Check out this awesome blog!

The theme of my Women in Contemporary Society class over the past few weeks has been reproductive justice, so I have been on this kick lately in learning more about what is going on right now. Since this issue will ultimately affect me for the rest of my life, I have been actively trying to learn more about the movement itself and what progress is being made. I think it is important that we all keep up-to-date on what is going on with the reproductive rights movement and how legislation is changing in our state. My professor and former Women's Center director, Mandy Restivo, has a wonderful blog that you should check out. Her posts focus on current issues in the realm of reproductive rights and what developments are being made here in New Jersey. Thanks, Mandy!



http://reproductivejusticenj.blogspot.com/

Women's Center Reading List: Fat!So?

As Laura wrote about a few weeks ago, the Women's Center has a library full of really interesting books that students and faculty can check out! Every so often we're going to feature one of the books in our library here on the blog -  all books highlighted here are available to borrow, all you have to do is stop by the Women's Center (C220) and ask someone on staff to give you a hand!

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Fat!So? by Marilyn Wann is a book about Fat Acceptance with a really interesting tone. I love it because it is funny and easy to read. The book is split up into many short and medium-length sections that can be read out of order, making it a great book to just pick up and flip through when you have a few moments to spare.

Michelle Goldberg reviewed this book in Salon in 1999. Here's an excerpt from that:

Lots of writers like to pretend they're spurning cultural rules -- witness the floods of prose about sex work, incest, heroin addiction, s/m and mental illness. But in reality, copping to any of these things is as likely to increase a scribe's social status as it is to render him a pariah. Fat is different. Fat people don't even have subcultural coolness as a comfort. Not fitting into society's weight ideal really is likely to exclude one from both the mainstream and from the radical chic elite. Despite the recent flippant headline in W magazine, "Living Large: Fat Is Back," being a size 22 -- or a size 10, for that matter -- is far from fashionable.

Not that you would know that, though, from reading "Fat!So?" -- whose tireless cheerleading often succeeds in making it seem OK to be big. Wann forgoes the angsty musings of more "serious" books about appearance anxiety like the essay collections "Minding the Body" and "Beauty Secrets." Instead, "Fat!So?" is relentlessly fun, with features like a Venus of Willendorf paper doll (replete with nine cute cut-out outfits), silly songs and poems, even "Heroes and Villains of Fat History" trading cards. Section titles include "You, Too, Can be Flabulous!" "Why You Should Dye Your Hair Hot Pink" and "The Joys of Fat Sex."

 Read the rest here!

Before it was a book, Fat!So? was a zine and web-community that Wann managed.  It can still be accessed by clicking here! The Fat Acceptance Movement (which is a part of a larger Body Acceptance Movement, the terms are sometimes used interchangeably) has a large presence online.

Some prominent blogs about Fat Acceptance/Size Acceptance/Body Acceptance include:

Two Whole Cakes by Leslie Kinzel. "Two Whole Cakes is a full-fat and diet-free blog dealing with body politics and cultural criticism."

Shapely Prose by Kate Harding.

The Rotund by Marianne Kirby. "I'm on a mission here to let you know that fat people are not your enemy. And skinny people aren't your enemy either. Here, the body is a political one no matter its size or shape. We are going to unpack society's standards of beauty, the oppression of the dominant social paradigm when it comes to body conformity, and talk about clothes. Maybe even makeup. Because I do love makeup. Here, I hope, we will come to a place of acceptance. Acceptance for our own bodies and for the bodies of others."

Definatalie.com by Natalie."I am a fancy lady. A bombastic beehive of passion, sass and anxiety. A creative bon vivant who proudly calls Brisbane, Australia home. I draw, design and advocate for fat acceptance." 

The Fat Nutritionist by Michelle. "Eating normally is the new black."

Fat!So? has been checked out at the time of posting, but will return to the library soon. Stop by the Women's Center if you'd like to receive an e-mail when the book returns to our shelf!

