The Women's Center

Standing up for what you Believe in

2012-02-10T08:26:00.000-08:00

This is a video of 19 year old Zach Wahls, a University of Iowa student speaking at a public forum in the Iowa House of Representatives about gay marriage. Wahls came to oppose legislation that would ban civil unions in the state of Iowa, and he did an awesome job to say the least. Take a look:

I have so much respect for Wahls because I know that it had to have taken a lot of courage to stand up in front of the whole Iowa House of Representatives. For such a young person he has a lot of wisdom that I think we can all learn something from him.

Gay Marriage in Washington

2012-02-09T13:54:00.000-08:00

Washington state legislators voted Wednesday to approve a bill that would allow gay marriage after it was approved by the state senate last week. Now, the bill must be signed into law by the governor (who is expected to do so), making Washington the seventh state to allow gay marriage.

Currently, our home state of New Jersey has bills in process that are aimed at legalizing gay marriage, but given that we have a governor who has pledged to veto any sort of marriage equality bill we have a lot more fighting to do. One NJ senator has introduced a bill that would decide the issue simply by a ballot decision rather than through a bill, but this is not necessarily good for NJ because it would establish an amendment to the state Constitution banning gay marriage if the majority voted as such. This is problematic because people's basic rights should not be decided upon by votes; they should have these rights the same as anyone else. Newark mayor Cory Booker sums it up better than I can, though:

Hopefully one day very soon we as a state and as a country can wake up and realize that no one deserves to be discriminated against based on sexual orientation.

Project Unbreakable - Trigger Warning

2012-02-08T16:02:00.000-08:00

"In October of last year, Grace Brown began a photography project called Project Unbreakable. Grace uses photography to help heal sexual abuse survivors by photographing them with posters that hold quotes from their attackers. Rape survivor and advocate for victims of sexual abuse, Yvonne Moss, describes the project as a way for victims to take the power back of the words that were once used against them."

This is the description for the Project Unbreakable Tumblr. Brown's incredible mission is just that, incredible, and her dedication is inspiring. In response to one reader's comment to "Never, ever, stop" Brown replied:

"This fills my heart with so much gratitude. I don’t plan on stopping. It would take an army of millions to even make me think about stopping."

There are scores of difficult-to-read but wonderful submissions from women and men, and each page of submissions is interspersed with comments and questions from readers. I think this one is my favorite:

"Anonymous asked: Hi. I am 16 years old and male and I want to share this with someone. I have had desires towards my half sister who is 4 years old, and I hate myself for it. I am able to maintain common sense, empathy, and logic, and I would NEVER follow through with what I sometimes feel. I wanted to share this because it's not something I can say to anyone that I know personally. It sickens me that someone might think it's something that can't be controlled. I am so thankful that I can control it. Thanks."

I read this three or four times before I processed it fully. This young man is trying to understand himself and better himself, to keep his sister safe and (thought maybe not consciously) rebuke the notion that we are ruled by our bodies and our sexual desires. I can't claim to understand his experience, but I applaud him for seeking help. Men are not born to be abusers. Neither are women. Women are not born to be victims. Neither are men - at the hands of other people or our own minds.

We can all move past victim blaming, past harmful gendered assumptions, past a society that silently condones violent, non-consensual sexual acts. We can do it together. We can do it by supporting the efforts of Project Unbreakable and activists like Grace Brown.

Here's the video that clued me in to this wonderful movement:

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Also, if you're so inclined, check out the shiny Donate button the Project Unbreakable site and help fund Brown's travels so she can photograph more survivors and add to this brilliant visual display of strength and resilience.

Prop 8 Ruled Unconstitutional!

2012-02-07T11:14:00.000-08:00

Today, by a slim margin of 2-1, a federal court in California ruled Prop 8, a ban on same-sex marriage in that state, as unconstitutional. This is just the first step, as the case will now have to move on to the Supreme Court. However, I see it as one giant step in the right direction.

Judge Stephen Reinhardt wrote, "Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to officially reclassify their relationships and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples."

Unfortunately, same-sex couples are still unable to marry despite the ruling. Stay posted as the case travels all the way to the Supreme Court!

Happy Post-Superbowl-Sweat-Pants Day!

2012-02-06T14:20:00.000-08:00

After a full day of gorging myself on fried delicacies, screaming at athletes who can in no way hear what I’m saying, and watching adorable puppies play with a toy football, it might be time to talk about what was really important last night: The commercials. It was once again made abundantly clear how the people in charge of advertising think their viewers value women. Yes, I get it. They are catering for a certain demographic, and that demographic is pretty much anyone of the male persuasion. However, isn’t it time to also cater to men who, I don’t know, value women beyond their body? Also, as a woman who watched the game, it would be nice to see a commercial that doesn’t make me feel invaluable because of my size and my not-being-a-supermodel-ness.

Nevertheless, it was just commercial after commercial of sexualized women talking about domain names (Yes, I’m talking about you Go Daddy!) or telling men that they’d exchange sex for flowers. M&Ms went a slightly different route by replacing a scantily clad supermodel with naked M&Ms… it was still weird, but at least that one was funny.

I’ll leave you with a video of what might be my favorite commercial of the night. After all, when you objectify women, it’s quite easy to confuse them for a car:

The Feminist Ryan Gosling

2012-02-03T11:13:00.000-08:00

So I found this awesome blog called 'Feminist Ryan Gosling' today and I think I'm in love. A college student came up with the idea to put all of the feminist theory she was learning in her college women's studies course onto flashcards. To make studying the flashcards easier and more enjoyable, she put different pictures of Ryan Gosling on them! Sounds like a great study tool, right?! One thing led to another, and now there is a whole blog with feminist theory quotes alongside the beautiful Mr. Gosling. So without further ado, click here to check out some of the masterpieces!

Feminism For The Cure!

2012-02-02T14:49:00.000-08:00

To whomever hacked the Susan G. Komen website and posted this hilariously truthful banner,

Thank you.

Hackers changed the ad promoting the Komen Marathon to ask donors to help them "run over poor women on [their] way to the bank" this morning. This is just one current example of online feminism, and I love it.

Pro-Choice Theatre at Ramapo!

2012-02-02T11:51:00.000-08:00

Next Tuesday, The Women's Center is working with Professor Mandy Restivo to bring the play Words of Choice to Ramapo! Words of Choice is a play that depicts twelve short scenarios of individuals, couples, and families facing the decision of whether or not an abortion is an appropriate or available option to them. Some stories are empowering; others are heartbreaking. All are very realistic depictions of struggles that occur in the lives of hundreds every day. Tickets are free at Roadrunner Central! Come out and see this performance!

This play, in my opinion, perfectly embodies the purpose of the arts in social justice. It takes the creative energies of a few people and uses them to channel the anger that many activists feel into a work of art more palatable to the public. A play about reproductive justice, if well publicized, could have just as much of an impact as a rally would. In fact, I would say artistic means of protest and activism are more well-recieved in general. If a person feels passionately about issues of social justice and possesses some level of creativity, I believe artistic forms of outreach can raise awareness and rally folks to the cause.

A few recent developments on the topic of reproductive justice include the withdrawal of sponsorship from Planned Parenthood by the Susan G. Komen foundation. Despite the other services offered by Planned Parenthood, all funds were withdrawn because one of the recently appointed board members identifies as pro-life and does not support access to abortion. Read more about this event in the blog Lexi posted yesterday!

The national initiative, Repeal Hyde Art Project, will introduce the first Day of Action on February 10. This encourages college students and other groups dedicated to social justice to color birds (the original art idea) and display them in an art installation in public. Photographs of the installations will be sent to representatives to encourage them to cease reinstating the Hyde Amendment annually. Learn more about the initiative at the Repeal Hyde Art Project website.

"Don't Take Away My Cancer Sceenings"

2012-02-01T13:13:00.000-08:00

In this race for the presidency, women’s rights, especially reproductive rights, seem to have become the hot button issue. Week after week, in every debate, candidates are discussing birth control, abortion, and ultimately, morality (because there seems to be some belief that these are all related) as an easy way to prove that they are more conservative than the other candidate.

As a female-bodied person, I find this not only stifling but also infuriating that anyone feels like they have some say over my own reproductive rights.

The newest snafu isn’t directly connected to the presidential race, but I can’t help but think that the political climate regarding women’s health has something to do with it. The Susan G. Komen foundation, the nation’s leading breast cancer charity, announced that it would be cutting ties with the organization Planned Parenthood because of their opposing opinions of abortion. This means that because PP refuses to stop helping women who want abortions, they will lose a huge amount of money in grants that would go towards health care, especially breast screenings.

By pitting two of the biggest women’s health organizations against each other, a gross amount of underprivileged women will suffer from this lack of funding and access to much needed health care. I guess in this race, the Republican candidates aren’t really concerned with poor women’s votes. Personally, I think it’s time to remind them that women, especially middle and working class, are in fact the majority in this country. Our rights and voices matter, and its time they finally recognize this instead of abusing it.

We've Got A Long Way to Go Trigger Warning

2012-02-01T12:22:00.000-08:00

This past week, threatening messages directed at the queer community were found at Montclair State University. While not outright directed at specific individuals, messages stating that gay students would die on February 7th were found in a bathroom and in a note left at the campus LGBT center. MSU president Susan Cole stated in an email to the campus, "These actions are grossly unacceptable in our community and a clear violation of university policies, as well as the basic tenets of human decency."

It is sad that in this day and age we still have people who are targeting LGBT members within their community, especially on a college campus where people are supposed to learn to challenge and expand their world views, not propagate hateful ignorance. As if this was not enough, reading the comments left by readers on the local news site I read this on disturbed me. Readers posted such things as:

"LBGT center......really, they need all of that? Sounds like a tough place to be a straight guy.....yuck."

"Oh my god someone offended the gay community everybody watch out."

"Whoever did this is guilty of vandalism for writing on the wall, that's it. There's no hate/bias crime here. The freedom of speech applies to all not just oversensitive gays. Why doesn't Montclair State have a Heterosexual Center, I mean they have a LGBT center? Sounds like the university is discriminating against heterosexuals."

"Do we have a 'normal center'?"

"Hey, if they die, than they die.. who cares really."

These are just a few of the many comments left that leave me astounded at the sheer number of people who are so wrapped up in hatred and ignorance that they would take the time to actively condemn members of the queer community who have had to deal with death threats at their university, a place that is supposed to be their home. The Ramapo College Women's Center's thoughts are with MSU, and we hope that the students there can find peace and security in the face of these hateful messages. We've got a long way to go, but we will get there together.

For anyone at Ramapo College who has been particularly affected by this incident, our confidential queer support group meets Mondays at 9:30pm in the Women's Center, and our staff is always available for peer listening should it be needed.

2012-01-31T16:02:00.000-08:00

A loving husband kills his wife for having a baby girl and his mother, the wife's mother in law, assisted in this horrific act. In the country of Afghanistan being a woman is one of the hardest and most disgraceful things. According to Zainab Salbi, Founder and CEO of Women for Women International, since the Taliban times of violence women have gained rights against such acts and have gained a sense of identity, but because they are "women" according to some people's cultures women are the inferior gender and due to this belief practices are conducted against women degrading, assaulting and abusing them. What was the point of the rights and laws enacted for them? Who is responsible for not taking charge? What can they do to increase the likelihood of a CHANGE happening? What would be classified as formal equality in this situation? What would we consider the baseline of equality as in the baseline for women in Afghanistan?

Women and girls have no one to turn to because although rights have been implemented men in the country are still superior and believed over women. The government has played no real role in authorizing that women are treated with respect or alone as human beings. Moral equality has no relevance in this country, human rights are not of importance unless it pertains to the men. Women's rights are human rights, these traditions should not be seen as only a crime against women but as a flaw of the country as a whole. I believe not only as women should they have the right to safety, security, and life but they shouldn't fear that they are always at risk of harm. Having a society full of men would be useless in a sense of procreation and pointless in a sense of the household life, which is believed to be taken care of by women. It is contradictory for them to believe men are superior and that when their wives have girls it is a doom to their family, but then they need women to create more lives and form a stable home. How in any situation could a women control the sex of her child, as well how does this constitute as a reasoning to be murdered? Who places the pricing of a male-identified baby having a more successful or productive life than a female? This is absolutely unacceptable and an extreme call for justice and speaking out.

Feminism in the Theater

2012-01-30T14:35:00.000-08:00

Being a theater major, I have had the opportunity to be exposed to many different kinds of theater and performance. However, only a small portion of that has been able to be categorized as having feminist themes. Young Jean Lee’s Untitled Feminist Show is my first exception. I had to go see this show last Saturday knowing only that I expected it to be weird and full of nudity. Seeing the title Untitled Feminist Show, I realized that even as a feminist, I have a lot of bias and preconceived notions on what would make it a feminist show. I totally expected it to be this angry, in your face, piece about the right way to be a feminist, and if you aren’t that specific type of person, you’re a terrible human being. I really couldn’t have been any more wrong about this, however.

Young Jean Lee’s Untitled Feminist Show at Baryshnikov Arts Center is a show made up of short sequences that encompass every different kind of feminist and questions gender politics. It was performed by six female-bodied actors but not all of these performers identified as female. This intention was super interesting to me because it’s a choice so subtle that if you didn’t read the program, you wouldn’t know. However, it’s really important for bringing every side of the feminist experience into the show.

The show itself was more of a whimsical dance, full of humor, that created connections between a Utopian feminist culture and the world we live in now. The piece had no written text, so all the stories and characters were portrayed through movement. This choice gave them the ability to stay away from just spewing ideologies, and instead, they focused on opening the minds of the audience to new possibilities

If you have the chance, I totally recommend going!!! It was a great experience to see feminism at work in the theater community and in the world.

Domestic Violence Bills That Make No Sense

2012-01-27T07:27:00.000-08:00

Two new bills proposed in New Hampshire would severely affect the handling of domestic violence cases, making it much more difficult to stop abusers and protect survivors.

The first, House Bill 1581, would be a huge blow to the power police officers have when responding to a domestic abuse call. The officer would have to witness the actual abuse happening or leave to get a warrant to arrest an abuser, rather than using clear evidence and their own common sense.

The second, House Bill 1608, would affect how abusers with restraining orders against them are dealt with by police. Instead of being able to arrest someone for violating his or her restraining order, the person in question would only be able to be arrested if they violated the restraining order THREE times.

I am honestly shocked by the message that these bills send and the effects they would have on people involved in abusive relationships. For a state that has some of the strongest domestic abuse laws in the nation, New Hampshire is on the brink of trading that status for laws that would limit the chances of survivors to escape their situation as well as put them in harm's way. I cannot conceive of a way in which these bills would actually reduce domestic violence or properly deal with the perpetrators of this abuse; both bills would make it easier for abusers to escape arrest and prosecution, as well as keep survivors of violence trapped in situations where their abusers could easily continue to inflict pain and suffering upon them. One instance of abuse is too much, and these laws would give abusers the ability to continue to do so, so long as they don't get caught three times (Because we all know that no instance of violence is really severe enough to warrant an arrest if it's only the first or second documented violation, right?) or do it before the police show up to witness the violence.

Here's hoping that these bills are not signed into law, because they would be a serious setback to dealing with domestic abuse that put innocent lives on the line.

History, Abridged.

2012-01-26T10:18:00.000-08:00

The Tea Party has been one of the more noticable political parties in recent months. Whether you support or reject the platform the are based on, you have to admit they attract attention. Recently, the Tennessee Tea Party has drawn quite a bit of attention from a wide range of Americans by their shocking proposal to the state legislators.

The proposal's purpose, as worded by Hal Rounds (spokesperson for the Tea Party at the event) is "educating students the truth about America." This would be executed by passing legislation that dictates what material may or may not be present in history textbooks. Specifically, the proposal states “no portrayal of minority experience in the history which actually occurred shall obscure the experience or contributions of the Founding Fathers, or the majority of citizens, including those who reached positions of leadership.”

Take a moment to reread that statement. Let it sink in.

This proposal suggests we remove from school textbooks all references to historical events that put the (generally) white male government in poor light. Specifically, it would be minority experiences that would be eliminated, even though it is acknowledged that these events legitimately happened in American history.
If you haven't quite wrapped your head around the implications of such a piece of legislation, let me put it in perspective. If passed, all Tennessee textbooks would completely breeze over events of historical significance such as slavery and the Japanese internment camps of World War II, among others.

I'd hate to break this to the Tea Party members who support this proposal, but these things happened. They are a part of history. The idea behind the proposal is to prevent the Founding Fathers and other leaders from being portrayed negatively due to their participation in the slave trade, or other acts that are now unthinkable. In my opinion, one of the most important aspects of a history class is to learn from the mistakes of the past to have the potential of growing as a nation in the future. It seems much more logical to use these sad events as teaching points. Instead of hiding them out of shame, we can use them to our advantage.

State of the Union

2012-01-25T16:05:00.000-08:00

Greetings and many happy returns WC blog readers! Welcome back for the spring 2012 semester. To kickoff our collective activist thinking and conversations this year, here is a video and full transcript of President Obama's State of the Union address from last night.

Video source: YouTube

Transcript under the cut!

Remarks of President Barack Obama – As Prepared for Delivery
"An America Built to Last"

Mr Speaker, Mr Vice President, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans:

Last month, I went to Andrews Air Force Base and welcomed home some of our last troops to serve in Iraq. Together, we offered a final, proud salute to the colors under which more than a million of our fellow citizens fought – and several thousand gave their lives.

We gather tonight knowing that this generation of heroes has made the United States safer and more respected around the world. For the first time in nine years, there are no Americans fighting in Iraq. For the first time in two decades, Osama bin Laden is not a threat to his country. Most of al Qaeda's top lieutenants have been defeated. The Taliban's momentum has been broken, and some troops in Afghanistan have begun to come home.

These achievements are a testament to the courage, selflessness, and teamwork of America's Armed Forces. At a time when too many of our institutions have let us down, they exceed all expectations. They're not consumed with personal ambition. They don't obsess over their differences. They focus on the mission at hand. They work together.

