss
them, and wish them the
very best.
W
hat an amazing group
of women! It's been
my privilege to have each of
them in several classes and
now all together in Semi-
nar. They are very diverse
in their interests, as re-
flected in their Seminar
projects: abortion rights,
female genocide, expressive
art and healing from self-
injury, women coaches in
women's athletics, the lost
sacred feminine, dads and
daughters, feminist therapy,
the search for the authentic
self, and adventures in
Women's Studies -- top
discoveries and how they
came to be "forgotten."
What these women all
share is a passion for
Women's Studies and a
commitment to feminism.
They are enormously dedi-
cated individuals. Through
internships, volunteer
work, and other extracur-
ricular activities, collec-
tively they have given liter-
ally thousands of hours to
activities and programs that
benefit women and girls and
A WORD ABOUT OUR GRADUATING WOMEN’S STUDIES MAJORS
BY BETH BARTLETT
UMD DEPARTMENT
OF
WOMEN
’S
STUDIES
MAY 2005
VOLUME 18, ISSUE 4
NORTH
SHORE
VISIONS
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
2
ALUMNI UPDATES
2
FEMINIST TOUR
2
2005 GRADUATES
3-4
Congratulations to ….
Lila Kahmann, Women's
Studies Minor: Lila has been
accepted into the Master's in
Women's Studies program at
Minnesota State - Mankato, and
will be continuing her studies
there in the fall. A special
thank you to Lila for all she has
done this year, serving as the
student representative to both
the department and the
Women's Studies Advisory
Board.
Kathryn Gullicks,
Women's Studies Minor:
Kathryn has been accepted into
the Master's in Women's Stud-
ies programs at Minnesota State
- Mankato and the University of
Northern Iowa and is in the
process of deciding which she
will attend in the fall.
Ann Wilcox, Women’s
Studies Major and
Women’s Studies Office
Assistant a.k.a. Gnomie:
Ann has been the student
worker for Women's Studies
for the past two years. Her
affectionate nickname came
from doing loads of work
around the office hardly need-
ing to be asked -- it just was
magically done! We were
pleased to nominate Ann for
Student Employee of the Year
for all her dedication, service to
the department, generous
spirit, party planning, and the
way she lights up the place!
Ann is graduating in May and
the office just won't be the
same without her. Come back
and visit often!
Tineke Ritmeester, De-
partment Head and Associ-
ate Professor of Women’s
Studies: Tineke was recently-
awarded the Dinosaur Award
from GLBT Services ... in the
words of Larry Knopp, "for her
tireless activism and support of
all people - especially lesbians,
gay men, gender non-
conformists, and queers of all
colors, shapes, and sizes, for
her history of accomplishments
(most of them unsung), for her
leadership, her huge heart, and
her simple joyfulness."
ON-CAMPUS
May 4. Guest speaker, Njoki
Kamau, UMD Professor of
Women's Studies presents
"Everyday Racism in Acade-
mia," KSC 268, 12 Noon.
May 5. Meditation, Relaxa-
tion Exercises, a workshop by
Mark Langenfeld, UMD
Professor of Psychology, KSC
268, 12 Noon.
May 5. Guest speaker, Joyce
Benson presents "Common
Women, Uncommon Lives:
The Changing Role of
Women in Russia," Kirby
Rafters, 12 Noon. Joyce Ben-
son is a community activist
and long-time resident of
Duluth. She is the first UMD
Women’s Studies major.
OFF-CAMPUS
May 6. Intergenerational con-
versation and salads feast
from 5:30-7 p.m. Perform-
ance by Terrol & Jane at 7
p.m., in the Northcountry
Women’s Coffeehouse
Events, Building for Women,
32 E 1st St.
May 8. Intergenerational 2nd
Sunday of the Month Potluck
Brunch in Chester Creek
House, 1306 E 2nd St, Noon-
2p.m. All welcome. Call 728-
5468 for more information.
UPCOMING NATIONAL
& INTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCES
May 20-22. Fifth National
Conference on Gender
and 10th National Gender
Lobby Day in Arlington,
VA. Keynote speakers Eve
Kosofsky Sedwick and Anne
Fausto-Sterling. For more
information or registration go
to www.gpac.org or call
(202) 462-6610.
June 9-12. NWSA 26th An-
nual Conference, Orlando,
FL. Registration forms avail-
able in the WS department
office and at www.nwsa.org
June 19-21. IWPR 8th Inter-
national Women’s Policy
Research Conference, When
Women Gain, So Does the
World, Washington, D.C.
For more info, email confer-
ence@iwpr.org.
For more conferences, go to
the NWSA website:
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
would not return for the gen-
eral UMD reunion/alumnae
functions. I would love and am
willing to contribute in anyway
possible.