Thanksgiving Break Note

Blog Note: The Women's Center staff will be on vacation from Wednesday, November 24th to Sunday, November 28th. Regular posting will resume on Monday. In the meantime, if anyone has a blog post that they would like to see on here, as always, you can send it to jgrimald@ramapo.edu or women@ramapo.edu to submit it for posting. Have a great Thanksgiving Break!

The Story of Stuff

We watched this video, The Story of Stuff, last night in my class. It's a really interesting video about how the stuff that we use every day is created, consumed, and the disposed of and how that cycle of consumption is going to affect the planet and the creatures that inhabit it in the future.

All I could think while watching this video was fuck. As I looked down at my brand new Forever 21 sweater, a sweater that was cute but that I honestly didn't need; as I looked down at the new nail-polish on my fingers (probably filled with caustic, toxic chemicals); as I looked down at the water bottle I had purchased a few hours before because I had forgotten, yet again, to pack my reusable bottle in the morning... all I could feel was guilt because I knew I was contributing to this system. Not only was I hurting myself, with all of the chemicals that go into everything from water bottles to nail polish; I was hurting the the planet with those same chemicals, and the resources that were burned up converting things found in the earth into the things found in my purse; I was hurting people that I will likely never meet, people who work for next to no money to make the clothes, and water bottles, and nail polish, and notebooks, and stuff that I consume on a daily basis.

This is not the first time I have felt this guilt. Every so often I see or read something, like this article about Fiji Water, that makes me realize just how messed up our system of consumption is in this country. This guilt always leads to me making small changes in my life - like buying a reusable water bottle, or using a diva cup instead of creating more waste via pads and tampons, or recycling when I can... but these small changes still leave me feeling powerless to affect any real change.

This video is great because Annie Leonard makes the point that individual consumer decisions, while important, cannot change the system alone. Fighting to make companies remove the chemicals from their products, or treat their workers well... these are the changes that will really fix the system, because the companies are the ones with the real choices. Her website has a whole bunch of suggestions for how individuals can get informed and get involved and help to convince lawmakers and companies to make the changes that will fix the system, as well as ways to make individual decisions that better protect you and your loved ones from the dangers that exist now.

Alternative Thanksgiving Events

This upcoming Thursday is, of course, when people all over the United States will be celebrating Thanksgiving with their friends and families. However, not everyone is so quick to uphold this traditional holiday – for many years now protests have been held on the fourth Thursday of November in opposition to Thanksgiving. Two major protests that happen every year are the “National Day of Mourning” on the East Coast and “Unthanksgiving Day” on the West Coast.

The first of these two began forty years ago, organized by the United American Indians of New England, as a way of protesting the continued celebration of a group of immigrants whom they viewed as bringing severe issues like racism, sexism, and homophobia along with them to land that was already occupied by indigenous peoples. The event is described as one in which, “We are mourning our ancestors and the genocide of our peoples and the theft of our lands. NDOM is a day when we mourn, but we also feel our strength in political action.” Actions that have occurred on the National Day of Mourning include burying Plymouth Rock, boarding a replica of the Mayflower, and putting Ku Klux Klan robes on statues of those who played a part in the oppression of native peoples of this country.

The second of these protests was inspired by the occupation of Alcatraz Island by the Alcatraz-Red Power Movement in 1969. This occupation occurred due to an 1868 treaty which stated that any out-of-use or surplus government land that was taken from the indigenous peoples of America must be returned to them; thus, when Alcatraz ceased to be used as a prison, it qualified as reclaimable by the indigenous population. What ensued was a year-and-a-half long occupation that ended with the United States government forcibly removing those who remained on the island. Since 1975, people have gathered there as a remembrance of this historic protest and to continue to fight for their rights and honor their heritage.

So for all of those who celebrate this holiday, take a moment to think of those whose pasts were greatly and horribly affected by the people who are so often celebrated during Thanksgiving.