Imagine what we could accomplish if we followed their example. Think about the America within our reach: A country that leads the world in educating its people. An America that attracts a new generation of high-tech manufacturing and high-paying jobs. A future where we're in control of our own energy, and our security and prosperity aren't so tied to unstable parts of the world. An economy built to last, where hard work pays off, and responsibility is rewarded.

We can do this. I know we can, because we've done it before. At the end of World War II, when another generation of heroes returned home from combat, they built the strongest economy and middle class the world has ever known. My grandfather, a veteran of Patton's Army, got the chance to go to college on the GI Bill. My grandmother, who worked on a bomber assembly line, was part of a workforce that turned out the best products on Earth.

The two of them shared the optimism of a Nation that had triumphed over a depression and fascism. They understood they were part of something larger; that they were contributing to a story of success that every American had a chance to share – the basic American promise that if you worked hard, you could do well enough to raise a family, own a home, send your kids to college, and put a little away for
retirement.

The defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive. No challenge is more urgent. No debate is more important. We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by. Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules. What's at stake are not Democratic values or Republican values, but American values. We have to reclaim them.

Let's remember how we got here. Long before the recession, jobs and manufacturing began leaving our shores. Technology made businesses more efficient, but also made some jobs obsolete. Folks at the top saw their incomes rise like never before, but most hardworking Americans struggled with costs that were growing, paychecks that
weren't, and personal debt that kept piling up.

In 2008, the house of cards collapsed. We learned that mortgages had been sold to people who couldn't afford or understand them. Banks had made huge bets and bonuses with other people's money. Regulators had looked the other way, or didn't have the authority to stop the bad behavior.

It was wrong. It was irresponsible. And it plunged our economy into a crisis that put millions out of work, saddled us with more debt, and left innocent, hard-working Americans holding the bag. In the six months before I took office, we lost nearly four million jobs. And we lost another four million before our policies were in full effect.

Those are the facts. But so are these. In the last 22 months, businesses have created more than three million jobs. Last year, they created the most jobs since 2005. American manufacturers are hiring again, creating jobs for the first time since the late 1990s. Together, we've agreed to cut the deficit by more than $2 trillion. And we've put in place new rules to hold Wall Street accountable, so a crisis like that never happens again.

The state of our Union is getting stronger. And we've come too far to turn back now. As long as I'm President, I will work with anyone in this chamber to build on this momentum. But I intend to fight obstruction with action, and I will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place.

No, we will not go back to an economy weakened by outsourcing, bad debt, and phony financial profits. Tonight, I want to speak about how we move forward, and lay out a blueprint for an economy that's built to last – an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values.

This blueprint begins with American manufacturing.

On the day I took office, our auto industry was on the verge of collapse. Some even said we should let it die. With a million jobs at stake, I refused to let that happen. In exchange for help, we demanded responsibility. We got workers and automakers to settle their differences. We got the industry to retool and restructure. Today, General Motors is back on top as the world's number one automaker. Chrysler has grown faster in the U.S. than any major car company. Ford is investing billions in U.S. plants and factories. And together, the entire industry added nearly 160,000 jobs.

We bet on American workers. We bet on American ingenuity. And tonight, the American auto industry is back.

What's happening in Detroit can happen in other industries. It can happen in Cleveland and Pittsburgh and Raleigh. We can't bring back every job that's left our shores. But right now, it's getting more expensive to do business in places like China. Meanwhile, America is more productive. A few weeks ago, the CEO of Master Lock told me that it now makes business sense for him to bring jobs back home. Today, for the first time in fifteen years, Master Lock's unionized plant in Milwaukee is running at full capacity.

So we have a huge opportunity, at this moment, to bring manufacturing back. But we have to seize it. Tonight, my message to business leaders is simple: Ask yourselves what you can do to bring jobs back to your country, and your country will do everything we can to help you succeed.

We should start with our tax code. Right now, companies get tax breaks for moving jobs and profits overseas. Meanwhile, companies that choose to stay in America get hit with one of the highest tax rates in the world. It makes no sense, and everyone knows it.

So let's change it. First, if you're a business that wants to outsource jobs, you shouldn't get a tax deduction for doing it. That money should be used to cover moving expenses for companies like Master Lock that decide to bring jobs home.

Second, no American company should be able to avoid paying its fair share of taxes by moving jobs and profits overseas. From now on, every multinational company should have to pay a basic minimum tax. And every penny should go towards lowering taxes for companies that choose to stay here and hire here.

Third, if you're an American manufacturer, you should get a bigger tax cut. If you're a high-tech manufacturer, we should double the tax deduction you get for making products here. And if you want to relocate in a community that was hit hard when a factory left town, you should get help financing a new plant, equipment, or training for new workers.

My message is simple. It's time to stop rewarding businesses that ship jobs overseas, and start rewarding companies that create jobs right here in America. Send me these tax reforms, and I'll sign them right away.

We're also making it easier for American businesses to sell products all over the world. Two years ago, I set a goal of doubling U.S. exports over five years. With the bipartisan trade agreements I signed into law, we are on track to meet that goal – ahead of schedule. Soon, there will be millions of new customers for American goods in Panama, Colombia, and South Korea. Soon, there will be new cars on the streets of Seoul imported from Detroit, and Toledo, and Chicago.

I will go anywhere in the world to open new markets for American products. And I will not stand by when our competitors don't play by the rules. We've brought trade cases against China at nearly twice the rate as the last administration – and it's made a difference. Over a thousand Americans are working today because we stopped a surge in Chinese tires. But we need to do more. It's not right when another country lets our movies, music, and software be pirated. It's not fair when foreign manufacturers have a leg up on ours only because they're heavily subsidized.

Tonight, I'm announcing the creation of a Trade Enforcement Unit that will be charged with investigating unfair trade practices in countries like China. There will be more inspections to prevent counterfeit or unsafe goods from crossing our borders. And this Congress should make sure that no foreign company has an advantage over American manufacturing when it comes to accessing finance or new markets like Russia. Our workers are the most productive on Earth, and if the playing field is level, I promise you – America will always win.

I also hear from many business leaders who want to hire in the United States but can't find workers with the right skills. Growing industries in science and technology have twice as many openings as we have workers who can do the job. Think about that – openings at a time when millions of Americans are looking for work.

That's inexcusable. And we know how to fix it.

Jackie Bray is a single mom from North Carolina who was laid off from her job as a mechanic. Then Siemens opened a gas turbine factory in Charlotte, and formed a partnership with Central Piedmont Community College. The company helped the college design courses in laser and robotics training. It paid Jackie's tuition, then hired her to help operate their plant.

I want every American looking for work to have the same opportunity as Jackie did. Join me in a national commitment to train two million Americans with skills that will lead directly to a job. My Administration has already lined up more companies that want to help. Model partnerships between businesses like Siemens and community colleges in places like Charlotte, Orlando, and Louisville are up and running. Now you need to give more community colleges the resources they need to become community career centers – places that teach people skills that local businesses are looking for right now, from data management to high-tech manufacturing.

And I want to cut through the maze of confusing training programs, so that from now on, people like Jackie have one program, one website, and one place to go for all the information and help they need. It's time to turn our unemployment system into a reemployment system that puts people to work.

These reforms will help people get jobs that are open today. But to prepare for the jobs of tomorrow, our commitment to skills and education has to start earlier.

For less than one percent of what our Nation spends on education each year, we've convinced nearly every State in the country to raise their standards for teaching and learning – the first time that's happened in a generation.

But challenges remain. And we know how to solve them.

At a time when other countries are doubling down on education, tight budgets have forced States to lay off thousands of teachers. We know a good teacher can increase the lifetime income of a classroom by over $250,000. A great teacher can offer an escape from poverty to the child who dreams beyond his circumstance. Every person in this chamber can point to a teacher who changed the trajectory of their lives. Most teachers work tirelessly, with modest pay, sometimes digging into their own pocket for school supplies – just to make a difference.

Teachers matter. So instead of bashing them, or defending the status quo, let's offer schools a deal. Give them the resources to keep good teachers on the job, and reward the best ones. In return, grant schools flexibility: To teach with creativity and passion; to stop teaching to the test; and to replace teachers who just aren't helping kids learn.

We also know that when students aren't allowed to walk away from their education, more of them walk the stage to get their diploma. So tonight, I call on every State to require that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn eighteen.

When kids do graduate, the most daunting challenge can be the cost of college. At a time when Americans owe more in tuition debt than credit card debt, this Congress needs to stop the interest rates on student loans from doubling in July. Extend the tuition tax credit we started that saves middle-class families thousands of dollars. And give more young people the chance to earn their way through college by doubling the number of work-study jobs in the next five years.

Of course, it's not enough for us to increase student aid. We can't just keep subsidizing skyrocketing tuition; we'll run out of money. States also need to do their part, by making higher education a higher priority in their budgets. And colleges and universities have to do their part by working to keep costs down. Recently, I spoke with a group of college presidents who've done just that. Some schools re-design courses to help students finish more quickly. Some use better technology. The point is, it's possible. So let me put colleges and universities on notice: If you can't stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down. Higher education can't be a luxury – it's an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.

Let's also remember that hundreds of thousands of talented, hardworking students in this country face another challenge: The fact that they aren't yet American citizens. Many were brought here as small children, are American through and through, yet they live every day with the threat of deportation. Others came more recently, to study business and science and engineering, but as soon as they get
their degree, we send them home to invent new products and create new jobs somewhere else.

That doesn't make sense.

I believe as strongly as ever that we should take on illegal immigration. That's why my Administration has put more boots on the border than ever before. That's why there are fewer illegal crossings than when I took office.

The opponents of action are out of excuses. We should be working on comprehensive immigration reform right now. But if election-year politics keeps Congress from acting on a comprehensive plan, let's at least agree to stop expelling responsible young people who want to staff our labs, start new businesses, and defend this country. Send me a law that gives them the chance to earn their citizenship. I will sign it right away.

You see, an economy built to last is one where we encourage the talent and ingenuity of every person in this country. That means women should earn equal pay for equal work. It means we should support everyone who's willing to work; and every risk-taker and entrepreneur who aspires to become the next Steve Jobs.

After all, innovation is what America has always been about. Most new jobs are created in start-ups and small businesses. So let's pass an agenda that helps them succeed. Tear down regulations that prevent aspiring entrepreneurs from getting the financing to grow. Expand tax relief to small businesses that are raising wages and creating good jobs. Both parties agree on these ideas. So put them in a bill, and get it on my desk this year.

Innovation also demands basic research. Today, the discoveries taking place in our federally-financed labs and universities could lead to new treatments that kill cancer cells but leave healthy ones untouched. New lightweight vests for cops and soldiers that can stop any bullet. Don't gut these investments in our budget. Don't let other countries win the race for the future. Support the same kind of research and innovation that led to the computer chip and the Internet; to new American jobs and new American industries.

Nowhere is the promise of innovation greater than in American-made energy. Over the last three years, we've opened millions of new acres for oil and gas exploration, and tonight, I'm directing my Administration to open more than 75 percent of our potential offshore oil and gas resources. Right now, American oil production is the highest that it's been in eight years. That's right – eight years. Not only that – last year, we relied less on foreign oil than in any of the past sixteen years.

But with only 2 percent of the world's oil reserves, oil isn't enough. This country needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy – a strategy that's cleaner, cheaper, and full of new jobs.

We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly one hundred years, and my Administration will take every possible action to safely develop this energy. Experts believe this will support more than 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade. And I'm requiring all companies that drill for gas on public lands to disclose the chemicals they use. America will develop this resource without putting the health and safety of our citizens at risk.

The development of natural gas will create jobs and power trucks and factories that are cleaner and cheaper, proving that we don't have to choose between our environment and our economy. And by the way, it was public research dollars, over the course of thirty years, that helped develop the technologies to extract all this natural gas out of shale rock – reminding us that Government support is critical in
helping businesses get new energy ideas off the ground.

What's true for natural gas is true for clean energy. In three years, our partnership with the private sector has already positioned America to be the world's leading manufacturer of high-tech batteries. Because of federal investments, renewable energy use has nearly doubled. And thousands of Americans have jobs because of it.

When Bryan Ritterby was laid off from his job making furniture, he said he worried that at 55, no one would give him a second chance. But he found work at Energetx, a wind turbine manufacturer in Michigan. Before the recession, the factory only made luxury yachts. Today, it's hiring workers like Bryan, who said, "I'm proud to be working in the industry of the future."

Our experience with shale gas shows us that the payoffs on these public investments don't always come right away. Some technologies don't pan out; some companies fail. But I will not walk away from the promise of clean energy. I will not walk away from workers like Bryan. I will not cede the wind or solar or battery industry to China or Germany because we refuse to make the same commitment here. We have subsidized oil companies for a century. That's long enough. It's time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry that's rarely been more profitable, and double-down on a clean energy industry that's never been more promising. Pass clean energy tax credits and create these jobs.

We can also spur energy innovation with new incentives. The differences in this chamber may be too deep right now to pass a comprehensive plan to fight climate change. But there's no reason why Congress shouldn't at least set a clean energy standard that creates a market for innovation. So far, you haven't acted. Well tonight, I will. I'm directing my Administration to allow the development of
clean energy on enough public land to power three million homes. And I'm proud to announce that the Department of Defense, the world's largest consumer of energy, will make one of the largest commitments to clean energy in history – with the Navy purchasing enough capacity to power a quarter of a million homes a year.

Of course, the easiest way to save money is to waste less energy. So here's another proposal: Help manufacturers eliminate energy waste in their factories and give businesses incentives to upgrade their buildings. Their energy bills will be $100 billion lower over the next decade, and America will have less pollution, more manufacturing, and more jobs for construction workers who need them. Send me a bill that creates these jobs.

Building this new energy future should be just one part of a broader agenda to repair America's infrastructure. So much of America needs to be rebuilt. We've got crumbling roads and bridges. A power grid that wastes too much energy. An incomplete high-speed broadband network that prevents a small business owner in rural America from selling her products all over the world.

During the Great Depression, America built the Hoover Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge. After World War II, we connected our States with a system of highways. Democratic and Republican administrations invested in great projects that benefited everybody, from the workers who built them to the businesses that still use them today.

In the next few weeks, I will sign an Executive Order clearing away the red tape that slows down too many construction projects. But you need to fund these projects. Take the money we're no longer spending at war, use half of it to pay down our debt, and use the rest to do some nation-building right here at home.

There's never been a better time to build, especially since the construction industry was one of the hardest-hit when the housing bubble burst. Of course, construction workers weren't the only ones hurt. So were millions of innocent Americans who've seen their home values decline. And while Government can't fix the problem on its own, responsible homeowners shouldn't have to sit and wait for the housing market to hit bottom to get some relief.

That's why I'm sending this Congress a plan that gives every responsible homeowner the chance to save about $3,000 a year on their mortgage, by refinancing at historically low interest rates. No more red tape. No more runaround from the banks. A small fee on the largest financial institutions will ensure that it won't add to the deficit, and will give banks that were rescued by taxpayers a chance to repay a deficit of trust.

Let's never forget: Millions of Americans who work hard and play by the rules every day deserve a Government and a financial system that do the same. It's time to apply the same rules from top to bottom: No bailouts, no handouts, and no copouts. An America built to last insists on responsibility from everybody.

We've all paid the price for lenders who sold mortgages to people who couldn't afford them, and buyers who knew they couldn't afford them. That's why we need smart regulations to prevent irresponsible behavior. Rules to prevent financial fraud, or toxic dumping, or faulty medical devices, don't destroy the free market. They make the free market work better.

There is no question that some regulations are outdated, unnecessary, or too costly. In fact, I've approved fewer regulations in the first three years of my presidency than my Republican predecessor did in his. I've ordered every federal agency to eliminate rules that don't make sense. We've already announced over 500 reforms, and just a fraction of them will save business and citizens more than $10 billion over the next five years. We got rid of one rule from 40 years ago that could have forced some dairy farmers to spend $10,000 a year proving that they could contain a spill – because milk was somehow classified as an oil. With a rule like that, I guess it was worth crying over spilled milk.

I'm confident a farmer can contain a milk spill without a federal agency looking over his shoulder. But I will not back down from making sure an oil company can contain the kind of oil spill we saw in the Gulf two years ago. I will not back down from protecting our kids from mercury pollution, or making sure that our food is safe and our water is clean. I will not go back to the days when health insurance
companies had unchecked power to cancel your policy, deny you coverage, or charge women differently from men.

And I will not go back to the days when Wall Street was allowed to play by its own set of rules. The new rules we passed restore what should be any financial system's core purpose: Getting funding to entrepreneurs with the best ideas, and getting loans to responsible families who want to buy a home, start a business, or send a kid to college.

So if you're a big bank or financial institution, you are no longer allowed to make risky bets with your customers' deposits. You're required to write out a "living will" that details exactly how you'll pay the bills if you fail – because the rest of us aren't bailing you out ever again. And if you're a mortgage lender or a payday lender or a credit card company, the days of signing people up for products they
can't afford with confusing forms and deceptive practices are over. Today, American consumers finally have a watchdog in Richard Cordray with one job: To look out for them.

We will also establish a Financial Crimes Unit of highly trained investigators to crack down on large-scale fraud and protect people's investments. Some financial firms violate major anti-fraud laws because there's no real penalty for being a repeat offender. That's bad for consumers, and it's bad for the vast majority of bankers and financial service professionals who do the right thing. So pass legislation that makes the penalties for fraud count.

And tonight, I am asking my Attorney General to create a special unit of federal prosecutors and leading state attorneys general to expand our investigations into the abusive lending and packaging of risky mortgages that led to the housing crisis. This new unit will hold accountable those who broke the law, speed assistance to homeowners, and help turn the page on an era of recklessness that hurt so many Americans.

A return to the American values of fair play and shared responsibility will help us protect our people and our economy. But it should also guide us as we look to pay down our debt and invest in our future.

Right now, our most immediate priority is stopping a tax hike on 160 million working Americans while the recovery is still fragile. People cannot afford losing $40 out of each paycheck this year. There are plenty of ways to get this done. So let's agree right here, right now: No side issues. No drama. Pass the payroll tax cut without delay.