I have been researching and
considering a PhD program in
either Women’s Studies, Soci-
ology and/or Psychology (or
some combination).
As one moves up within the
administration, they continu-
ally move away from student
contact towards planning,
budgeting etc. I love being on a
college campus in the adminis-
trative capacity but I see my
movement “up” not fitting my
needs of working directly with
the students, therefore becom-
ing a professor where I would
have the chance to teach seems
to fit my goals.
On a more personal note—I
am enjoying it here at Vassar,
as I have finally adjusted to
being so far away from
friends and family. I have
been enjoying all of the out-
door activities around here,
as well as the activities and
culture of NYC. It is like two
opposite worlds so close to
one another and I love them
both!”
Emily Dockendorf: “Soon
to be in Hamilton, New Zea-
land for an MA in Special
Education and to live, work,
study, and re-vamp, re-
think, and organize my
life...yeah! Remember the
power of NOW and dig life.
Duluth will always be home,
but Em is ready for some
adventure, soul-searching
and travel. Love from the
Goddess of Lake Superior
and always-Peace and
Cheers.”
Claire Benton: “I just re-
ceived the latest North Shore
Visions newsletter and I am
very interested in assisting
with the organization of a
Women’s Studies Alumnae
group! I think it is a wonder-
ful idea, most of us probably
FOR RENT: Chester Creek
House, a 24-year old
intergenerational lesbian
household, has an opening in
its beautiful queen Anne style
Victorian home in the Duluth
East Hillside. Call 218-
728-5468 for an interview.
PAGE 2
VOLUME 18, ISSUE 4
Editors: Beth Bartlett and Gerald-
ine Hughes
Contact Information:
Dept. of Women’s Studies
1201 Ordean Court, 475 H
Duluth MN 55812
Tel: 218-726-7953
Fax: 218-726-7651
Office hours: 7:45 a.m. to 3:45
p.m.
ALUMNI
UPDATES
REGISTER NOW!!!
May/Summer 2005
Course Offerings:
WS 3600: Ecofeminist
Theories and Practices, 9
a.m.–12 p.m., M, Tu, W, Th,
F, Cina 202, Beth Bartlett.
WS 3400: Women and Film,
1 p.m.–3:30 p.m., M, Tu, W,
Th in BohH 112, Susana Pe-
layo-Woodward.
FEMINIST TOUR:
The Feminist tour of local
organizations (Safe Ha-
ven, Transitional Housing
for Women, YWCA, Build-
ing for Women, PAVSA,
Women’s Health Center,
Center for Non Violence,
Domestic Abuse Interven-
tion Project, Mending the
Sacred Hoop, Chester Creek
House) organized by Su-
sana Pelayo-Woodward
and Tineke Ritmeester on
April 1st was a success. Ten
students and three faculty
members participated.
Twenty-two people attended
the dinner at Chester Creek
House.
If you’d like alumni updates via
email, please email Beth, bbart-
let@d.umn.edu or Geraldine,
ws@d.umn.edu, your email
address.
2005 Women’s Studies Graduates
PAGE 3
grown a lot through these classes
and for the better.
Emily Ringstad: Women’s
Studies has been for me a sanctu-
ary in which I truly feel free to
speak my mind without castiga-
tion or judgment. I am a feminist
because I believe in the goodness
of the human spirit—both incar-
nations, female and male. View-
ing the world under the lens of
feminism has allowed me to see
(and/or better understand)
things I had previously missed;
such as misogyny, racism, vio-
lence against women, militariza-
tion, imperialism, and ecological
destruction. It is a bittersweet
awareness—bitter because of a
sharpened consciousness in an
unjust world—sweet because I
have been introduced to a new
world in which my experience as
a woman are celebrated and
taken seriously.
Melissa Rickman: Women’s
Studies has broadened my
knowledge of the world.
VOLUME 18, ISSUE 4
Opened my eyes to all the possibili-
ties that women have because you
are a human whether male or fe-
male. All opportunities are open to
you. It encouraged me to reach out
to people of other classes, races,
etc., and taught me to not fear the
unknown, but to embrace it.
Elizabeth McPeek: The concepts
and theories I have learned in my
time in the Women’s Studies De-
partment have supplied me with
the tools to truly succeed in the
world. The ideologies that encom-
pass Women’s Studies have helped
define who I am as a feminist and
therefore as a woman. The lessons I
have learned already impact my life
in numerous ways and I am excited
to see how Women’s Studies will
continue to shape my experiences
in this world.