The A-List: Amazing or Atrocious?

Over the summer I caught wind that LOGO would be producing a new reality TV show I had only dreamed would actually be in existence. The show was to be a spin-off of the successful Bravo series “The Real Housewives”, however, would have a little twist. This season we wouldn’t be following the lives of “housewives”, but househusbands instead. I can only be talking about “The A-List: New York”.

I have to admit – I was a bit hesitant to jump on this bandwagon. While seeing sneak-previews all summer I was horrified of the implications this show would have on the LGBT community. Now, while we’re in the middle of a battle for marriage equality, wouldn’t the attitudes and presentation of the cast members influence heavily on the minds of American viewers and their opinions on marriage equality? I say: yes and no.

While it’s easy to see the negative implications this show will have on the LGBT community (shallow, narcissistic, six-pack abs, dominantly white cast) let us remember what kind of show this is. It is a reality TV show, which are designed for pure entertainment. If viewers are watching this show to gain a greater sense or appreciation for the LGBT community, then perhaps they need to take a look at other reality TV shows. How often is it that people watch reality TV for thought-provoking, ground-breaking, extraordinary characters? Seldom, if at all probably. Reality TV is watched mostly for laughs and to see adults act in some of the craziest ways. So if this is the case, then why should a reality TV show featuring an all gay cast be any different from the hundreds of heterosexual starred shows?

Let’s look at the other “Real Housewives” seasons. Each season has had some intense characters that all had their shocking and crazy moments. Has watching these women on TV changed the general public’s opinion on every housewife in America? Probably not. And if it has – do you really want to trust someone’s opinion if it’s based off something they’ve seen on a reality TV show?

However, let’s not write off this argument altogether. So “The A-List” has been deemed by some reputable source as offensive to the LGBT community. There are several other television shows that the LGBT community is portrayed positively. The first example that comes to mind is the gay couple from “Modern Family”. Both characters are portrayed as good, loving parents who act like any couple would. They just so happen to be gay. Kurt from “Glee” is another great example of a positive LGBT figure in media. He’s outspoken but respectable. In media, the heterosexual community is portrayed both positively and negatively, so therefore – shouldn’t the LGBT community, too?

I for one am not looking at “The A-List” to be this great thought-provoking show. I think its pretty great that we are even able to have an entire show dedicated to gay couples and their lives. My only complaint is the diversity among them. As of right now, if this were to be people’s only view on gay couples, they would see men with perfect bodies, shallow attitudes, who are dominantly white. However, rumor has it there is going to be a Dallas and San Francisco spin offs respectively, so perhaps more diversity will be incorporated further down the road. And with two spin-offs on the way, they must be doing something right to get those ratings.

Sentenced to Death for Blasphemy

In Itan Wali, Pakistan, 45-year-old Asia Bibi is being sentenced to death by the Pakistani church. Not because she had killed, injured, or stole from someone, but due to something she said. Prosecutors say Bibi, who is a Christian, broke Pakistan's strict blasphemy law by insulting Islam and the prophet Muhammad, a crime punishable by death or life imprisonment according to Pakistan's penal code. As stated in what we would call a constitution they have a distinct code 295-C, which states whoever defiles the sacred name of the Hole Prophet Muhammad shall be punished by death.

The alleged incident happened in June 2009 when Bibi, a field worker, was picking fruit in a village two hours west of Lahore. Prosecutors say when Bibi dipped her cup into a bucket of drinking water during a lunch break; her co-workers complained the water had been contaminated by a non-Muslim. They were not going to accept her ways and were definitely not willing to assimilate her into the community. In spite of her outrage, according to CNN "She said your Muhammad had worms in his mouth before he died," Satar told CNN, a crude way of saying Muhammad was no prophet. The town cleric, Qari Muhammad Salim, reported the incident to police who arrested Bibi. After nearly 15 months in prison came her conviction to the death sentence. Bibi, has appealed her conviction but it can take months before they receive a decision.