When it comes to the deficit, we've already agreed to more than $2 trillion in cuts and savings. But we need to do more, and that means making choices. Right now, we're poised to spend nearly $1 trillion more on what was supposed to be a temporary tax break for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans. Right now, because of loopholes and shelters in the tax code, a quarter of all millionaires pay lower tax rates than millions of middle-class households. Right now, Warren Buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary.

Do we want to keep these tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans? Or do we want to keep our investments in everything else – like education and medical research; a strong military and care for our veterans? Because if we're serious about paying down our debt, we can't do both.

The American people know what the right choice is. So do I. As I told the Speaker this summer, I'm prepared to make more reforms that rein in the long term costs of Medicare and Medicaid, and strengthen Social Security, so long as those programs remain a guarantee of security for seniors.

But in return, we need to change our tax code so that people like me, and an awful lot of Members of Congress, pay our fair share of taxes. Tax reform should follow the Buffett rule: If you make more than $1 million a year, you should not pay less than 30 percent in taxes. And my Republican friend Tom Coburn is right: Washington should stop subsidizing millionaires. In fact, if you're earning a million dollars a year, you shouldn't get special tax subsidies or deductions. On the other hand, if you make under $250,000 a year, like 98 percent of American families, your taxes shouldn't go up. You're the ones struggling with rising costs and stagnant wages. You're the ones who need relief.

Now, you can call this class warfare all you want. But asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes? Most Americans would call that common sense.

We don't begrudge financial success in this country. We admire it. When Americans talk about folks like me paying my fair share of taxes, it's not because they envy the rich. It's because they understand that when I get tax breaks I don't need and the country can't afford, it either adds to the deficit, or somebody else has to make up the difference – like a senior on a fixed income; or a student trying to
get through school; or a family trying to make ends meet. That's not right. Americans know it's not right. They know that this generation's success is only possible because past generations felt a responsibility to each other, and to their country's future, and they know our way of life will only endure if we feel that same sense of shared responsibility. That's how we'll reduce our deficit. That's an America built to last.

I recognize that people watching tonight have differing views about taxes and debt; energy and health care. But no matter what party they belong to, I bet most Americans are thinking the same thing right now: Nothing will get done this year, or next year, or maybe even the year after that, because Washington is broken.

Can you blame them for feeling a little cynical?

The greatest blow to confidence in our economy last year didn't come from events beyond our control. It came from a debate in Washington over whether the United States would pay its bills or not. Who benefited from that fiasco?

I've talked tonight about the deficit of trust between Main Street and Wall Street. But the divide between this city and the rest of the country is at least as bad – and it seems to get worse every year.

Some of this has to do with the corrosive influence of money in politics. So together, let's take some steps to fix that. Send me a bill that bans insider trading by Members of Congress, and I will sign it tomorrow. Let's limit any elected official from owning stocks in industries they impact. Let's make sure people who bundle campaign contributions for Congress can't lobby Congress, and vice versa – an idea that has bipartisan support, at least outside of Washington.

Some of what's broken has to do with the way Congress does its business these days. A simple majority is no longer enough to get anything – even routine business – passed through the Senate. Neither party has been blameless in these tactics. Now both parties should put an end to it. For starters, I ask the Senate to pass a rule that all judicial and public service nominations receive a simple up or down vote within 90 days.

The executive branch also needs to change. Too often, it's inefficient, outdated and remote. That's why I've asked this Congress to grant me the authority to consolidate the federal bureaucracy so that our Government is leaner, quicker, and more responsive to the needs of the American people.

Finally, none of these reforms can happen unless we also lower the temperature in this town. We need to end the notion that the two parties must be locked in a perpetual campaign of mutual destruction; that politics is about clinging to rigid ideologies instead of building consensus around common sense ideas.

I'm a Democrat. But I believe what Republican Abraham Lincoln believed: That Government should do for people only what they cannot do better by themselves, and no more. That's why my education reform offers more competition, and more control for schools and States. That's why we're getting rid of regulations that don't work. That's why our health care law relies on a reformed private market, not a Government program.

On the other hand, even my Republican friends who complain the most about Government spending have supported federally-financed roads, and clean energy projects, and federal offices for the folks back home.

The point is, we should all want a smarter, more effective Government. And while we may not be able to bridge our biggest philosophical differences this year, we can make real progress. With or without this Congress, I will keep taking actions that help the economy grow. But I can do a whole lot more with your help. Because when we act together, there is nothing the United States of America can't achieve.

That is the lesson we've learned from our actions abroad over the last few years.

Ending the Iraq war has allowed us to strike decisive blows against our enemies. From Pakistan to Yemen, the al Qaeda operatives who remain are scrambling, knowing that they can't escape the reach of the United States of America.

From this position of strength, we've begun to wind down the war in Afghanistan. Ten thousand of our troops have come home. Twenty-three thousand more will leave by the end of this summer. This transition to Afghan lead will continue, and we will build an enduring partnership with Afghanistan, so that it is never again a source of attacks against America.

As the tide of war recedes, a wave of change has washed across the Middle East and North Africa, from Tunis to Cairo; from Sana'a to Tripoli. A year ago, Qadhafi was one of the world's longest-serving dictators – a murderer with American blood on his hands. Today, he is gone. And in Syria, I have no doubt that the Assad regime will soon discover that the forces of change can't be reversed, and that human dignity can't be denied.

How this incredible transformation will end remains uncertain. But we have a huge stake in the outcome. And while it is ultimately up to the people of the region to decide their fate, we will advocate for those values that have served our own country so well. We will stand against violence and intimidation. We will stand for the rights and dignity of all human beings – men and women; Christians, Muslims, and Jews. We will support policies that lead to strong and stable democracies and open markets, because tyranny is no match for liberty.

And we will safeguard America's own security against those who threaten our citizens, our friends, and our interests. Look at Iran. Through the power of our diplomacy, a world that was once divided about how to deal with Iran's nuclear program now stands as one. The regime is more isolated than ever before; its leaders are faced with crippling sanctions, and as long as they shirk their responsibilities,
this pressure will not relent. Let there be no doubt: America is determined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and I will take no options off the table to achieve that goal. But a peaceful resolution of this issue is still possible, and far better, and if Iran changes course and meets its obligations, it can rejoin the community of nations.

The renewal of American leadership can be felt across the globe. Our oldest alliances in Europe and Asia are stronger than ever. Our ties to the Americas are deeper. Our iron-clad commitment to Israel's security has meant the closest military cooperation between our two countries in history. We've made it clear that America is a Pacific power, and a new beginning in Burma has lit a new hope. From the
coalitions we've built to secure nuclear materials, to the missions we've led against hunger and disease; from the blows we've dealt to our enemies; to the enduring power of our moral example, America is back.

Anyone who tells you otherwise, anyone who tells you that America is in decline or that our influence has waned, doesn't know what they're talking about. That's not the message we get from leaders around the world, all of whom are eager to work with us. That's not how people feel from Tokyo to Berlin; from Cape Town to Rio; where opinions of America are higher than they've been in years. Yes, the world is changing; no, we can't control every event. But America remains the one indispensable nation in world affairs – and as long as I'm President, I intend to keep it that way.

That's why, working with our military leaders, I have proposed a new defense strategy that ensures we maintain the finest military in the world, while saving nearly half a trillion dollars in our budget. To stay one step ahead of our adversaries, I have already sent this Congress legislation that will secure our country from the growing danger of cyber-threats.

Above all, our freedom endures because of the men and women in uniform who defend it. As they come home, we must serve them as well as they served us. That includes giving them the care and benefits they have earned – which is why we've increased annual VA spending every year I've been President. And it means enlisting our veterans in the work of rebuilding our Nation.

With the bipartisan support of this Congress, we are providing new tax credits to companies that hire vets. Michelle and Jill Biden have worked with American businesses to secure a pledge of 135,000 jobs for veterans and their families. And tonight, I'm proposing a Veterans Job Corps that will help our communities hire veterans as cops and firefighters, so that America is as strong as those who defend her.

Which brings me back to where I began. Those of us who've been sent here to serve can learn from the service of our troops. When you put on that uniform, it doesn't matter if you're black or white; Asian or Latino; conservative or liberal; rich or poor; gay or straight. When you're marching into battle, you look out for the person next to you, or the mission fails. When you're in the thick of the fight, you rise or fall as one unit, serving one Nation, leaving no one behind.

One of my proudest possessions is the flag that the SEAL Team took with them on the mission to get bin Laden. On it are each of their names. Some may be Democrats. Some may be Republicans. But that doesn't matter. Just like it didn't matter that day in the Situation Room, when I sat next to Bob Gates – a man who was George Bush's defense secretary; and Hillary Clinton, a woman who ran against me for president.

All that mattered that day was the mission. No one thought about politics. No one thought about themselves. One of the young men involved in the raid later told me that he didn't deserve credit for the mission. It only succeeded, he said, because every single member of that unit did their job – the pilot who landed the helicopter that spun out of control; the translator who kept others from entering the compound; the troops who separated the women and children from the fight; the SEALs who charged up the stairs. More than that, the mission only succeeded because every member of that unit trusted each other – because you can't charge up those stairs, into darkness and danger, unless you know that there's someone behind you, watching your back.

So it is with America. Each time I look at that flag, I'm reminded that our destiny is stitched together like those fifty stars and those thirteen stripes. No one built this country on their own. This Nation is great because we built it together. This Nation is great because we worked as a team. This Nation is great because we get each other's backs. And if we hold fast to that truth, in this moment of trial, there is no challenge too great; no mission too hard. As long as we're joined in common purpose, as long as we maintain our common resolve, our journey moves forward, our future is hopeful, and the state of our Union will always be strong.

Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.

Transcript source: The Guardian

Too Young for the High Seas?

2012-01-24T11:53:00.000-08:00

Laura Dekker has become the youngest person to sail around the world with her 518 day voyage beginning in 2009 and ending in 2011 in St. Maarten. Decker first had the idea to sail solo at the age of 13 with the support of her parents, but due to legal obstacles, she had to wait until she was 14. After dealing with opposition from Dutch authorities, Child Protective Services, and her teachers, Dekker finally set sail and traveled a total of 27,000 nautical miles.

Dekker and her family planned the route around the world to stop at what they considered “safe” docking ports and also navigated a way that avoided areas that had high seas and pirates.

While on her trip, Dekker kept a blog documenting her trip and describing the vast area of places she visited such as the Canary Islands, Panama, the Galapagos Islands, Fiji, Bora Bora, Australia, and South Africa.

Her adventure drew audiences from all around the world who felt that she was too young to undertake such a dangerous and possibly traumatic voyage. Many psychiatrists believed that she would suffer from extreme depression being alone for the long amount of time she planned to be sailing. Others said that the trip was too dangerous for just a teenager, and she could face problems such as high seas, shark infested waters, and pirates. Dekker argued that she would keep human contact by docking at different ports throughout her trip and visiting the locals.

While I admire Dekker’s courage and zest for adventure, if I were her parents I would never let her sail by herself around the world. The risks would be too great and I think an undertaking like this is meant for someone much older and wiser when it comes to knowledge about the ocean. Her parents claim that she has been sailing since she was 6 years old, but does that make her an expert sailor? I don’t think so. The fact that she made it home I find a complete miracle and while I give her props, why couldn’t she have waited another 10 years? I think her parents pulling her out of school for that long to go on essentially a vacation is not very responsible of them.

With about a thousand things that could go wrong in this situation, I don’t think this trip was the wisest. But good for her, because now she will have to find something to do in her life that will top the trip she took when she was 14.

Exciting Announcement:

2012-01-23T11:58:00.000-08:00

Hey Ramapo Students, guess what...

The Women’s Center is hiring!

We are currently hiring for Queer Peer Services Coordinator (QPSC) and Program Coordinator on an immediate, rolling basis.

Our QPSC creates a welcoming environment for queer students and their allies by facilitating a weekly support group, engaging in peer listening, planning events, and giving classroom presentations.

Program Coordinators book interesting speakers plan open mic nights, and create other events for the campus community.

Applications can be found on OrgSync: https://orgsync.com/5630/forms/show/43776. Interviews will begin as soon as qualifying candidates are identified.

Our staff can be reached at extension 7468 or at the e-mail below if you have any questions. We are available Monday – Thursday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

All interested students can stop by the WC or e-mail us at women@ramapo.edu for more information.

Welcome Back!

2012-01-23T11:40:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to another awesome semester of blogs and events! Regular week day blogs will start tomorrow, because today I want to take a second to give you all a sneak peek at the fabulous semester we have planned! Coming up in January we have a Volunteer Training this Sunday the 29th from 6-9pm in the Women's Center (C220). If you haven't been trained yet and would like to volunteer we'd love to see you there!

We are also helping to co-sponsor Life's Simple 7, a heart disease prevention campaign, starting next week! Check out the awesome events that The Women's Center and the Health Awareness Team have lined up:

Life’s Simple 7: Stop Smoking & Tips for a Heart Healthy Lifestyle

Monday, January 30th
Information tables on My Life Check: Life’s Simple 7, including specific resources on how to stop smoking. We will air AHA PSAs, provide support ribbons, bracelets, and other giveaways, as well as provide literature on heart health and specific resources on the risks of smoking and how to get help quitting.

Life’s Simple 7: Keynote Speaker

Tuesday, January 31st 7:00 – 8:30pm, H-Wing Auditorium
My Life Check is a national awareness campaign sponsored by the American Heart Association to spread awareness regarding the risk factors of heart disease. Life's Simple 7 tackles the seven steps to living a heart healthy life: Get active, Control cholesterol, Eat better, Manage blood pressure, Lose weight, Reduce blood sugar, and Stop smoking. The speaker will present tips for these 7 steps to improving heart health.

Life's Simple 7: Get Active

Wednesday, February 1st 4-5pm BC Q228
Zumba class will be highlighted to introduce the Ramapo community to a fun, heart healthy exercise.

Life's Simple 7: Lunch & Learn

Thursday, February 2nd 12:30pm (Lunch) 1pm (Lecture) Pavilion Rm. 2
This luncheon will feature heart healthy foods, as well as education on Cholesterol and Blood Pressure. Free blood pressure checks will be provided!

National Wear Red Day

Friday February 3rd, All Day, Everywhere
National Wear Red Day is a national awareness campaign sponsored by the American Heart Association to spread awareness to women regarding the risk factors of heart disease. Heart Disease is the number one killer of American women, as well as New Jerseyans. Show your support for the cause with Ramapo by wearing RED.

For more of what we're doing in February, check out our new calendar:

(Click to enlarge!)

Get read for an awesome blog post from Kelsey tomorrow & welcome back!

Women's Center Signing Off

2011-12-14T13:12:00.000-08:00

Although this is the last blog for the semester, our readers who are (un)lucky enough to still be at Ramapo this week for finals are welcome to join us all week for our Relaxation Week festivities! Come enjoy hot cocoa and other treats, play Just Dance, decorate penguins for our bulletin board, or just hang out in a festive atmosphere every week day from 10am-7pm (5pm on Friday) until we close for the semester at 2pm next Wednesday.

For all of our readers who don't go to Ramapo (or who have already headed home for the holiday break) we have something for you to enjoy as well! Check out the video we made for the Center for Student Involvement's holiday competition...

Have a great break everyone, we'll see you when the new semester begins in January!

Little Girls

2011-12-13T11:07:00.000-08:00

I hear a lot from my friends who want to be teachers, counselors, or social workers about changing the future by reaching out to kids. This wasn’t something I ever thought about much. I’ve always been much more concerned about reaching people who are my age and older and trying to understand their beliefs in order to bring about some societal change. Then, my sister had a baby. Being the youngest, I never had to think about being around young kids or about how what I do around her will influence the development of the world’s next president, lawyer, actress, or poet.

Then I got an email from this same sister with a link to an article and a line that said, “I will no longer tell you how pretty you are and instead grill you about current events. Maybe it's too late for you?” I clicked the link, and it opened to a Huffington Post article written by Lisa Bloom about how to talk to young girls. The article documented her experience of spending a night talking to five year old girl, and how instead of instantly telling the young girl how beautiful and cute she was (despite how hard it was to stop herself), she spent the night reading the girl her favorite book. The book itself was about a girl who loves pink being bullied by girls who wear all black. Bloom says, “Alas, it was about girls and what they wore, and how their wardrobe choices defined their identities. But after Maya closed the final page, I steered the conversation to the deeper issues in the book: mean girls and peer pressure and not going along with the group.”

I had never thought about this before reading the article. Even now, as I’m trying to think back to my own childhood, I remember being told how cute/beautiful I was more than I was ever just actually brought in on a real conversation. It might be easier to tell a girl that she has a pretty dress rather than asking her what she likes or doesn’t like about the world she lives in, but we all have to start thinking about how we want to change the world at some point. Why not start right away?

This is something I want to be conscious of as my niece starts to grow. Do I want to dress her up? Of course I do, and I probably will (She has an adorable black and gold Adidas track suit, and I think it’s hilarious.) There are many pictures of me dressed up in ridiculous outfits just because my older siblings thought it was funny. But I also want to know what she thinks. I want her to think about what she would do if she had one magic wish, even if all she wants to do is outlaw broccoli. Now, my niece is only a few weeks old, and she can’t actually understand anything I might say to her. However, I’d like to think that one day, when she’s a super successful woman who is more concerned with her brain and ambitions than her appearance, my trying to have a one sided conversation with her while she makes adorable pig noises and squinty faces will have made some impact on her life.

Read the article for yourself and see what you think about it.

Rick Perry's "Strong" Ad

2011-12-12T15:01:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday, presidential hopeful Rick Perry released his highly controversial and hilariously entertaining “Strong” promotional ad. The short video touches upon two hot topics: religion and gays in the military. Perry has been pushing religion onto his platform and this ad shows how prominent it will become in his campaign. To date, the video has received 20,174 likes and 646,134 dislikes. Obviously the viewers have spoken. Here’s a look at the ad:

Instead of activists groups being up in arms about Perry’s extremely right winged views, most people are making fun of it. In the video Perry is wearing a brown workman’s jacket, much like the characters in Brokeback Mountain wore. Also, the music used in the background of the ad is by Aaron Copland, a gay composer. I don’t blame those who are poking fun at this video because it is utterly ridiculous. Thank goodness people are keeping me entertained by putting out videos like this one:

Personally, I do not believe anything that Rick Perry says in this ad. I think that he only did this to get a rise out of the public, and that he did. At this point Perry is doing anything he can to save himself from the embarrassing flubs he has had during previous Republican debates. I guess we will see how he does in the primaries, but as it looks now, President Obama is looking pretty comfortable where he is now.