Chelsey Evans and Ann Wilcox
Chelsey Evans: Love, Tolerance,
Friendships, Taking A
Stand, Womyn, SHAN LENC,
War & Peace, Awakening,
Knowledge, Challenge, &
Exciting:Words will never be
able to describe my feelings and the
knowledge I have gained.
Ann Wilcox: Women’s Studies
has been the calm within the storm.
You know that feeling...where
you’re comfortable and belong and
truly mean something?
What have been the highlights?
*Fine-tuning my critical thinking
and writing skills, thanks to Ti-
neke’s tenacity. *Taking Njoki’s
course freed me. Cut loose from
the ties of perfection and the im-
portance of GPA, I was able to
focus on attaining knowledge!
*Beth’s flexibility within assign-
ments enabled me to grow and find
my niche and the WS Senior Semi-
nar research has guided me to a
path I need to further explore:
Expressive Art and Healing. *Then
there’s Geraldine, who has laughed
so many times with me! Working
in our small, hot, informal yet
efficient office has taught me in-
valuable lessons, of which there are
too many to count. *Feminist
friendships!
I’m lucky to have stumbled upon
this department and the magnifi-
cent women within! Women’s
Studies is the passion that lights my
soul on fire—and keeps me alive.
Libby Brandt: I fell in love with
the Women’s Studies program my
sophomore year in college, while
attending Mankato State Univer-
sity. The Women’s Studies pro-
gram would soon shape my future
and self. At UMD I became in-
volved with certain individuals and
events that brought me to life. I
don’t know when I first heard the
word feminist, but I knew from the
beginning that I was one. During
my time here at school, I have had
to deal with some difficult things.
However, if it wasn’t for my fight-
ing ability, which I learned in my
Continued on the back page
Brianna Peterson: I like
Women’s Studies because it lets
me take my own shape and does
not mold me into something I’m
not. I also like monkeys and
walks in the woods.
Caroline Ouellette:
My Women’s Studies major has
made me embrace feminism in
my life. It has enlightened me on
the issues that impact women. It
has helped me see life through
the eyes of women of different
backgrounds and discover that
obstacles faced by women are
interconnected amongst gender,
class, and race. It has given me
vision to participate in the crea-
tion of a new culture of toler-
ance, mutual respect and the
defeat of oppression. Women’s
Studies has taught me that equal-
ity is a right, not a privilege, and
that both women and men must
be activists for change for a bet-
ter world than the one we
started in. I hope to work in a
field where I can challenge and
be challenged by women in or-
der to continue to grow as
strong and independent woman.
Christina Ethier: Women’s
Studies has meant a lot to me. It
has changed the way I see the
world. It has also opened my
eyes to all of the injustices in the
world. Women’s Studies has
changed me personally. I have
Nonprofit Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 705
Duluth, Minnesota
University of Minnesota Duluth
475 Humanities
1201 Ordean Court
Duluth MN 55812
Phone: 218-726-7953
Fax: 218-726-7651
Email: ws@d.umn.edu
Website: www.d.umn.edu/ws
UMD DEPARTMENT OF
WOMEN
’S STUDIES
question is what can’t I do with a
Women’s Studies degree.
Women’s Studies is a program
that takes on discrimination, op-
pression, sexism, and a wide vari-
ety of other areas. Quite frankly if
you think about it, it is fighting for
your rights and everyone you
know, love, and respect. A femi-
nist is just that; someone who
stands up for her rights and those
of others.
What I will be doing with my
Women’s Studies degree in the
near future is attending law school
at Colorado State. My hopes are
to actively change the damaging
patriarchal system and laws that
have been imposed on us as a
society. Unavoidably, my voice
will be heard, for I am and always
will be a feminist at heart and a
rebel by spirit.
Women’s Studies program, I
would have never made it
through. It has taught me that I
can do anything I set my mind to.
Nothing comes easy in this world
and if you want something you
need to fight for it. I learned how
to respect others and look at men
in a different light. Not in anger,
with which so many people asso-
ciate the word “feminist,” but in
the manner of looking at the
differences between the genders
and analyzing what similarities
there actually are. On the flip
side, we study about violence,
abuse, and war that so many
people are exposed to. I could
not believe what actually happens
out there when I just opened my
eyes and allowed myself to see it.
I get a lot of questions about my
major. People often ask me what
it is, and what I am going to do
with it. The way I approach that
2005 GRADUATES
CONTINUED
….
THE UNIVERSITY
OF
MINNESOTA IS
AN
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EDUCATOR
AND EMPLOYER
.
*Mark Your Calendar!!!
Guest speaker,
Njoki Kamau,
UMD Professor of
Women's Studies
presents
"Everyday
Racism in
Academia"
*All are welcome!
Return Service Request
Wednesday, May 4
12 Noon
KSC 268