Asia, a loving mother and wife, is being sentenced due to her belief in another god and for disrespecting the Muslim religion. But, was she wrong for the statements she had said. Pakistan has never executed someone convicted of blasphemy but in Bibi's village public opinion was unanimous. Human rights groups have long blamed Pakistan's blasphemy laws for persecution and violence against religious minorities. There is no unity or acceptance for anything other. The town cleric, who made the initial complaint against Bibi, called her death sentence one of the happiest moments of his life. This is unnecessary and outraging, this reminds me of stony in Nigeria, as well as honor killings. Countries outside of America do things differently and we can respect that but when does it become too far? At what point do people say we need to do something about this? This is a story of discrimination and social alienation.

Postal Service Incident in Massachusets

Mail carrier Hugson Jean was slapped and called a racial epithet by Hingham, MA resident Erica Winchester after he refused to take back a letter which she had already signed for. Under USPS rules, a postal worker cannot undeliver signed-for mail, so Jean told her to sort it out at the post office. He has since been fired and claims it was because of this incident. Naturally, the post office claims it was for unrelated reasons.

[Warning: These videos, which show the conversation that took place between Jean and Winchester after he refused to take the letter back contain racist language that could be triggering/upsetting to hear.]





After the video surfaced, theSmokingGun.com discovered that Winchester had previously been arrested for threatening members of a cabaret; she told the police officer who arrested her that she would “chop off” his genitals. A prior arrest for drunk driving ended in Winchester being restrained after trying to hit a paramedic.
‘When officers asked Winchester to leave the armory, she refused, and “became immediately offensive.” Cops subsequently placed her under arrest, though she resisted when an officer sought to handcuff her. When she refused to get into the back of a police cruiser, Winchester had to be forced into the vehicle by three cops.

“While putting Winchester in my cruiser," Officer Philip Tracey reported, “She made the comment that she was going to chop off my genitals.”’

A number of accounts refer to her as the “crazy White lady”. While her mental health issues should not be used to exonerate her, the ableism displayed in these discussions is unacceptable. Both racism and ableism serve the same purpose: to preserve a divisive hierarchy of bodies and ensure that certain people are privileged above others. Winchester’s actions do not issue from a place of disability, but a place of hatred.

Blog by Women's Center Volunteer, Laura!

Unequal Pay for Equal Work

We all know the phrase, "equal pay for equal work", an issue, that in this day and age, should not be an issue any more. Let's face it, one individual who does the same work as another individual should receive the same amount of pay, no matter what gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, etc, etc, that they identify with. On average, a woman makes 78 cents (give or take a few) to every man's dollar. And that statistic does not take into account race or other characteristics of a person, which can often raise the difference.

Sitting in my Health Care policy class this week, my professor discussed this topic in the context of my future profession. A DNP or Doctorate in Nursing Practice is a terminal degree in nursing, whose program teaches even more in-depth about the clinical aspects of nursing. Currently, there is a huge debate in the field that nurses who hold these positions do equal the amount of work, but are paid less than an MD, simply because they are not considered a "doctor". It is also no secret, that in our society, women tend to become nurses, while men tend to become doctors. And while this climate is slowly changing, where more men are enrolling in nursing school, and more women are enrolling in medical school, I wonder if this pay inequity somehow translates to this obvious gender difference among the two professions.

I think this will be an interesting argument to follow, especially considering nursing and nursing education is constantly changing and adapting. Also, if I ever consider getting my doctorate in nursing, this will be something I will have to be constantly aware of.

Jenga & Social Justice

In lieu of an actual blog post today, we'd like to share a video of the most intense Jenga game ever from the Social Justice Coalition's recent All Together Different Student Leadership Retreat, which took place two weeks ago at the YWCA Camp Bernie. Students at the retreat got to learn about Social Justice through interactive activities as well as large and small group discussions.