Dear Santa...

2011-12-09T13:53:00.000-08:00

Dear Santa,

I have to say that there are quite a few things on my Christmas list this year. I’d love some new boots, “Buffy” on DVD, but one of the things I’d like which will most likely not be underneath my Christmas Tree is for Michele Bachmann to lose the Republican primary for president. To be honest, the fact that she has any supporters at all is a bit mind boggling, as interview after interview she digs herself into a deeper hole of stupid. I can’t help but feel like this is Sarah Palin all over again, pretending to be cutting edge and modern simply because she is a woman and a Republican (GASP! A woman politician with a voice?! Say it ain’t so!).

Perhaps one of the reasons I feel so strongly about Bachmann is because of some of the terrible things she has said about the LBGT community. She has said in interviews that we are “part of Satan” and refuses to acknowledge same sex couples as couples at all. Her “opinion” is that marriage is between a man and a woman. Of course, opinion doesn’t really matter when same sex couples are already existing all over the world, but hey if Michele has an “opinion” I guess it matters. I also recently saw the following video, where a High School student and youth activist challenges Bachmann on same-sex marriage, only to have her recite that we all, as Americans, have the “same civil rights”. It’s a little confusing to hear just how equal my civil rights are, when I’m not granted thousands of rights related to marriage and adoption because of the fact that my future partner will be a man.

Whatchu talking ‘bout Michele?

So please. Santa, Old Saint Nick, Chris Cringle, Ho Ho, I would LOVE to have Michele lose the primary election. I promise to be a good boy all year, clean my room, brush my teeth, and continue fighting for equality until I don’t have to hear ignorant people like her talk about my community anymore.

HO HO HO

Plan B Not Over The Counter!

2011-12-08T13:02:00.000-08:00

In direct contradiction to all of the recent recommendtions from the FDA, Kathleen Sebelius the secretary of Health and Human Serives decided that the emergency contraception Plan B will not be allowed to be sold without a prescription to children under the age of 17.

A letter written by FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg states, "I reviewed and thoughtfully considered the data, clinical information, and analysis provided by CDER, and I agree with the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research that there is adequate and reasonable, well-supported, and science-based evidence that Plan B One-Step is safe and effective and should be approved for nonprescription use for all females of child-bearing potential." The possibility for all women to have access to Plan B was one step away from being instituted and the secretary believed otherwise and due to FDA having to respond they sent the complete response letter to Teva today. Plan B One-Step will remain on the market and will remain available for all ages, but a prescription will continue to be required for females under the age of 17.

This misconception that having Plan B over the counter will somehow make young girls all of a sudden more interested in sex is a ignorant view on the issue at hand and seems to be the true motive in why the secrertary believes younger women shouldn't have the opportunity to the emergency contraceptive. The view of society to believe that just because someone young is requesting Plan B means this girl is promiscuous is not appropriate. You never understand why this person may have felt the need to select this type of contraception. It takes a lot of confidence and strength sometimes for men and woman to even buy these barrier methods and then to be judged when they build up this courage is not acceptable. When condoms are for sale for all ages why cant Plan B be? It is just as safe and effective as other barrier methods, additionally an important saftey net for when "Plan A" methods (like condoms or the pill) fail. Contrary to popular belief it is not our place to justify why someone should be denied access, whether we fear they may begin to abuse the pill or not.

Tylenol, Advil, Benadryl, and Robitussin are all more dangerous than Plan B and yet they are on the market for all ages, over the counter. With this in mind, what is the point in denying access to Plan B? I am totally astonished by the act of denying this access without any legitimate reasoning. There is a clear double standard in place here: women have rights and limited access to reproductive health services but still are hindered by the misconception that young women shouldn't have access to these pills because being a sexually active young woman is still looked down upon. It saddens me that this still occurs but I write this post in hopes that things will change.

Victim Blaming

2011-12-07T13:12:00.000-08:00

Take a look at this ad recently released by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Are you seeing the same issues that I'm seeing? This ad is victim blaming left and right. Not only are victims given the fault, but their friends as well! If it's too small to read, the text in the lower right area says "When your friends drink, they can end up making bad decisions, like going home with someone they don't know very well. Decisions like that leave them vulnerable to dangers like date rape. Help your friends stay in control and stay safe."
I understand that they are using a very serious situation to scare teens away from alcohol, however, they are presenting information about sexual abuse that is unhelpful. The statements made in the advertising campaign perpetuate the unfortunate practice of victim blaming. This particular ad claims that the victim was abused because he or she could not or did not say no. The truth is, no one should be attempting any sort of sexual contact without consent from both parties. If there is no consent, then there should be no contact. In the case of date rape, the blame lies entirely with the assaulter. It is so sad that victims have a false stigma attached to their situation that places them in the wrong. Society should be making an effort to help victims recover and make them feel safe, not isolate and judge them.
What do you think about this advertising campaign? If these statements make teens think twice about drinking, would it be worth it? Personally, I think there is no excuse for victim blaming, and the practice needs to be reversed as soon as possible. There are always other ways to inform young people about the dangers of drinking

Stay Strong

2011-12-06T12:39:00.000-08:00

You Came To Me At The Tender Age Of 14,
Promising,
That You'll Take All The Pain Away From Me,
Just A Few Moments With You,
Would Get Me Though My Darkest Hour,
And I Will Arise With All Power,
To Move On,
And When The Dawn,
Comes You'll Still Be There, Holding Back My Hair.
Wiping My Tears,
Cleaning My Sorrow And Fears
From The floor
You'll Be Holding Me Up As I Stumble To The Door
And Lay In My bed
And The Only Thought In My Head
Is How I Need Another Sweet Kiss
From Your Ice Cold Lips.
I Relax My Eyes
And Stare At The Sky
And Dive In To Your White Bliss
My Sweetest Addiction

This is a poem that I wrote about two years ago. It is talking about when I was in high school and was struggling with the beginning stages of alcohol addiction. It went from just drinking with friends on weekends to drinking almost every other day and even more when I had problems that I couldn’t deal with sober. Realizing that this wasn’t the way that I should go I decided to start to going to AA meeting (Alcoholics Anonymous). After 3 years of AA I’m proud to say that I’ve been clean for a year now. So if I can do it so can you ☺

Some Facts:
During the past month (30 days), 26.4% of underage persons (ages 12-20) used alcohol, and binge drinking among the same age group was 17.4%.

Many local A.A. Web sites also provide meeting information. An Internet search of “Alcoholics Anonymous” and the name of a town or region will almost always yields helpful results.

Bringing the movement home

2011-12-05T16:05:00.000-08:00

Oh look, Riles is talking about Occupy Wall Street again. *Yawn*

Check this out:

'The young man standing next to the “Jail Sallie Mae, Cancel All Student Loan Debt” sign in Liberty Plaza last night could very well end up in jail himself – not for protesting economic injustice and marching on Wall Street, but for doing sex work to pay off his student loans. "My loans are $1,300 a month," he said. "My rent is $1,300 a month. My salary is $2,600 a month. You can see the problem. So I work as a prostitute for food and utilities."

Though he works a day job in the tech sector, it’s not enough to get by. "But it could be worse," he continued. "I could have to do sex work for all of it."'

What, that's weird Riles. What a crazy one-in-a-million story!

'With the Department of Education estimating that outstanding US student loan debt will soon exceed $1 trillion and job growth stalled, students face the very real prospect that there’s no way to ever pay back their debts. As of this May, new graduates are leaving college with an average of $22,900 in debt each, which, according to the Wall Street Journal, makes the class of 2011 the most indebted in history. They are members of a generation of students who knew taking out loans to finance a degree – or two – was a gamble on their own futures. As Lindsay Personett, a recent graduate from Oklahoma City University, put it at Wednesday’s solidarity march to support the Wall Street occupiers, “Kids are told to get this expensive degree and you’ll get a job. You end up owing too much and owning nothing.”'

...$1 trillion in student loan debt? That's a very unhappy number Riles.

I know, friend, I know. There's more, I'm sorry to say:

'My father has been the sole financial supporter of my family for 18 years, because my mom chose to stay home and raise kids that she would be able to be proud of and take credit for, and now all of her training is outdated and useless. He works for the state making above-average salary, but due to medical bills, co-pays, therapy, physical therapy, surgeries, and medications, we live paycheck to paycheck and often are unable to pay bills on time.

I graduated high school with an honors diploma with advanced placement. I got into every university I applied to, with promises for financial aid, scholarships, and grants. After graduating with a 3.4 gpa and high SAT scores, I chose to attend the private university that offered the best program, financial aid, scholarships, and job opportunities after graduation.

In my third year, I am over $41,000 in debt not including interest, I will be graduating during one of the lowest economic points in history, and my career path pays an average salary of $35,000 a year, if I am even lucky enough to land a job.

I take an overloaded class schedule of 20 course hours, I work four minimum-wage paying jobs, roughly half of my paycheck is taken out for taxes, and because my university is so expensive and didn’t hold up their end of the deal to help pay my way, I will be responsible for my parent’s inability to send my brilliant younger siblings to a college at any higher level than community college.

I have had a job since the day I got my license at 16, I am responsible, I am intelligent, and talented, and yet, I still struggle to afford food and find myself going to bed hungry in the one of the richest and most bountiful countries in the world.

I am the 99%.'

Well shit, Riles, maybe I should take a more serious look at this Occupy business. Maybe I'm part of the 99% too.

Another world is possible. Join the revolution.

Sources for this blog post:

Sex Work to Pay Off College Loans? How the College Debt Racket Sucks Young People Dry -- And Led Many to Occupy Wall St.

We Are the 99 Percent Tumblr

- Riles Patrick Murphy, proud member of the 99%

The EPA is destroying our planet!

2011-12-02T14:03:00.000-08:00

Oh wait, that's not true....

The great thing about being a feminist is that feminism, despite the mass of ignorant, overly simplified definitions out there, is not just a “women’s” issue. Feminism isn’t just about upper middle class white ladies and butch lesbians (history be damned). In 2011, feminism is about gender equality, respecting intelligent freely made choices, and advocating for equal access to basic human rights. For me, this is great, because my own personal torches aren’t just about traditional “women’s” issues – not to mention being a transguy isn’t the same experience as many female-bodied individuals have.

Obviously I care about wealth distribution and support the Occupy movement. I also care about animals, the environment and reforming the health care system. On the subject of the environment, check this ad out:

This TV ad, paid for by the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity. “Clean coal” may be better than “dirty coal,” but there are cleaner more efficient technologies out there that aren’t based on biofuels. Biofuels are not limitless, no matter what we want to believe. The ACCCE is attacking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for proposing new regulations that would raise energy prices in the US.

The EPA, for the fiscal years 2011 – 2013, has the following as proposed goals:

· Keeping raw sewage and contaminated stormwater out of our nation’s waters

· Preventing animal waste from contaminating surface and ground waters

· Cutting Toxic Air Pollution that Affects Communities’ Health

· Reducing Widespread Air Pollution from the Largest Sources, especially the Coal-Fired Utility, Cement, Glass, and Acid Sectors

· Reducing pollution from mineral processing operations

· Assuring energy extraction sector compliance with environmental laws.

These all sound like good ideas to me, but I can understand how the Coal Industry is a bit pissed off. Personally, I care more about health than business. I do understand that enforcing stricter regulations could cost jobs – but if Big Business really cared about individual jobs, they would put money into green re-training efforts, not into blocking the EPA regulations. Protecting our health and our eco-systems is a necessary move no matter what your politics are. Unless, of course, you’re too short-sighted to be concerned with our shared future.

- One of the 99%

*More information about the EPA’s “National Enforcement Initiatives for Fiscal Years 2011 – 2013” here.

Kentucky Church Votes to Deny Interracial Marriages

2011-12-01T10:32:00.000-08:00

A church in Kentucky recently voted to bar couples in interracial marriages from joining its congregation. The vote came after the church told a member that his daughter and African fiance were no longer allowed to participate in church services. At a 40-person service, nine voted in favor of excluding interracial marriage, 6 voted against the measure, and 25 members abstained.

It is extremely disturbing that in 2011 interracial marriage is still a serious issue for some people. This woman and her fiance did nothing more than participate in church services, and yet members of the congregation felt upset enough to actually vote to ban interracial marriage within their church.Interracial marriage in the United States of America has been legal since 1967 (And interracial relationships have always existed), and yet these church members who supported this issue were still so stuck in outdated and racist modes of thought that they felt it appropriate to condemn not only a couple that they knew but also love and marriage as a whole. The fact that disturbs me the most is that the vast majority of the congregation did not take a stand against racism and instead chose to remain silent; in doing so, they have let those who voted for the measure speak for them.

I hope that the members of this church are able to reflect on their decision and make things right, because as of right now they have shown how hatred is still a force that needs to be confronted and how far we still have to go on resolving issues of race within our country.

Getting to Zero!

2011-11-30T12:28:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is World AIDS Day! This year, the worldwide theme is "Getting to Zero." The goal of this theme is to achieve three targets: zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination, and zero AIDS-related deaths. These goals are impressive, almost to the point of being intimidating. How can we possibly eliminate the stigma associated with an AIDS diagnosis? How could we ever prevent all AIDS-related deaths, in addition to all new diagnoses?! I think the ambitious goals of 2011 are designed to be a wake up call to the world. YES, it would be impossible to achieve these things with just a few people. BUT think of what we could do TOGETHER! If everyone unites to contribute a portion of their time and passion to the cause on December 1st, imagine what we could accomplish. Getting to Zero? WE CAN DO IT.

The Women's Center has been preparing for this day of strength and remembrance for quite some time now. As always, we will have a beautiful panel of the AIDS quilt hanging in the Berrie Center all day for students to visit and pay respects to. Pamphlets and information will also be available all day. In the evening, keynote speaker Anthony Rapp will be speaking (also in the Berrie Center). Anthony Rapp is best known for originating the role of Mark in RENT, and can be seen here performing "What You Own" with Adam Pascal. "Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical RENT" is anticipated to be the perfect closing to World AIDS Day at Ramapo. Tickets are available at Roadrunner Central for only $5. After the show, Anthony Rapp will stay to meet audience members and sign copies of his book. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet a broadway legend!

Please do involve yourself in World AIDS Day in any way you can--together, we really can beat AIDS.

OCCUPY L.A. says stop evictions

2011-11-29T14:30:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles protesters are asking the courts to address the reason they are being deprived of public forum. On Monday, November 28th a complaint sent that protesters felt they were unconstitutionally being deprived and wanted their access granted.

According to CNN Wire Staff, the city police are forming an anti-camping provision for the protesters due to all the chaos the protest is causing. At the opening of Twilight there were so many people on the sidewalk camping out the street had to be closed. A city council member stated, "Each of these 'camping' events is highly publicized in the media, takes place in highly-trafficked areas and could not possibly be an unnoticed and unintentional exception to enforcement of the municipal code." With all the protesters outside of Occupy Wall Street getting their stories out why would the actions of these people against the system be denied the same right to get noticed. These protesters are not only demonstrating within their first amendment rights, but they feel they have been forced to do so. Authority telling these protesters they cannot perform such acts, or that they are being outrageous, is their opinion, and doesn't matter. They aren't taking into consideration the pain these people are going through and the detrimental effects this denial of access has been to them.

With all the other problems that L.A. has going on the only one they care about is the fact that people are being peacefully disobedient to unjust laws. They are portraying these actions for a response which authority is giving them. However they are attending to the issues that are not at hand as in how dirty the parks have become or how many people are in the way instead of thinking WOW that is a lot of people out there maybe we should do something. The primary concern is not about the people as it should be, but instead they are worried about just getting the people out of the way. They are not protesting so that you say let's move them but so that you say let's help them. With anybody being subject to getting arrested, the allegations of health and safety issues and the police rallying to get rid of these people soon cities will have to get further involved, what would you do to make history when they come for you? This movement is outstanding and for so many great reasons they deserve to get what they wish and if it ends we are all in danger injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere- Martin Luther King Jr.

Thoughts on Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T09:38:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving. A holiday based upon food, awkward family interactions, and getting a few days off from school. At least, that's what it always meant to me. I've spent many a Thanksgiving eating myself to sleep in my most comfortable sweat pants while actively trying to ignore the conservative jargon that is thrown around my family's dinner table. However, for many, Thanksgiving isn't about grabbing all the rolls before one of your other siblings can. It's a reminder that the history of our county, like anywhere else, isn't always completely factual. So many things that we're taught growing up are sometimes left unquestioned, but this Thanksgiving, maybe it's time to think about what you're really celebrating.
I was taught that Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks (duh) because the Pilgrims gave thanks to God for having the Native Americans bring them food to survive the winter. Even if this story was completely factual, and the Native Americans and Pilgrims did sit around a giant wooden table covered in green bean casseroles and canned cranberry sauce, this brief hiatus in their conflict wouldn't have last long. In fact, in some Native American cultures, Thanksgiving is a day of morning for their ancestors who lost so many so the early English settlers could prosper. In this sense, is it right to celebrate this holiday by having a third piece of pumpkin pie? The Native Americans who tried to help the settlers were often shot, clubbed to death, or wiped out by disease. They lost many while the settlers thrived.
Think about it tomorrow so you're sitting down to a delicious meal. I'm certainly not saying to stop celebrating Thanksgiving (it's my favorite holiday), but maybe as you're giving thanks for your friends, chocolate, family, and health, think about all the Native Americans who lost their lives for you to be here... then eat enough mashed potatoes to feed twelve people.