The Social Justice Coalition is a new organization on the Ramapo campus made up of student leaders, faculty and staff dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of valuing and celebrating diversity as well as working together to promote a safe, inclusive college community.

If you're interested in joining the group you can stop by the next meeting! Meetings are posted on the Coalition's facebook page which is open to anyone.

When Will the Bullying End?

One week ago today, 14 year-old Samantha Kelly, a freshman at Huron High School in New Boston, Michigan, committed suicide in her home. Samantha, who had filed a police report after being sexually assaulted by an 18 year-old fellow student Joe Tarnopolski on September 27th, was bullied brutally by her classmates after hearing of the report she filed. To add insult to injury for Samantha’s family and friends, the statutory rape charges against her attacker were dropped on Wednesday and he was released from custody. Prosecutors stated that with its key witness dead, there was not enough evidence to convict Tarnopolski of any wrong-doing. The bullying that Samantha faced was allegedly from several different sources, mainly friends of Tarnopolski, who threatened to beat her up. It was also revealed that a group of girls approached her in the cafeteria and insisted that she was lying about what had happened to her. Students deliberately bumped into her in the hallways and it was even reported that Samantha was nearly jumped on two separate occasions. As we have seen in the recent bullying-related suicides that have plagued our nation in the previous months, popular social networking sites Facebook and Twitter have also been used as weapons to harm the victim. Not only did Joe Tarnopolski tweet his feelings about Samantha Kelly, “All girls are, are liars and backstabbers! I hate you all. Way to ruin my life. Seriously, now this will be on my record for life!” but even after her death, Samantha was tormented on a Facebook group meant to honor her life. Users uploaded inappropriate, violent images of suicides and jokes about “hanging in there.” Many of the comments posted have been deleted, but as of a few minutes ago, the images remain.

The issue of bullying in our schools has come to shocking new levels. Having a mother who teaches in a Middle School setting, I hear about the bullying that she witnesses on a daily basis. The recent deaths of students bullying for being queer shocked the nation and caused people to really take a look at what is going on with the younger generation. Or so I thought. It is this most recent suicide that has me even more upset; not only did a 14 year-old girl take her life because she was bullied, she was bullied because she had the courage to file a report after being sexually assaulted. I think that what we really need to be focusing our time and effort on in our schools is tolerance. Teaching kids the golden rule: treating others as one would like others to treat oneself. Really making kids realize the impact of their words and actions and emphasizing that respecting others is what makes you a better person.

Rest in Peace, Samantha Kelly.

Tyler Perry's "For Colored Girls" Analysis

On Sunday of last week I attended a showing of Tyler’s Perry’s new film “For Colored Girls”. Based on the Black Feminist play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow if Enuf by Ntozake Shange, Perry’s adaptation used original text and diologue as well as new diologue written by Perry himself. Check out the trailer of the star studded film.


While I give Perry credit for producing a stunning piece of film with gripping performances, I feel that Perry truly lost the heart of the piece. This play is incredibly empowering and shows some of the struggles that African-American women have and continue to deal with such as love, abandonment, sexual assault, and abortion. However, Perry’s Christian focused style of directing caused the powerful messages to become skewed. For instance, the young character of Nyla’s first scene is a retelling of her losing her virginity, a monologue originally written for the play character “Lady in Yellow”. However, her sexual awakening is portrayed negatively, as she ends up becoming pregnant and getting a backdoor abortion; a heartbreaking scene originally intended for the “Lady in Blue."

This melding of characters condemns unmarried sex. Furthermore, the addition of a character whose husband is “on the downlow”, as well as victim blaming in cases of sexual assault and murder results in the opposite message being sent by Perry from what Shange intended. While not a complete loss and still a beautiful movie with strong female characters, Tyler Perry’s “For Colored Girls” is sure to delight audiences…. unless they’ve read the play.

Check Out Our Library!

The Women's Center has many different resources to offer. One of which is our extension of the school library. We have books specifically on women and gender studies, queer issues, family life, and race.

If you have a paper for a class with topics pertaining to any of the ones listed above, feel free to stop by the Women's Center in C-220 to take out a book.

We also have a small collection of DVDs for your viewing pleasure. They range from documentaries to feature films. One of our most recent additions is MILK.

Stop by the WC to check out the selection!

"Wife Beater": Let It Dye Out - Tomorrow, November 9th

Tomorrow night at 9:30 pm in J. Lee’s The Women’s Center will be co-sponsoring the event “Wife Beater”: Let It Dye Out with Lambda Sigma Upsilon. This event challenges students to think critically about their use of language and how it affects our society and our culture. Our featured speaker for the evening is former Men’s Outreach Coordinator Jean Semelfort, who will be leading our discussion of these issues. After the discussion ends, participants at the event will be able to dye a white tank top purple, the color of domestic violence awareness.

It is important to recognize that when we use terms like “wife beater” without giving thought to the reasoning behind the phrase, we allow a culture that condones violence against women to continue doing so. Although most people are not violent towards women, by referring to white tank tops as “wife beaters” they are reaffirming the validity of violent people’s actions and also reinforcing stereotypes. The term “wife beater” tends to conjure up the image of a working class, low-income man who sloppily wears a white tank top around his home and is abusive towards his partner. The fact of the matter is domestic abuse takes place at any economic level, and by stereotyping it as an issue that only affects people of a lower income level we are ignoring the larger phenomenon and allowing it to continue.

We as a society need to take steps to reduce domestic violence in our own lives. By taking actions such as calling out friends/acquaintances for making jokes or making light of domestic abuse, or attending an event such as this and dyeing a shirt, we are each doing a small part to reduce interpersonal violence. These small moments (Also known as Green Dots!) will add up over time and create a greater shift towards changing the culture of our society. When participants at this event dye their tank tops, they will be left with a purple shirt that will serve as a constant reminder of their commitment to reducing domestic violence.

10th Annual LGBTQ Leadership Conference

Yesterday, I, along with nine other Ramapo Students and the Director of the Women's Center, Kat McGee, ventured off to New Jersey City University for the 10th Annual LGBTQ Leadership Conference. The conference is designed to bring LGBTQ groups from all around New Jersey colleges together, with the opportunity of attending workshops and networking with other groups.

While at the conference, there were two fabulous keynote speakers - Cyndi Meneghin and Maureen Killian. If there names seem familiar it is because they are most known for being the plaintiffs in the landmark New Jersey civil union case. Cyndi and Maureen have been together for an incredible 36 years and yet their relationship is still not recognized by the state as being a marriage. Both shared anecdotes on their lives and stressed the point that they are just like every other couple - which I found refreshing.

I believe equal marriage would be easier for the opposition to understand if they realized that many gay couples are just like Cyndi and Maureen. Unlike the flashy, outrageous examples we see on TV and magazines, many gay couples have more similarities than differences to straight couples. When confronted by a friend about their relationship, the person could understand and respect their relationship, but could not quite wrap their head around sex. To that, Cyndi replied "We're all mothers here. How often do you think we even get to have sex?" in so many words.

The conference offered a number of workshops and I was even a presenter at one. Seeing so many eager and motivated LGBTQ groups in one place was certainly inspiring, and the new friendships and sponsorships forged on that day will only build the momentum for next year's conference.

Meet the Women's Center: Travis, Becky, and Jill

Welcome to the final installment of Meet the Women's Center staff!

Name: Travis Nicol
Position: Men's Outreach Coordinator
Major: History with Teacher Certification
Year: Junior

Travis' favorite ice cream flavor is Cookie Dough.