Planned Parenthood and Thanksgiving

2011-11-22T15:26:00.001-08:00

Check out this article by Planned Parenthood regarding reproductive rights and health, and how to broach the subject at Thanksgiving dinner. This topic is often hard to talk about on any other day, so on a major holiday it can be even more difficult. Families with diverse viewpoints and ideologies gathering at one location can be a breeding ground for arguments, so learning how to effectively navigate these conversations while maintaining peace is important. Give it a read, and maybe it will help diffuse tension or open new doors for families at Thanksgiving!

You Can't Evict an Idea Whose Time has Come

2011-11-18T14:07:00.000-08:00

ATTENTION RAMAPO:

If you've managed to stay away from all forms of news media, including our own school newspaper, over the past two months, here's the deal about the Occupy (Wall Street) Movement:

Over two months ago a diverse group of Americans took to the streets in nonviolent protest of the gross inequalities and wealth mal-distribution that have come to characterize our country. The original encampment, at Liberty Square (Zuccotti Park) in Manhattan, has served a model of community organizing, direct democracy and nonviolent insistence that something is wrong and our world needs to change. The catchy slogan of "We are the 99%" has spread across the country and around the world.

No, there is not a central list of demands. No, there are not "Occupy" political candidates. That's part of the point. The Occupy Movement, especially in light of recent evictions and worldwide solidarity protests, proves that the anger is global - the problem is structural - and the answer must be as well. We will not stop until how we think about wealth, about community action, about governmental responsibility and about personal restraint for the good of all (do you really need that fourth Porche?) has radically changed to match the needs of all people. The Occupy movement is bigger than any one movement - bigger than environmentalism, bigger than feminism, bigger than the push for true LGBTQ+ equality, bigger than immigration rights, bigger than healthcare reform, bigger even than financial regulation. The Occupy Movement is about building a better world where people matter more than profits and common respect for all individuals replaces divisive identity politics on the right and the left.

Check out these additional resources about OWS:

The Guardian: OWS and wealth distribution in the U.S.

OWS.org: Day of Action 11/17

OWS.org: The World is With Us!

- One of the 99%

Death in the Desert!

2011-11-17T13:49:00.000-08:00

Fred Pleitgen and Mohamed Fadel Fahmy, CNN states that hundreds of African refugees have been released from captivity in the Sinai Peninsula and allowed to cross from Egypt into Israel, shortly after the CNN documentary Death in the Desert aired detailing the horrendous conditions the migrants face.

The documentary exposed human trafficking in Sinai of people from Sudan and Eritrea. Their were women being raped, servants being abused and organs being extracted, something known as organ harvesting. These horrible traffickers were enslaving these people and if they did not abide by their rules were killing them in an abundant amount. There was a graveyard formed to hold these deceased slaves and after CNN released this film speaking of such issues surrounding these countries over 600 slaves were freed. It is sad that it took them to see what they were doing as wrong until the public got involved. African refugees have had human rights activist fight for their freedom for years in groups like New Generation Foundation for Human Rights and EveryOne Group, an Italian non-profit organization. Some have died dedicating their lives, reaching out for help and now their is finally a film to express the pain.

As a community, society, a nation we should act as CNN did and expose situations like these not only when it comes to sexual violence and abuse but to all injustice. Serve your community and make others aware. Unfortunately had it not been for a big name as CNN these odious events would not have been discovered. However, if we make the efforts we can raise awareness about issues like these in our everyday lives. One voice can lead a nation, one action can save a life, one person you reach can lead to a movement. Take a stance and stop oppression everywhere.

Let's Be Real.

2011-11-16T12:40:00.000-08:00

Have you ever seen an ad featuring a model that has obviously been photoshopped? I don't know about you, but that always strikes me as false advertising.

See what I mean? Is that really necessary?

Granted, the product itself may be represented accurately, but there is still that undeniable feeling that the company is lying to us. If the point of the ad is to feature the product, then why does the model need to be tweaked at all? This question goes into some deep issues about body image and the "ideals" presented by the media. I won't address this topic here and now, but rather the fact that governments across the world are finally taking notice of this ill effects photoshopped models are having on the young populations of all nations.

Just recently in Norway, it was proposed that all photoshopped advertisements must have a disclaimer printed at the bottom. The goal is to make it evident to the audience that the model in the photograph is not necessarily an accurate representation of the model in real life. A similar law was proposed in France, where the penalty would be up to half of the cost of the campaign. If there is anything that will make businesses obey laws, it's a hefty fine like that! The United Kingdom has had success with their slightly different version of this idea. There, photoshopping is BANNED from all ads with a target audience of people sixteen years or younger. All other ads must feature a disclaimer. Thus far, two companies have had their ads banned due to failure to adhere to these new regulations. It is too soon to say whether or not these policies are effective in regards to young people's ideas of body image, but I believe the simple recognition that photoshopping pictures of models is a negative thing is a step in the right direction. Let's keep on making steps like this!

If you are interested in reading more about this topic, a more detailed article can be found here.

"Buffy" slaying inequality way ahead of it's time.

2011-11-15T10:55:00.000-08:00

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” is my favorite show of all time. It is the first television show that I really followed week to week, up until the show’s series finale in 2003. While I was admittedly a little young for the show, they seemed to tackle difficult issues in a way that I could comprehend, and also have me the action sequences that I so craved as a middle school student.

One of the things that “Buffy” did way before it’s time was have a queer couple majorly featured on the show. In fact, the relationship between Willow and Tara was groundbreaking for the time, including the first same-sex kiss featured on prime time television at the time. What is even more impressive is how much creator Joss Whedon cared about this relationship- not using it as merely a ratings booster or to get straight male viewers into the show. In fact, the first time the couple kissed on screen was in Season 5 episode “The Body” when Willow was mourning the death of a family friend. Tara kissed her on screen to comfort her; a true expression of affection and love that was not sexualized in anyway.

I’ve written on this blog throughout the years about queer portrayals in shows like “Glee” and “Grey’s Anatomy”, but none have affected me, and television as a whole, like the first one represented in “Buffy”. To queer television followers: if you haven’t checked out the show before DO IT! You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how accurately and respectfully queer folks are portrayed in the show.

Breastfeeding: A Social Norm or Taboo?

2011-11-14T13:51:00.001-08:00

A trending topic in today’s news is the story of a mother who was in a court and began breastfeeding her 5 month old, only to be “called out” by the judge for being “inappropriate”. Mom Natalie Hegudus had brought her newborn with her to the court hearing because the child had an ear infection, and when he became hungry, she moved to the back of the courtroom, covered her breasts and began feeding. When the court bailiff noticed what she was doing, he wrote a note to the judge. When Hegudus was called up, the judge condemned her behavior and asked if she thought it was appropriate. The mother responded, “Considering the fact that my son is hungry, and he's sick, and the fact that it's not illegal, I don't find it inappropriate ... And the judge said something to the effect of 'It's my court, it's my decision and I do find it inappropriate.’”
This topic of breastfeeding in public is something that I never really agreed with. Although it is totally legal to do so, I never felt it was socially acceptable for women to expose themselves in public. Even if a mother is covered up, I still always find it a tad awkward.
For people who are in support of breastfeeding in public, there is an organization called National Alliance of Breastfeeding Advocacy. This group advocates for women at the state and federal levels and gathers statistical information from reports of women who have felt discriminated against because they choose to nurse in public.
So what’s your feeling on this subject? Is women breastfeeding in public totally normal or a taboo?

Personhood and Feminism

2011-11-11T13:49:00.000-08:00

This week local elections were held across the country*. Two ballot initiatives in particular received national attention: Ohio’s “Issue 2” would repeal the law enacted by Gov. John Kasich which greatly limited the collective bargaining rights of public employees, and Mississippi’s “Initiative 26” would define fertilized embryos as persons under the law – meaning abortion would be legally considered murder in that state. Labor supporters passed “Issue 2” in Ohio (Four for you Labor! You go Labor!) and Mississippi’s anti-abortion effort failed.

Several articles I have read about this ballot measure have included some line to the effect of: if this had passed it would have sparked a renewed debate about abortion. I think it has to some degree regardless, and I think it raises some challenging questions for the “third wave” feminist movement. Third wave is all about choice, right? Our generation of feminists champion personal expression, freedom of all peoples, individual agency and autonomy and all that awesome jazz. Right?

In my experience, unfortunately, even feminists and choice advocates can fall into the trap of “I respect you and your rights and your opinions – unless you disagree with me.” Let me just say, if you support “pro-life” measures doesn’t mean you are automatically and necessarily anti-woman or anti-feminist. I know pro-life feminists: the idea of life beginning at conception is a religious issue for many people and you can support equal pay, equal access, gay rights and many others things while holding this religious belief. Conversely, you can believe life begins at conception for religious/spiritual reasons and still be pro-choice (I am). My point is that not everyone is pro-life or pro-choice, Democrat or Republican (some of us are socialists), man or woman, etc. – life is complicated and everyone has the right to complex opinions.

On the question of personhood, I think legal definitions are tricky because all situations where the rights of more than one person (or groups of people) are potentially at odds are tricky. For example, if a fertilized embryo is a person, then when abortion is medically necessary to save a woman’s life, her doctor must consciously choose to break all sorts of ethics codes by letting a patient die (and face mal-practice suits) or break the law by terminating the fetus. That’s a shit choice without the hovering penalty of a murder charge. I’m glad the ballot measure failed because I think implementing that sort of law would be incredibly problematic and it may have fueled the anti-choice fire, encouraging other pro-life advocates to bring similar extreme measures in their states.

The world is too small for us to keep up these divides. We need to be able to talk to each other without screaming, cursing or condemning. If our generation wants to be serious about feminism and human rights, we all need to remember that everyone is human – even when they piss us off.

*For more information about the local level elections, click here.

- One of the 99%

Thoughts on the Situation at Penn State

2011-11-10T10:36:00.000-08:00

The internet is abuzz with activity surrounding the issues that have arisen at Penn State, namely the firing of university president Graham Spanier and decorated football coach Joe Paterno. The two men, along with other officials, were implicated in having knowledge of child sexual abuse perpetrated by a former football coordinator. As it seems, Paterno was given information that the perpetrator in question, Jerry Sandusky, was seen sexually assaulting a child at the school. Paterno took the information to his officials and apparently never pursued anything beyond that initial report. Last night, in response to the news of Paterno's firing, Penn State students began to gather in the streets, rioting and protesting the decision given Paterno's long tenure as a football coach.

In what world is a man's status as a sports coach more important than holding people accountable for the sexual abuse of children? His defenders claim he did his part by reporting what he knew to his supervisor, and his responsibility ends there. That is a load of garbage. When a person knows that children are being abused, they have an obligation to call the police to investigate the charges. The only previous response to the incident Paterno reported was that Sandusky was not allowed to bring kids to campus with him. How can a man continue to work with someone who has a documented history of abusing children? How could you look someone like that in the eye and not feel that you should do more to help the children that you KNOW are being abused? The students protesting Paterno's firing really shock me; how can someone think that football is more important than stopping sexual abuse? His past career as a coach, however illustrious it may be, is immaterial in this situation - the man knew abuse was going on and did not report it to the police. He was arguably one of if not the most powerful figures at Penn State, it would have been so easy for him to do more.

My heart goes out to those affected by the awful things that took place under the knowledge of those disgraced school officials; I hope people are able to get over their initial anger over the firing of a beloved coach to understand that it was the best thing to do (Even though it does nothing to remedy the abuses that occurred under his watch) and that there are much more important things in the world than football. For the future's sake, I really do hope people are able to do that.

Love yourself.

2011-11-10T07:08:00.000-08:00

There was a time when I did not feel right within my own skin.
I felt as if everyone was staring at me because of my size.
I would have done anything to go from a size 18 to a size 6.
I stopped eating and started working out harder,
all that did was make me sick and not lose any weight.
My mother, being the kind woman that she is, saw that her child was going through something.
She sat me down to remind me how beautiful I am and that GOD made me this way, and said it’s a wonderful way to be,
that I’m no different than other women.
It was all in my mind.
So remember this: EVERY BODY IS BEAUTIFUL, AND THE WAY YOU ARE IS THE WAY YOU ARE MEANT TO BE. NEVER CHANGE.

I LOVE YOU FOR WHO YOU ARE AND YOU SHOULD TOO.

Riot Grrrl: Then & Now with Kathleen Hanna

2011-11-09T16:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Kathleen Hanna delivered an awesome talk, called Riot Grrrl: Then & Now, at Ramapo.

She took the audience through the history of the Riot Grrrl movement, which came into existence very organically as the result of Kathleen and other awesome musically-inclined feminists trying to change the punk scene to one that was safer for women.

Through out the talk she asked the audience to think about our "breaking point," the moment(s) in our lives that inspire us to action. This, also, helped to put a lot into perspective for me.

I think my biggest breaking point was finding out that I could have had another aunt, had my family not lost her to depression and anorexia before I was born. Learning about my Aunt Jody as a teenager is what made me strong in the face of all the insecurities that growing up had to offer... it's what allowed me to love my body even when it was the last thing I wanted to do. Helping other people to stop hating their bodies and themselves as well is what initially drew me into the Women's Center and feminism.

Volunteering at the Bergen County Rape Crisis Center is another sort of breaking point. Each time I speak to a survivor or someone close to someone who has been assaulted I am reminded again why this work is so important. Being able to help someone feel even just a little bit more empowered after an assault is such a powerful thing, despite how emotionally taxing it can somehow be.

I have a million breaking points, if I am being honest. Each day seems to bring a new reason to keep fighting, keep working to change the world around us... yet each day also brings new reasons to feel tired and burnt out. It can be a struggle sometimes.

Luckily for me, at the speech Kathleen also gave some of the best advice I have ever heard in regards to being an activist without burning out. Towards the beginning of the presentation Kathleen spoke about volunteering at a shelter in Olympia, helping survivors of sexual and interpersonal violence. She talked about how important that work is, but also how draining it is. When she recognized herself burning out Kathleen decided to try and make her work more sustainable, by injecting something she loved (designing flyers, zines, making music...) into the mix. This combination of advocacy & art is what eventually helped to inspire the Riot Grrrl movement.

(Did you know that the people involved didn't call it Riot Grrrl at first... that was actually the name of a zine that a few of the original Riot Grrrls were producing. When the press started calling them Riot Grrrls, because it was catchy, they just went with it!)

Kathleen encouraged those of us in the audience to figure out what makes us angry, what we want to change, and then to figure out how we can combine that with something we never tire of doing to help create powerful actions that we can sustain. This honestly blew my mind... to realize that Kathleen and the other awesome people involved in Riot Grrrl weren't setting out to create a MOVEMENT and CHANGE THE WORLD... they were just trying to do what they loved and make their communities a bit better.

They made history without even trying to.

I'm not sure about anyone else, but I know that when I think about the future I often find myself getting intimidated by the pressure I feel to make "something" of myself by making some sort of HUGE impact on my community. To realize that one of the people I have looked up to in my feminist journey never set out to become a major figure in feminism's history... she was just trying to make & perform music, but to do that she had to fight to make some major changes to the punk scene that was (and often still is) hostile towards women.

This may sound a bit idealistic, but to me the Riot Grrrl movement shows how people like you & me can come together and use our own unique skills to change our communities in meaningful ways. All it takes is recognizing our breaking points, and then doing something (anything!) about it.

So, I want to know... what's your breaking point? What do you want to change? And what's stopping you from getting out there & doing it?

(Check back in a few days for the video interview that Kathleen was nice enough to stick around for after the talk!)

Modern Familia

2011-11-04T09:55:00.000-07:00

Saying that I love Modern Family definitely doesn’t fully describe my obsession. I adore almost every aspect of it. From the sharp, witty dialogue coupled with the extremely important message that there are so many different kinds of families out there, and that’s okay. You can have two moms, two dads, a mom and a dad, or one parent, and your family doesn’t have to be labeled as “dysfunctional” or weird. I was extremely young when I became one of the many children of divorce all over the world, so maybe that’s why I find a lot of comfort from a show that’s trying to change how society views families. In Catholic school, I can remember being in a debate about gay marriage. My teacher made the argument that a lesbian couple shouldn’t have a daughter because a little girl, in order to develop into a well adjusted woman, needs a father figure. This was appalling to me because in one sentence, a teacher told me that I had no chance at having a normal adulthood because I had an absent father. Looking back at it now, I realize how trivial that really is. I, like many other people, might be missing a person from my family, but there’s still a whole lot of love there. And isn’t that more important? I think that’s the great thing about Modern Family. It depicts a group of people who fight with each other, like a normal family, but will also always fight for each other. It shows that you can love whomever you want, in whatever way you want, and you still have a family at your back to annoy the crap out of you. Plus, it’s just freaking hilarious, so if you haven’t already started watching it halfway through this great blog post, START NOW!

Women's Center Coffee Talk

2011-11-03T11:57:00.000-07:00

If you're free this Monday at 2pm, you should try to check out the Women's Center's weekly Coffee Talk. Every Monday we have a new topic related to our mission to discuss, with delicious food and drinks! This upcoming Coffee Talk is going to be based around Disney and its depictions of race and gender in its feature films. Check out these videos to get a feel for what is going to be discussed!

Looking at pop culture from a feminist point of view is always interesting, and these movies are well-ingrained in our country's culture. Many people our age have grown up with these movies, so taking a more critical look at them can be both fun and eye-opening. I know that I watched Disney all the time as a child, so when I started to realize as I grew up that certain things in the movies were sexist/racist/etc., it kind of made me feel differently about these hallmarks of family animation. I have reached a point where I feel I can appreciate the artistic/cultural importance of certain movies, but while still remaining critical of the more negative aspects present in them. Although Disney may never quite live up to feminist ideals, that does not mean we should not analyze their works and push for less discrimination and stereotypes in popular media. Since their movies impact children at such an early age, it is important for everyone to take a step back and look at these beloved films through a different lens.

This discussion is sure to be a great one! If you like feminism or Disney (Or even just coffee!), definitely try to make it to this event!

(Click to enlarge!)

Feminism in YOu and Me!!!

2011-11-02T15:54:00.000-07:00

Feminism, a word that once meant empowering women, creating equal rights for all, pursuing strength in the community has been ignored and even disclaimed by the new generation. When a man believes women should have equal rights why are they bashed for being a feminist or even dehumanized as a man? Why is it when a woman expresses her desire for equal rights for woman she most often follows it up with “but I am not a feminist?” It has come to a point where women are judged and misrepresented by a title created to bring women and men together not single us out. The title has swayed so many people away from the idea of feminism, and created a stigmatized symbol of negativity in the feminist movement.

Misconceptions about feminism cause blurred ideals of what a feminist is and what their appearance may be. What does a feminist look like might you ask? According to the stereotypes we would believe in order to be deemed as a feminist you must be loud and abrasive, a man-hating lesbian, give up makeup and skirts, stop shaving everything, and abandon your religion. Now as it may be realistic that some feminists choose to behave and appear in this manner, but they should not box all feminists into this category of behavior. A woman or man should not be judged, discriminated against, or misrepresented because they believe in equal rights. Also, if feminists did all happen to look and behave in such manners, they have the right to be. If the characteristics I stated above were the actual representation of a feminist is that a legitimate reason to disclaim your beliefs? Has society become so dazed by image and so afraid to be different that we deny our true feelings and silence our opinions because we are seen as “weird.”

I believe feminists come in all shapes, sizes, colors, ethnicities, those who shave, and those who don’t: by all means are we really characterized by our arms and legs. It has been a fight for so long to provide equality, be respected as women, and be seen as a powerful force in the world, and to be along side men, maybe even ahead of them, but definitely not behind them. Stereotypes are negative and insulting to any group, feminists included. A core belief within the ideals of feminism lies in personal choices and individuality. No woman or feminist fits neatly into any mold; feminists celebrate the personal freedom to look, live, and just be the way that they are most comfortable. What does a feminist look like to you? It can be me, you, your brother, uncle, mother, grandfather, grandmother, no one is rejected from believing in rights to all.

The Women's Center on the Internet!

2011-11-01T11:51:00.000-07:00

Check out this blog post that our publicist, Jill, wrote for xoJane.com about safer sex & condoms. That picture ought to look kind of familiar... our condom box is internet-famous! :)

Cover your nose when you gay-sneeze, yo

2011-10-28T14:04:00.000-07:00

As a student employee of Ramapo College and someone who aspires to be a professor, I feel a special obligation to be righteously angry when Randy Thomasson of Save California compares the new Cal State Fullerton queer studies minor to a disease. On behalf of academia and the social sciences (full disclosure: I am a sociology major) I am offended that Mr. Thomasson has so little faith in the vetting that goes into academic major/minor programs – does he really think a program that is more ideology than accepted theory would be approved? Apparently. The linked article from LGBTQ Nation describes Mr. Thomasson’s belief that “a sincere academic discussion of the LGBT community would show that no one is born gay and that people can simply change their sexual orientation and become ex-gays.” Hmm.

Wouldn’t the reverse also be true then? And if it were true, why would anyone be gay? Why choose to be hated? Why choose to be harassed? Did you know that “9 out of 10 LGBT students have experienced harassment at school”? Why choose that? Unless choosing differently would be a painful, uncomfortable, depressing and confusing experience as well, because you would be choosing to be untrue to yourself and investing in some major self-hate. I don’t get it, Mr. Thomasson.

The queer studies minor at Cal State Fullerton is actually kind of cool, in my humble opinion. But I guess I’ve already been infected.

- One of the 99%

Slutwalk

2011-10-27T15:10:00.000-07:00

No matter who you are
No matter where you work
No matter how you identify
No matter how you flirt
No matter what you wear
No matter whom you choose to love
No matter what you said before:
NO ONE has the right to touch you without your consent.

This is what Slutwalk is all about. On October 1, 2011 Slutwalk NYC attracted hundreds of women who gather in Union Square proclaiming that they will not be victims of sexual assault based on what they wear. The movement, which has held protests in Boston, Denver, San Francisco and New Dehli, India, originated earlier this year in response to a Toronto police constable who provoked outrage by saying women should avoid "dressing like sluts" in order to avoid being sexually assaulted. Slutwalk is a great way for both men and women to get the word out about victim blaming, which seems to be a topic that doesn’t get much national advocacy.

I personally plan on attending Slutwalk when it comes back around here. It seems like a liberating experience and a lot of fun!!

- Written by Kelsey Gore

Middle Class Sinking Fast!

2011-10-26T15:04:00.000-07:00

"Over the past three decades, the distribution of income in the United States has become increasingly dispersed in particular, the share of income to high-income households has increased, whereas the share accruing to other households has declined," the Congregational Budget Office said. While those at the top have seen their incomes soar over the past three decades, middle-class and lower incomes have stagnated. As told by the CNN, "For the top 1% of the population, average inflation-adjusted household income grew by 275%. The rest of wealthiest fifth of the population, not including the top 1%, saw household income grow by 65%". The middle class had a different story from that and the poorest fifth of the population saw their incomes rise a mere 18% in a little less than 30 years, according to the study, which was based on IRS and Census data.

As we seen with the recent Occupy Wall Street movement, it can be seen that it is in part a revolutionary act being put to use based on the culmination of all these discrepancies. Shifts in government transfers and federal taxes also contributed to that increase in inequality not only between the class system but the society as well. Protesters refer to themselves as "the other 99%," which suggests that they represent a broad segment of the U.S. demographic, excluding the wealthiest 1% of Americans. Occupy Wall Street began on Sept. 17 in Manhattan's Financial District and has grown into a global movement since then.

I speak on this issue as a representative of equal opportunity and the dismantling of oppression in any form including class and equitable opportunities, I see this as a big issue that is rising once again and will cause more than occupy wall street acts. I wanted to raise awareness about this to you fellow readers because it is a serious issue and something not only America is dealing with, if the middle class alone is having such difficulty imagine how hard it is for the lower class and poorest populations. So take a stand and raise your because we have been divided and conquered and it is up to us to once again be united as we stand.

BOO!

2011-10-25T16:14:00.000-07:00

As you know, Halloween is just around the corner! In the spirit of the occasion, I carved the scariest pumpkin I could think of...take a look...

AHH! It's Sarah Palin! Now, you may be wondering why a politician like her is so scary to folks like us here at the Women's Center. Well, let's take a look at aspects of her political platform:
-She opposes same-sex marriage
-She opposes abortion in all cases, including those of rape or incest
-She supports discussion of creationism in public schools
-She supports oil drilling in the National Arctic Wildlife Refuge

At this point, if I decided to be Sarah Palin for Halloween, I'd win "scariest costume." However, she does share some views with the Women's Center, in a roundabout sort of way. Palin supports sex education in public schools (she wishes to promote abstinence) and gun safety education for youth (to keep everyone safe from the semi-automatic assault weapons she would lift bans on). She supports action against global warming, but does not believe humans are a major contributing factor to it. In general, her views are fairly appalling to people who identify with a feminist perspective, on any level.
Have a fun and safe Halloween, and don't let Sarah Palin getcha!

Genderfork.com: beauty in ambiguity

2011-10-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

Today I began brainstorming some events for next semester. One of the initiatives I wanted to take was to gender ambiguity and androgyny in the spotlight for the Ramapo community to understand. During my research I found a great website called Genderfork.com which I thought was really amazing.

This collaborative blog contains pictures, stories, poems, quotes, and profiles on individuals who chose not to buy into gender norms and who, like the Women’s Center, see Gender as a social construct. These individuals are brave enough to live their lives and express themselves in a more androgynous manner, and furthermore are proud enough of their custom-made identity that they are willing to share it on the internet for the masses to witness.

Furthermore, this website helps to form a powerful community where members can reach out and ask questions to fellow genderqueer or nontraditional folks about issues such as people’s reaction to their appearance, or the steps they need to take in order to be comfortable with their own bodies and appearances.

Check it out folks! It’s pretty amazing.

Thoughts on the Recent Republican Debate

2011-10-21T07:58:00.000-07:00

This past Tuesday, I watched the debate in Las Vegas of the 2012 Republican presidential candidates, and it was one of the most disheartening experiences I have had of late. The debate, which featured Mitt Romney, Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, and Rick Perry seemed more like a bunch of self-righteous adolescents bickering over petty issues than an open dialogue on the problems the United States is facing at the present. The rudeness, ad hominem personal attacks, and disturbing views expressed at the event made a mockery of political discourse and showed how out of control partisan rhetoric has become.

The most obvious childish fighting happened between Mitt Romney and Rick Perry, who spent most of the debate sniping at one another and making ridiculous claims about their policies and personal lives. Perry also refused to answer questions asked of him by moderator Anderson Cooper, stating that he would instead talk about what he wanted. Michele Bachmann, meanwhile, spent an inordinate amount of time interrupting people, and her constant refrains of "Anderson" in attempts to get his attention really distracted from the conversation and showed how little respect is given to political courtesies in this day and age. Gingrich made comments about how atheists cannot be trusted in political office, while Rick Santorum rambled on about how the decay of the American family structure was responsible for the nation's problems. All in all, the petty squabbling was embarrassing to watch and it seemed stunning that in a short amount of time one of these people would be a major contender for the presidency.

However, the most upsetting portion of the evening was the audience's reactions to certain statements made by candidates. When Herman Cain reiterated his belief that the Occupy Wall Street protestors have no one to blame but themselves for not being rich and successful, the audience roared with approval. The amount of time spent focused on "illegals" and what to do to stop them also showed a fundamental lack of compassion and understanding of the topic, and the fact that the audience responded so favorably to outrageous statements on undocumented workers reminded me of how far we have to go to ensure a better future (And present) for our country. People are struggling to make a better life for themselves and their families in a broken system, whether it is down on Wall Street or in low-wage labor with the constant threat of deportation, and the Republican presidential candidates made it clear that these people have no place in their vision of the United States.

Walking For a Cure

2011-10-18T15:01:00.000-07:00

This October, all over the country people are walking to find a cure to Breast Cancer. With organizations like Susan G. Komen for the Cure, people are really getting active in this fight against cancer. This weekend, I went to Woodberry Commons for a Breast Cancer walk and had an amazing time. All the men, women, children, and even pets were all there to show support. The energy of the people there was heartwarming and you couldn’t help but feel empowered to help make a change in the lives of those affected by Breast Cancer. The walk was about 3 miles and the whole event only took about two hours. Taking this short amount of time out of my day was totally worth it and I can’t wait to go back next year.

October Events

2011-10-18T11:57:00.000-07:00

Hey! Have you seen our October Calendar yet? There are still a few awesome events to check out in October:

Click to see the calendar bigger!

E!’s Giuliana Rancic reveals she has breast cancer

2011-10-17T10:27:00.000-07:00

Our hearts go out to Giuliana and her family. October at the Women's Center Breast Cancer Awareness Month. If you want to support research that will help to treat Giuliana and other Breast Cancer survivors feel free to stop by the Women's Center any time this month to make a donation to the American cancer Society and receive a Breast Cancer Support band in return!

Also, consider stopping by one of our Octoberbreast Events:

Screening of Why I Wore Lipstick to my Mastectomy
Wednesday, October 19th 3-5p.m. Location: Laurel Hall Theater
Hosted by the Nursing Organization and Look Good Feel Better Foundation, this event is about self-acceptance, loving yourself and the reliance on courage, humor, and other characteristics that should be of concern rather than looks.

Breast Cancer: Treatment and Accessibility
Thursday, October 20th 1-2p.m. Location: Alumni Lounges
Hosted by Beta Kappa Sigma and Lambda Theta Alpha. A speaker will be teaching the audience about the issue of how African American and Latin women are affected by breast cancer and the treatment accessibility they are offered.

Coffee Talk: Sexism and Breast Cancer
Thursday, October 20th 5-6p.m. Location: Women's Center
Come join Women's Center staff and other students in an informal discussion of the issues facing men who have breast cancer, as well as the issue of "pink washing" and how we can hold companies accountable for their Breast Cancer fundraising campaigns. Check out our tumblr for more information if you'd like!

Some things are complicated...

2011-10-14T14:06:00.000-07:00

...And some things are not. At least, according to one of my professors. This belief was voiced in a conversation about the Occupy Wall Street protests and the at times hyperbolic reporting the movement is now receiving. One thing worth complaining about is this: the story of a transman who was separated from other protesters after arrest, confined without food, ignored by police when requesting water and answers - why was he treated differently? The only answer seems to be that he identified himself as transgender. Don't even get me started about the policy standing by and gawking at him.

Read for yourselves. It's appalling and the NYPD should be ashamed. Personally, I think the police - unionized, public employees of the City of New York - should be standing shoulder to shoulder with the protesters. Aren't unions and public employees the enemy?

Decide for yourselves.

- One of the 99%

Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign

2011-10-13T12:24:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

Just wanted to inform you about the Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign that has been taking place on campus. We will have the campaign in full throttle this upcoming week October 16th-October 21st..... If you click on the link you will find all the events incorporated in the week.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=254960741215324

We hope to see you there not only may they count as experiential but you may also donate and help change someones life. We brought this campaign to the Women's center because it is something that is an extremely large issue in the world. As an office that advocate for equitable environment,free from violence and from a feminist perspective ending all forms of oppression I feel physical health is included and was an issue we should advocate for. The bettering of women and men every where who are trapped by the confounds of this diagnosis. I hope you all take the time out to come to our events and support what we are trying to do. We are making a statement and trying to bring about as much awareness as possible.

If you are also interested in joining our OctoberBREAST team for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer and walk with us or donate. You can click the link and find out more about what we are doing.

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?team_id=1030110&pg=team&fr_id=35964

Donate today and save a life tomorrow... each step we take and each person who joins the fight brings us one step closer to winning the fight.

"Let Women Die" Act

2011-10-12T12:47:00.000-07:00

Recently, Congress has brought the “Protect Life Act” to the table for debate. The act, proposed earlier this year, allows hospitals to deny their patients abortions. If it is passed, abortions can be denied under all circumstances, including situations in which the woman’s life may be in danger. This aspect of the proposal has earned it the nickname “Let Women Die” Act. A feeble defense to the hostility arising is that the act would not play any active part in a death-it is just allowing medical professionals to refuse to save a life. Also proposed in the act is the outlawing of federal funds going to any health plans that cover abortions.

For those of you who are politically inclined, this may all sound a bit familiar. For thirty-five years now, the Hyde Amendment has provided the exact same powers to hospitals. This recently proposed act does nothing new; if anything, it only reinforces the rejection of a woman’s right to have control over her own body and choices. For those of us who are opposed to these laws, there will be twice as much work to undo what might be done if this act is passed.

There is a project in progress to make all the voices against the Hyde Amendment heard: The Repeal Hyde Art Project. For more information on this project, visit repealhydeartproject.org

Violence Awareness

2011-10-11T12:28:00.000-07:00

Here at Ramapo College of New Jersey, We make it our business to put violence awareness out there for the campus and even the world to see. This is one of our RA's poster in the village on campus :)!

Reclaiming Columbus Day for Justice!

2011-10-10T11:50:00.000-07:00

For most people today is Columbus Day, but not for me. After reading about the atrocities committed by Columbus and his men in James Lowen's Lies My Teacher Told Me I can no longer acknowledge the day in good conscience.

Despite my lack of aptitude when it comes to history, for the past ten years or so I have had some awareness of the fact that Columbus Day was a really crummy holiday. I mean, thinking about it logically it is easy to understand that Columbus didn't discover anything, he simply took over a patch of land that was already inhabited by various groups of people. With this understanding I spent many years ambivalent, not thrilled about the reasoning behind the holiday but enjoying my day off all the same.

Now, however, I am outraged.

This excerpt from a post on commondreams.org is lengthy, but it sums up the horrible history behind Columbus' expedition to the "New World" very well. It is a history that I, like many of my peers, was woefully unaware of until just a few weeks ago.

"If you fly over the country of Haiti on the island of Hispaniola, the island on which Columbus landed, it looks like somebody took a blowtorch and burned away anything green. Even the ocean around the port capital of Port au Prince is choked for miles with the brown of human sewage and eroded topsoil. From the air, it looks like a lava flow spilling out into the sea.

The history of this small island is, in many ways, a microcosm for what's happening in the whole world.

When Columbus first landed on Hispaniola in 1492, virtually the entire island was covered by lush forest. The Taino "Indians" who loved there had an apparently idyllic life prior to Columbus, from the reports left to us by literate members of Columbus's crew such as Miguel Cuneo.

When Columbus and his crew arrived on their second visit to Hispaniola, however, they took captive about two thousand local villagers who had come out to greet them. Cuneo wrote: "When our caravels were to leave for Spain, we gathered one thousand six hundred male and female persons of those Indians, and these we embarked in our caravels on February 17, 1495. For those who remained, we let it be known (to the Spaniards who manned the island's fort) in the vicinity that anyone who wanted to take some of them could do so, to the amount desired, which was done."

Cuneo further notes that he himself took a beautiful teenage Carib girl as his personal slave, a gift from Columbus himself, but that when he attempted to have sex with her, she "resisted with all her strength." So, in his own words, he "thrashed her mercilessly and raped her."

While Columbus once referred to the Taino Indians as cannibals, a story made up by Columbus - which is to this day still taught in some US schools - to help justify his slaughter and enslavement of these people. He wrote to the Spanish monarchs in 1493: "It is possible, with the name of the Holy Trinity, to sell all the slaves which it is possible to sell Here there are so many of these slaves, and also brazilwood, that although they are living things they are as good as gold."

Columbus and his men also used the Taino as sex slaves: it was a common reward for Columbus' men for him to present them with local women to rape. As he began exporting Taino as slaves to other parts of the world, the sex-slave trade became an important part of the business, as Columbus wrote to a friend in 1500: "A hundred castellanoes (a Spanish coin) are as easily obtained for a woman as for a farm, and it is very general and there are plenty of dealers who go about looking for girls; those from nine to ten (years old) are now in demand."