The events he was most excited for most this semester were the Violence Awareness Week activities, because they were the first events he planned at the Women's Center. The last Violence Awareness Week Event, called Wife Beater: Let it Dye Out is taking place on Tuesday, November 9th at 9:30pm in J.Lees! At this event former Men's Outreach Coordinator, Jean Semelfort, will be coming back to Ramapo to speak about the connections between language and a culture of violence. Participants in the discussion will be invited to take a white tank top and dye it purple for Interpersonal Violence Awareness!

One fun fact about Travis is that he was born on Friday the 13th.

His favorite youtube videos are Chat Roulette Piano Improv. and Batman Pug!

Name: Becky Garrabrant
Position: Program Coordinator
Major: Marketing
Year: Senior

Becky's favorite ice cream flavor is Chocolate-Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

The event that she was most excited for this semester was Take Back the Night!

One fun fact about Becky is that she studied abroad in Barcelona and she adores the Spanish language and culture.

Her favorite Youtube video is this adorable sleeping puppy video:

Name: Jill Grimaldi
Position: Publicist
Major: Psychology and Communications with a Concentration in Writing
Year: Junior

Jill's favorite ice cream flavors are chocolate chip mint, peanut-butter, or anything with brownies!

She was very excited for Take Back the Night and Dan Choi's speech. The upcoming event that she looks forward to most is Latina Feminist Thought, a conversation with sex positive, woman of color educator and activist Bianca Laureano about her thoughts on Latino/a images in pop culture.

One fun face about Jill is that she is interning with the Margaret Sanger Papers Project this semester as their web outreach intern, bringing the grand total of blogs that she contributes to up to four!

Her favorite Youtube video is probably the Nina Cat video, or any video involving cats being adorable...

"What's Eating You?"

If you haven't gotten a chance to check this 6 part series out yet, please do:

"What's Eating You?" is a show on E! Wednesday nights at 10pm about people who struggle with different types of eating disorders and how they live day to day. It is very heartbreaking to watch, but also really gives the viewer an inside peek at the private struggles these people indure, which many of us have no idea about because of how isolating and secretive this illness generally is.

Here's only a glimpse of what you can expect to see:

The next episode is on tonight on the E! channel at 10pm and is about two people Mona (who suffers from bulimia after her gastric banding surgery) and Andrew (who suffers from the isolating effects of bulimia). Check it out!

And shameless plug, we will be having an information table located in the Fishbowl from 11:30am-2:00pm on Monday, November 8th, 2010. Also, our annual Eating Disorder Awareness Week will be happening again this year February 21st to the 25th, more details to follow!

Election Day is HERE!

Tomorrow is Election Day!! Polls in New Jersey are open 6am-8pm.

To find out where to vote, visit www.njelections.org

Just because it's not a Presidential year does not mean you shouldn't vote! In fact, it should be even more of a reason to do so. Your vote matters more because not as many people vote in off election years.

For example, in my town of Roselle Park, we have a race between 3 candidates for Mayor...for the first time in 16 years we will have a NEW mayor. I'd want to help determine who that would be.

Additionally, every seat in the House of Representatives is up. Vote for who you want to represent you on the Congressional level. If you live in New Jersey, here is a link to who is running in each district.

Also noteworthy, is that this year is considered a "midterm election." Half of the United States Senators' terms are up. New Jersey does not have to worry about it this year. NJ Senator Robert Menendez's term is up in 2013, and NJ Senator Frank Lautenberg's term is up in 2015.

If you're a New York resident, there's a HUGE Gubernatorial race going on.

Lastly, I feel like people forget about or overlook the referendum (a public question about legislation which you can vote to approve or not approve). Sample ballots are usually mailed to your voting address to give you a heads up, so nothing is a surprise on Election Day when you go into the voting booth, or when you leave your Mail-In Ballot for the last minute.

Here’s a link to the public question. And there’s an interpretive statement in case the original question is confusing.

Don't forget to VOTE! Again, polls are open from 6am-8pm.