In order to draw attention to the controversy over this "holiday" at Ramapo Professor Gorewitz planned a "campus takeover to appreciate Native Americans." This is the schedule for the day:

9:45 - Gathering
10:00 - Greetings from representatives of the Ojibwa and Lenape communities
10:15 to 11:30 - Trudell by Heather Rae
11:30 to 1:00 - Powwow Highway directed by Jonathan Wacks
1:00 to 2:00 - Drum circle near the arch
2:00 to 3:30 - Smoke Signals directed by Chris Eyre
4:00 to 6:00 - The Business of Fancy Dancing written and directed by Sherman Alexie

I'm in class and meetings for most of the day, but I did manage to jump back and forth between Ramapo Coming Out Day (more about that in another post) and the Drum Circle! The drum circle was lead by a Native American man* who spoke for awhile about the significance of the various instruments before leading the circle in a beat for a little while.

* [Because I came in late, I missed where exactly he was from but we should all be aware that "Native American culture" is not a monolithic thing. Someone I spoke to told me the man was from Wisconsin, so I suspect he is Ojibwa based on the program and the fact that there is an Ojibwa reservation in Wisconsin. If anyone has more information about the facilitator of this portion of the event please post it in the comments! ]

In addition to the film festival, there has also been a petition going around to change Ramapo's name for the day to it's Native American spelling, Ramapough.

This is the part of the event that resonates with me most, since so few people on this campus realize that there is a Native American tripe, the Ramapough Lenape people, living not twenty minutes from Ramapo's campus. Even fewer people realize that the Ramapough Lenape people's health and livlihood has been compromised for years now, at the hands of Ford Motors:

In 1983, the Ramapough homeland was declared an EPA-monitored Superfund site by the federal government. After 7,000 cubic yards and 727 tons of paint sludge and 61 drums of toxic waste was removed from the Upper Ringwood, New Jersey site from 1987 to 1990, and in 1994, the EPA delisted the site and declared it safe. In 2006, after many complaints by the Ramapough, Upper Ringwood was the first site in history re-declared a Superfund site and today the EPA admits that 80 percent of the toxins were missed in the original cleanup.

I didn't know about any of this until a few weeks ago, when I stumbled upon an article online. This is astounding to me, since the impact this event has had on the community is so powerful:

One area in particular is known as “Cancer Row.” Every house here has been visited by cancer and in many cases, by The Grim Reaper. No individual lives into his or her 70s in this area, which, prior to Ford’s presence, supported a healthy population of elderly people.

Children, adolescents, and adults are routinely diagnosed with multiple cancers; many have died as a result. Those who are still on this Earth are not exempt from a myriad of other health issues, including but not limited to gall stones the size of which seasoned medical professionals have never before seen, skin ailments requiring surgical excising of large areas of one’s skin, and unexplained bleeding from the throat, eyes, ears, and mouth.

Stumped, local doctors advised one 29-year-old woman that she suffered from lupus and all manner of other diseases; all were incorrect diagnoses. Finally diagnosed properly by healthcare professionals in New York City, the woman learned that she suffers from heavy metal poisoning. A newlywed, she was also counseled not to try to conceive, as “it won’t live.”

Things like this are allowed to happen, largely, because so many of us are ignorant. In many mainstream public school systems we are taught to see Native American culture and people as something that died out "a long time ago." The evidence of this is all over our culture: from "Indian Princess" Halloween Costumes, to movies like Pocahontas that vastly misrepresent the story of a real Native American girl, to "Tribal" trends in clothing stores... our culture treats Native American people, a CURRENTLY oppressed group, as some sort of mythical historical figure.

In doing this we ignore the reality: Like the fact that there are many, very different groups of Native American people; or the fact that Native American women are at least 2.5 times more likely to be sexually assaulted in their lifetimes than other women in the United States (and at least 86 percent of reported rapes or other sexual assaults against Indigenous women are committed by non-Indigenous men); or the fact that an entire race op people (The Ramapough Lenapes) are being harmed by toxic chemicals that an American company put into their land.

We do this because it is easy: after all, buying into Disney's version of Pocahontas' life feels much better than acknowledging the reality. Seeing Columbus as a hero who discovered the earth was round (nope) feels better than acknowledging the America we know was founded on a history of rape and subjugation.

We do this because he people in power want to keep us ignorant: After all, acknowledging the injustices STILL being commuted against Native American people means that we actually have to do something about it... and doing something likely means inconveniencing major companies and uncovering a great deal of corruption.

We don't have to do this anymore. This injustice started with Columbus, but it can end with us... what are you going to do to help?

FURTHER READING:

I Am Not a Mascot - "My name is Simon Moya-Smith. I'm an Oglala Lakota Sioux. In this blog you will read the adventures and musings of a contemporary First Nation journalist living in a society that, well, just doesn't get it. Far too many American Indian issues are swept under the rug. I am a rug lifter. "

Native Appropriations - "Native Appropriations is a forum for discussing the use of Indigenous cultures, traditions, languages, and images in popular culture, advertising, and everyday life."

My Culture is Not a Trend - "This blog is devoted to calling out those who might think that it is fun to dress like a native for a photo-shoot, or what have you. Just because it's popular, doesn't make it right, and to me, it is just as offensive as blackface. "

Native Youth Sexual Health Network - "The Native Youth Sexual Health Network (NYSHN) is a North-America wide organization working on issues of healthy sexuality, cultural competency, youth empowerment, reproductive justice, and sex positivity by and for Native youth."

Please share any additional links or information you have in the comments!

Ramapo Took Back the Night

2011-10-07T08:28:00.000-07:00

Last night the Women's Center concluded this year's Violence Awareness Week with the always amazing Take Back the Night. This event, half speak-out for survivors of violence and half empowering march around campus, never ceases to impress me. The stories that survivors share are moving reminders of the effects that violence has, and to be able to share such intensely personal experiences with a large audience shows a true depth of courage.

The fact that this event received so much support from the Ramapo community made it even more meaningful. I have attended this event since I started at Ramapo back in 2008, and to see that it still makes a big impact on our campus is heartening. The volume of both the number of people in the march as well as their voices is something that people could not ignore last night, and I hope that the messages we tried to impart last night remain firmly etched in the Ramapo community's consciousness.

I have had the honor of organizing this event for two years now, and I could not have asked for a better way to finish my last Violence Awareness Week. My deepest gratitude goes out towards everyone who made last night as wonderful as it was, and I can't wait to see how this event grows in the future.

Spent

2011-10-06T15:12:00.000-07:00

Poverty affects a lot of people in this country, yet there seems to be this mentality that it couldn’t ever happen to you. I know that when I walk through the city and see all of the homeless, I’m never afraid that that could one day be me because obviously, if you make good choices and do the right things, you could never become homeless. Right?

Not really. Homelessness isn’t something that happens to those who make poor life choices. It could happen to anyone. The Urban Ministries of Durham created a game called Spent that was designed to challenge the way people think about homelessness. The player starts by losing their job, their home, and all of their savings except for their last $1,000. The challenge is to last a month.

http://playspent.org/

I played the game three times before I finally got through the month successfully, and I realized that even though I finished the month with $272, the next month’s rent (of $759) would be due the next day. If I was actually in this situation, I wouldn’t have a feeling of accomplishment. The game wouldn’t be over.

As a student, the idea of living in this kind of poverty after school isn’t a completely foreign one. The pressure of finding a job to be able to pay back mass amounts of student loans is great and finding a job isn’t easy. In fact, in this economic situation, the default rate on student loans is extremely high, and it has been one factor that helped spark protests around the country like the one on Wall Street right now.

Play the game. Can you last a month in this situation?

Breast Cancer Awareness Isn't Just for Women

2011-10-05T15:07:00.000-07:00

This piece is a follow-up of sorts to a post I wrote awhile back for Not Your Average Feminism, on a similar topic, called It's About People, Not Breasts.

This past weekend I helped to bring Octoberbreast to my college's Octoberfest celebrations. For three hours I stood behind a table with some friends, in a black dress and a bright tie-dyed sports bra, encouraging other women to tie-dye their own bras while we spoke with them about the various Breast Cancer Awareness Month events we had coming up around campus. The table was met with a great deal of enthusiasm and excitement... we ran out of bras long before the event ran out of time!

In executing this table we did A LOT of things right. The idea was fun and catchy. We had a range of sizes wide enough that we did not have to tell anyone that we didn't have a bra big enough for them (though we did run out of smaller sizes much quicker than anticipated.) We managed to educate a number of people through conversations and pamphlets given out alongside their bras - sharing information about breast cancer in general as well as the events we have less to come.

Still, there was one thing about this event that made me feel just a bit disappointed in us: we had forgotten the men.

Breast cancer awareness is important, yes, but with "I <3 Boobies" bracelets on so many arms, and NEW! pink products coming out all the time... most people are pretty aware of breast cancer, well, at least the 51% of them that identify as female are. The other half of the population is still at risk because somewhere along the line the conversation about men & breast cancer often seems to get lost. In fact, I have to wonder if all of these campaigns that focus so much on boobs make men even less aware of breast cancer, since they are trained to associate it with "boobies" and women in general.

If this is true, as I suspect, then these campaigns actually could be costing male breast-cancer patients valuable time as they are less likely to be on the lookout for breast cancer symptoms. That time could be the difference between life and death.

In August many media outlets were reporting on a South Carolina man, Raymond Johnson, who was denied coverage for his breast cancer... simply because he was not born female. Johnson makes too much money to be considered for Medicaid, but not enough to afford insurance that would cover his treatments, as a result of this his doctors encouraged him to apply for help under The Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act. Johnson met all of the requirements for coverage under this act except for one: he wasn't a woman. Johnson isn't the only man who has been denied by this fund for the same reasons.

Equally horrifying (at least to me) is the fact that Johnson didn't even know he could GET breast cancer. For all of the awareness campaigns out there he, like many men, was left in the dark until his diagnosis was brought to light:

“I didn’t even know men could get breast cancer,” says Johnson, who was diagnosed after he went to a local emergency room for chest pain treatment. “I’m young. I didn’t think anything bad could really happen to me.” [Source]

While it is true that breast cancer is MUCH more rare in men [there are just under 2,000 new cases of breast cancer in men in the U.S. per year, and just under 400 deaths, while almost 40,000 women die of breast cancer each year] that does not mean that raising awareness in men is not important. Like all cancers, a patient's chances of survival are MUCH higher

For an event like ours, I would suggest providing white tank tops for men (and women who don't want sports-bras) to tie-dye in order to help draw in a more mixed crowd. Overall, when it comes to Breast Cancer Awareness, I continue to advocate for a less "boobies"-centric view... what I mean by this, is that campaigns should focus more on the people who are fighting this disease, and less on the "boobies" themselves.

The bottom line is that breast cancer doesn't discriminate based on sex, and neither should breast cancer awareness programs or treatment funds.

To end this on a positive note, is one awesome Breast Cancer Awareness campaign that speaks to men as well as women:

"Peter Criss, drummer and founding member of the rock band KISS, recently went public with his battle against breast cancer. People don't associate men with the disease, but men have breast tissue, too, and they are susceptible to breast cancer. Keep reading and then encourage your loved ones -- male and female -- to get screened for the potentially deadly disease. " Read more here!

What do you think? Do you know of any effective awareness campaigns that target women AND men? As always, feel free to share in the comments!

"Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" struts against Violence!

2011-10-04T13:12:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

Today Violence Awareness Week went off to a glorious start with our annual “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” event under the arch! Here, a large group of men donned women’s heels and marched with allies in order to bring awareness to interpersonal violence against women, and to stand up against it on our campus. Clad with heels, signs, and the power of their voices, the group marched a mile around the Ramapo Arch, Laurel Quad, and the Student Center to bring attention to the issue of interpersonal violence right into the ears and eyes of the campus community.

Check out some pictures from the event (including Men’s Outreach Coordinator Travis and Queer Peer Services Coordinator Corey wearing some of the highest heels out there!)

Violence Awareness week continues with events every day this week, stop by the Women’s Center at C 220 for more info!

Questions of "Biblical Womanhood" and Judgment-Free Feminism

2011-10-03T16:01:00.000-07:00

Rachel Held Evans is a progressive Christian blogger and a proponent of women in church leadership. Her beliefs and projects may not be your cup of tea, but her work is interesting to say the least. This month Evans concludes a year of biblical womanhood – a year of decisive faith and in-depth exploration of biblical commands directed at women. Evans’ project raises many challenging questions about the intersections of feminism, faith and religious practice.

Personally I’m not a huge fan of organized religion, but I am a faithful person and believe very strongly in an intelligent God capable of compassion. One part of Evans’ project (which will be published as a book next year) references a women-specific “10 Commandments” list and several of those rules are “head tilt” moments for me. I have no problem with a “no gossip” rule – for everyone, but yeah for women. I’m less comfortable with a “no haircut” rule because I think it’s rather unnecessary and kind of gross by 21st Century American hygiene standards. I’m confused by the “no teaching in church” rule, especially since my CCD (Catholic-rules-for-kids class) teacher was a woman and most of the Sunday school teachers I knew of as a child were women. I understand there is an ongoing debate in different Christian sects (and in Judaism) about the role of women in leadership, but my question here is how it jives – or doesn’t – with a feminist understanding of equality. I respect tradition and I don’t pass judgment on other people’s faith, but I see no harm in posing questions: when is tradition more important that achieving and maintaining equality or any sort? Can’t tradition change? Should it?

Of Evans’ personal commandments, the most troubling for me was the last: “Thou [woman] shalt not have authority over a man.” Wait, what? I don’t get it. I personally do not believe that faith/religion/spirituality/god/God is inherently incompatible with a feminist understanding of the world and a desire for a world without gendered violence. Seeing such a stark anti-equality statement phrased as religious law (or a mimic of religious law – or an interpretation of religious law), especially from someone who identifies with some part of feminism and supports women in church leadership, is off-putting.

Religion and faith are complicated. Feminism is complicated. Living without judgment is complicated and I’ll admit I’m struggling with this one. I’m certain there are other points of view on this subject. Maybe one of our readers can help me out here. How can Evans’ project on biblical womanhood spark positive discussions about women and faith and religious rules (which was her intention), and how can other feminists (especially those of us for whom religion/god/God does not factor in a major way) engage in such discussions without judgment?

Kitty Blogging and Maria Falzone!

2011-09-30T13:25:00.000-07:00

If the WC had a kitty and it walked across the keyboard while one of us was blogging, our posts might look funny and be extra cool. How funny you ask? How cool you ask? Read on and good luck! (And scroll down!)

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“Sex Rules!” Comedy Show with Maria Falzone
TONIGHT IN THE BRADLEY CENTER!
DOORS OPEN @ 8:30, SHOW BEGINS @ 9 p.m.

Bully Beatdown

2011-09-29T12:06:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been bullied? Maybe you were picked on, or maybe a close friend dealt with bullying. How far would you go to see that justice was served in that sort of situation?
MTV has taken matters into their own hands with the show “Bully Beatdown.” The idea is based on giving bullies a taste of their own medicine. Here’s the concept: A teen who is frequently picked on will submit their story to the show. If they are chosen, a camera crew comes to their hometown and films segments of their lives. They also interview and film the bully involved. You might wonder why someone would participate in such a show if they knew they would be portrayed negatively—well, they are given the opportunity to win money. Some of them truly believe they are in the right, one bully even claiming they were “teaching their victim how to be a man.” After the introductory segments, the bully is brought into a boxing ring surrounded by a jeering crowd. They are joined by a professional fighter. While the victim watches from outside the ring, the two grapple in an effort to pin the other. With each pin, the winner earns $1,000. After the money round comes a boxing round, during which the professional essentially beats the living daylights out of the bully for minutes on end.
Almost every time, the victim wins all the money and the bully is thoroughly humiliated, and often quite battered. Does this sound like justice to you? Realistically, a teenager has little to no chance up against a professional fighter. Maybe the victim gains a little confidence, maybe the bully has seen the error of their ways, but is violence really what it takes to accomplish this? In the end, the bully is just a kid, and it seems to me that the actions carried out are far too harsh for the situation. Think about it, after the show is over and everyone goes back home, what happens next? The bully feels as if they were humiliated on national television, and the person to blame is the victim. There is a good chance hurtful behavior is perpetuated by the show Bully Beatdown.
Then again, a bully’s power often comes from the fear they create in the school or community. Once they have been exposed on television, that fear may largely dissipate. So it is possible that the show does help bullying situations, if not in the way they originally intended.
What do you think? Should we combat violence with violence? Do bullies just need a good ass-kicking? I’m not so sure MTV’s Bully Beatdown is sending the most helpful message on this topic.

The Symbol of Syria's Pain

2011-09-28T13:54:00.000-07:00

Zainab Alhusni was only 18 years old when she was brutally dismembered and mutilated by Syrian security forces. She had left her home early last month to buy groceries and her family never again saw her alive. She was whisked away to coax the surrender of her activist brother, and ended up beheaded and dismembered, a neighbor, activists and human rights groups say. As said by CNN, reporter Her older brother, Mohammed, became a well-known activist in the family's hometown of Homs in western Syria, often leading the demonstrations against embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and treating the wounded. "Protesters would carry Mohammed on their shoulders so he could lead the chants," Fares said. "He was very loved by everyone. The protesters even had a chant they would say for him, using his nickname: 'Abu Ahmed, may Allah protect you!'"

Due to her bothers disobedient behavior in the eyes of the officials she was had the wrath taken out on her. In what way did she deserve such dehumanizing acts to occur to her? Why was she the victim of a hate crime? They were demonstrating on her the things they hated about her brother and all who rose up against the government. Several days after Zainab disappeared, security forces called the family and offered to meet them in a pro-Assad neighborhood where they would trade Zainab for her activist brother. On September 10, the family says, Mohammed was wounded in a demonstration. He came back to his loved ones a corpse. The family believes he was tortured to death. The ferocious Syrian government crackdown against dissenters began in mid-March when anti-government protests unfolded. The number of people killed over the past six months has reached at least 2,700, according to the U.N. human rights office. Some activist groups put the toll at around 3,000.

Zainab dreamed of owning her own tailor shop, so she could support her impoverished family, he said. But she never had a chance to fulfill that dream. Authorities forced Zainab's mother to sign a document saying both her daughter and her son had been kidnapped and killed by an armed gang, Amnesty International said in an online statement. The acts being demonstrated to people of Syria is demonizing and barbaric and should not be tolerated, how could we sit back and watch as such horrid acts occur whether they be here or there it doesn't matter. I blog about instances as these because it infuriates me to know such evil is still acceptable. I understand somethings are apart of people traditions and who am I to say what they believe in but when you are removing the rights of the people and treating them as tools, and property to be treated as you wish I must not hold my tongue. As Waleed Fares, a neighbor and family friend of Zainab said, "The case of Zainab Alhusni is not just for our town, or province, or even for the country of Syria. It is a human rights issue that should bring the attention of the world."

The Importance of Consent

2011-09-27T14:45:00.000-07:00

Reading this article by Hugo Schwyzer reminded me of the importance that consent has for everyone in maintaining a healthy sexual relationship. Honest and enthusiastic consent should be something that all participants of a sexual experience seek to ensure; unfortunately, as Schwyzer mentions, there is often a more gray area between "YES!" and "NO!" that leads to serious issues for people.

Men, in particular, are often given harmful messages about pursuing sex. One such message is that all women generally want sex, they just need to be convinced of it. This in turn leads to various degrees of pressure that are put on their partners; while I think most men are acting with good intentions fueled by a screwed-up message, the fact of the matter is that any sort of coercion used in having sex is by definition a lack of consent since it goes against a partner's wishes. No one should ever have to feel pressured into a situation in which he or she is not comfortable.

Another unfortunate message that men receive is that unless a partner flat-out says "No," then they are giving some form of consent. This is a dangerous idea to instill in men because oftentimes a partner might not feel comfortable expressing a firm rejection. As Schwyzer says, "It’s tougher to say 'not yet, I’m not quite ready' or 'slow down' or 'maybe later' to someone to whom you’re genuinely attracted." Part of maintaining a healthy relationship is open and honest communication, and being able to confidently give or not give consent is something that is part of that necessary communication.

In my capacity as Men's Outreach Coordinator, I try to educate men and women about consent and what it really means, whether it is at a Healthy Love Party, part of Violence Awareness Week, or any other Women's Center function related to healthy relationships. I know that the overwhelming majority of men are good people who are disgusted by the idea of sexual assault; the mixed messages about sex that are sent to them by our society or by the media are the real issues that I am targeting when I talk about consent. By better understanding the mechanics of consent and putting them into play in our lives, we can all be one step closer to reducing instances of unwanted sex in our society.

Remember, consent is SEXY!

The FINAL End of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

2011-09-23T13:50:00.000-07:00

This Tuesday (September 20th) marked the official end of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in our military. Gay, lesbian and bisexual Americans are now permitted to honorably and openly serve our country.

Mini-history lesson!

The policy originally known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue” was passed in December of 1993 as a compromise between Congress (anti-gay kids) and President Clinton’s administration (pro-gay kids, at least in comparison). President Clinton's platform included public intentions of repealing the ban on gay military service but he was unable to overcome the anti-progress and anti-equal rights positions of the current Congress. The intention of what we came to know as simply “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (or DADT) was to prevent military recruiters and officers from forcing applicants and soldiers to reveal their sexual orientation; to forbid military applicants and soldiers from acknowledging their queer identification; and to disallow officers in the US military from conducting “witch hunt”-style investigations into otherwise honorable service-members.

The full, official title of the policy eventually included the words “Don’t Harass” in a further attempt to stem anti-queer intimidation, attacks, sexual abuse and other forms of discrimination within the ranks of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps. and US Coast Guard. However, enforcement was spotty at best and discrimination on an individual and institutional level persisted (along with “witch hunt”-style investigations). While DADT was the active policy, otherwise honorable (and at times critical) service-men and -women could be dishonorably discharged and precluded from receiving military pensions and other benefits. Nearly 14,000 Americans were kicked out of the US military because of DADT.

Since 1993 queer activists have worked tirelessly to propel our country towards the year 2011 (just because it is doesn’t mean we’re there yet). As of Tuesday, we can be counted on a list of over 40 countries around the world whose military does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation – including US allies like Israel, Germany, Canada, Japan, and Great Britain.

While the road ahead for our service-men and -women is undoubtedly still rocky (Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan) and the repeal of DADT does not directly deal with issues of transgender/transsexual Americans and military service, it is a step towards being on the right side of history – and that should always been commended.

Another issue that remains is the question of federal marriage equality. After all, who wants to look a Marine in the eye and say, “Yes, Marine, I believe your marriage is inferior to mine; yes, Marine, I believe your love is less honest and true and faithful than mine”?

Despite the issues that remain, ending DADT is great and here’s one reason why: queer soldiers may now feel that they can live more openly overall and represent themselves more fully, whether on YouTube or when talking to family members. Or both....

Our military values honest, bravery and integrity – the repeal of DADT supports all of these values and offers the opportunity for us to become a stronger country overall.

Unnamed Woman

2011-09-22T07:36:00.000-07:00

As Violence Awareness Week comes closer, reading this piece of poetry reminds me of the hurt that victims of sexual abuse go through and how it can keep them from enjoying the happy moments in their life.

My mother cut out clippings from the newspaper with a pair of silver scissors,
gliding them along the marble countertop with a swoosh as I cut my French toast
into trapezoids with my fork. I never drank my orange juice. It left a bad
taste in my mouth when I brushed my teeth and besides, orange juice
did not belong to me anymore. It belonged on the list, ‘no longer innocent,’
and I hardly paid attention to the articles in the newspaper anyway but there
was still no convincing him of that. There was no convincing him
of most things that I tried and there was no way I knew of to drown
out the tone of his voice over my mother’s cheerful ring. There’s a nice
picture of you. [Ugly! Stupid! Fake!] My mother said. A nice picture
of a girl that looked like me, running with one hand in the air and a white
soccer ball in the net behind her. Blurry. The article below it takes up
half a page and continues on C5 but I flip to C6 by mistake and I read
about an unnamed woman who was r d two nights ago in her own house
by a man she (thought she) knew. And if you hold up the page, staring now
at C5 and looking at the letters of my name in the light from the kitchen window,
you’ll find the articles run together. The same black ink on the same dull
white paper and that’s as far as I’ll ever get to reading the article today.

Years later, I will flip through one of the three ring binders my grandmother
used to press each clipping into and I will notice the article I never read
and I will sit on my bedroom floor in my new house in my new city in my
new life and it would read like a fairy tale I wish could have been real.
‘Did I really do all that?’ I’ll ask my mom when she walks past my room and she
will pause in the doorway and take a minute to put it all together and she will
say ‘yes. Yes you did. Yes.’ And I will try to believe her only because my name
is written in the ink and the picture of the girl looks something like me
and I will wonder if the man was ever caught or put in jail or if he even stepped
foot into a courthouse but I will wait until my mother walks away before
slipping the paper from its plastic covering. I can feel the stabbing in my lower
back, see the world from in between a pair of fingers on my face and I wish I knew
what happened to that woman because it never says, if she survived or if she
walked around in another person’s body all these years. If she woke up
sweating at two am, if she forgot her favorite song or how to speak
out loud or how to look in to a mirror and I wish I knew what it felt like
to be the girl that was smiling, and not the one unnamed.

A. Leigh. "Survivor Poetry: Unnamed Woman". Life After Dating a Psycho. 2011.

This piece of poetry is so moving that I felt it was important to put it on the blog for all of our readers. If this topic is something you would like to talk about more, come to our event called Take Back the Night. This is forum where anyone can come and speak out about sexual assault and be with people who support them. There will also be a march around campus to literally 'take back the night'!!!!

If you are looking for more information, the Ramapo Assault Contact Team has a 24 hr hotline that is confidential, free, and supportive. Their number is (201) 684-7222

Redheads aren't in DEMAND!

2011-09-21T15:38:00.000-07:00

Cyros, the world's largest sperm bank has started to turn down red headed men as candidates for donations due to the little demand. As a red head myself thinking that this is an AMAZING COLOR, I feel offended, even though I do not carry sperm. If I was to, I would definitely not accept an organization telling me my sperm isn't as important because it isn't in high demand. This is close to how Christopher Lander feels.

He states: "Parents who won't buy sperm-bank sperm from red-headed donors haven't considered the advantages."

The fact of the matter is that women who have red hair are assumed to be sensual sexy, spicy, and desirable as Christopher states, but when it come to men red hair isn't so attractive anymore. His conclusion is that it's not the idea of a red-headed girl identified child, it's the fear of having a red-headed boy identified child.

According to certain misconceptions of shows and childhood studies, a lot of red-headed children testify to having been bullied and this may in one sense frighten parents to bring their child in that environment as well due to the fact that magazines and America's "sexiest" people list rarely show red-headed men, which in a sense degrade the thought of a red-headed child. These are all points that this red-headed donor brought up which in a sense may be true or false, but the reason I bring it to your attention today because of the fact that the sperm-bank is discriminating as well parents are placing value on what is desirable and what is not. We as a nation need to sense events like this and know when something is obviously not right. For someone to willing to donate their sperm is a brave step and then to be shut down and told no we don't want your sperm , we are accepting donors but not that look like you. This is a very controversial issue and draws a line and sense of shame to those who are indeed red-headed.

As Christopher said he is a red-head and his sperm is just as good as anybody else's.

Women's Center Poetry!

2011-09-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

Hiding behind fake smiles.

I run a way from my reality Into a false one.

Adapting to those around mi making mi self blend in

surrounding my self with faces so that I can Start make up my next persona.

I do not do this to be fake or mislead you.

But with my tears fall more often than they use to

My make up is washed away much quicker

and I'm afraid of what you will see

If we get to the bottom me.

-Poetic_Harmony

Here at the Women's Center, we do not judge you. We love you for who you are, so be yourself not anyone else!

Posted by Program Coordinator Charlen McNeil

Sex Talk: Too Taboo for the Internet

2011-09-19T12:20:00.000-07:00

The race for Republican nomination has been interesting, to say the least, and some of it, in my opinion, has been quite inflammatory. Now, it seems that some candidates have decided to focus on Gov. Perry’s support for mandatory HPV vaccinations for young girls. Michelle Bachmann, in particular, has been focusing her efforts in making incredibly false claims about the vaccination and its purpose. In response, writer Ayelet Waldman went to Twitter and talked about how she had gotten HPV from her husband to show how common it is to have it (about 60% of female students are infected with HPV sometime during their four years at college,) and to make it clear how important it is to get the vaccine at an early age. This created a huge uproar on twitter, and she received many responses telling her that she was sharing way too much information, that she should be quiet about it, and even that getting HPV was a punishment for being a “slut”. This is a great example of sex negativity, and it’s extremely detrimental for all young people. If talking about sex and STIs is too taboo for even the internet, it creates a negative attitude that will stop young people from seeking help or information about safe sex or STIs because of it being too embarrassing.
One thing the Women’s Center tries to do is promote a sex positive attitude all over campus while providing information on how to be safe and healthy about it. It’s really important to have resources about safe sex, STI testing, and birth control information, and the Women’s Center is certainly a great one. After all, if there is one thing that most people around the Ramapo campus know about the WC, it’s that we always have condoms.

Man Up

2011-09-16T12:22:00.001-07:00

As a super crazy football fan, I was beyond excited that the NFL season was a go for this fall. However, while watching the games this previous Sunday and Monday, I was concerned and taken back when all the Miller Lite commercials starting popping up. Miller suggests in their commercials that drinking their Lite beer is the “manly” thing to do, and if they are not, they are being unmanly. If someone is being unmanly, does that mean they are acting as a girl should? Is something so wrong with that? What makes me even more concerned is that there are two females drinking with the males in the bar and sit and laugh while the “unmanly” guy is being made fun of by his friends for not acting the right way. Don’t they take offense to the suggestion that acting like a girl is a bad thing? This commercial just stirs up tons of different questions for me, but every time I see one of these I question why they try to pressure men into becoming a stereotype.

Riot Grrrl: Then and Now

2011-09-16T08:34:00.001-07:00

This upcoming Tuesday, the Women's Center is going to be featuring our first speaker of the semester, and we couldn't be more excited to have her here: Kathleen Hanna. At 7pm in Friend's Hall (SC-219), Kathleen Hanna will be speaking about her history in the Riot Grrrl movement and where women stand in today's music industry. Tickets are free at Roadrunner Central, so get one while they're available!

Everyone who can should try to make it to this event for these reasons alone:

1. She's an awesome feminist activist who has done so much to help with securing women's rights.

2. She has made some awesome music!

3. She has had a great impact on art, music, and feminism.

Although these are but a few reasons why you should all come out to this event, they are sure to interest almost anyone. We are super pumped for Tuesday, and we hope to see everyone there!

What's Up in September?

2011-09-14T14:32:00.000-07:00

Its a little bit late, but check out our new & improved September calendar!

Click to enlarge

What events will we be seeing you at?!

Chaz Bono on Dancing with the Stars!

2011-09-14T07:25:00.000-07:00

As you may or may not have heard, Chaz Bono has been cast in the upcoming season of Dancing with the Stars. The son of Cher and Sonny Bono, Chaz (born Chastity) completed gender reassignment surgery just last year. He will officially be the first transgendered individual this show has ever cast. Dancing with the Stars has claimed that they are helping to create visibility for the LGBT community.

Of course, you can never achieve such incredible progress without encountering some serious opposition. Fox News ran a segment called “Don’t Let Your Kids Watch Chaz Bono on Dancing with the Stars.” Some people are worried about the questions children may ask after seeing a transgendered male on television. OneMillionMoms.com has initiated a full-on boycott of Dancing with the Stars, saying they “will not tolerate LGBT subjects being forced into our homes.” They go on to encourage Christians and families with children to avoid watching the show, in hopes that a severe drop in ratings will cause ABC network to rethink their decision. It is a shame that such a tremendous step forward is being rejected so strongly by members of the population. Thus far, Bono has been handling the controversy casually, claiming “it’s a much bigger deal to everybody else than it is to me.” He has no intentions of quitting the show. The season premiere of Dancing with the Stars is September 20, so if you are interested in the revolutionary casting, tune in!

Adele's body positive outlook

2011-09-13T11:40:00.000-07:00

Adele is undeniably one of the most talented and emotionally charged performers on the charts today, with a huge voice that can easily fill a concert hall. However, in a world where pop music is perhaps more focused on look than sound, Adele has faced criticism as a full figured woman. Her response has been largely positive, focusing on her music and living a lifestyle that she enjoys, despite what critics may say.

When asked in Rolling Stone magazine about said criticism, she responded with “My life is full of drama and I won’t have time to worry about something as petty as what I look like,” furthermore, she divulges on the lifestyle she enjoys living with “I don’t like going to the gym. I like eating fine foods and drinking nice wine.”

While her unapologetic and non-judgmental response was refreshing, what perhaps made me fall in love with her even more was how she explained the focus of her music, “I don’t make music for eyes. I make music for ears.”

Rock on Adele! Check out her performance of “Someone Like You” live from her home. Personally, both my ears and eyes were absolutely moved by this stirring performance. Do you agree?

Think about it.

Pokemon Staffers & Some Weekend Links!

2011-09-09T13:57:00.000-07:00

To round out this first fabulous week of blogging we'd like to leave you all with something fun! So, check out these awesome Pokemon Cards of our staff!

(Click the image to open the slideshow BIG in a new tab!)

Also, here are some cool links to get you through the weekend while we're not updating:

This article on Classism and Eating Disorders from Womanist Musings gets the prize for "most illuminating thing I've read this week" because it introduced a perspective on eating Disorders that I've never heard before.

On the topic of class and eating, here's another very interesting piece, this one is about a chef who decided to investigate just how well on can eat using food stamps, this time from Persephone Magazine (which is an awesome blog that I often write for!)

Finally, Cara found a link to this super-important petition that we'd really appreciate our readers supporting!

She writes:

"A 7-year-old transgender boy has been banned from using the boy's bathroom at his school. His father, in an attempt to support his son, has created an online petition that takes just a moment to sign. By signing it, you would be supporting the ability of this student to use his preferred bathroom without fearing punishment. Take a stand for this brave child.

Also, this is not a localized issue. Many states here in the US ban people from using the bathroom that does not match their biological sex. This people in this case are just one family who decided to fight the administration. Since this issue is being brought up more frequently, it may be time to fight for a change in the

state law."

Have a great weekend everyone!

NYC Being Nice

2011-09-08T15:07:00.000-07:00

Improv Everywhere is a NYC based comedy group that literally brings improv into everyday life. Their motto, “We Cause Scenes” is usually very accurate of their performances. In the past, they have done everything from having actors dressed as the Ghostbusters chase “ghosts” (people wearing white sheets) around the New York Public Library, to starting a musical in a food court. Their most recent mission, however, was a little different.

This time, instead of using actors, two members of IE set up a megaphone on a podium that simply had a plaque that said, “Say something nice.” Instead of just walking by, the rest of the video is made up of clips of the various, normal people actually going up to the megaphone and saying something nice in the middle of NYC. It’s such a simple concept because it isn’t a performance based piece, but it created a great sense of community by letting regular people create their own message.

I think this really applies to the Women's Center because we really try to create an accepting community everyday on our own campus.

Horrors of the Home: Nanny Burning

2011-09-07T15:02:00.000-07:00

Shweyga Mullah worked as a nanny for two of former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's grandchildren. When she couldn't keep one from crying, Aline, the wife of Gadhafi's son Hannibal, poured boiling water on her head. When Mullah was found her attacker and husband had fled the scene and she was left with bruises, scars and much patchwork to be done. Even though the burns were inflicted three months ago, she was still in considerable pain. The wounds and pain she feel can never be erased, but she rejoices at the fact that she is loved by god and have been blessed to have people support and help her. The Libyan health Minister, Naji Barakat stated "I think it's a crime against humanity," which indeed is true, this is absolutely disrespectful, immoral and completely degrading to any human to disregard them in such a way. She is only human and she cannot control the emotion of a child at all times. Sometimes children cry and if you cannot stop it does it mean we go around burning those who help us when we are in need. This act of dehumanization completely aggravates me and I refuse to see this SURVIVOR not see JUSTICE.

This was not only a horrific act to put someone through, but as well not the only time that this Aline had portrayed such hateful behavior towards servant of the Gadhafi household. As said by CNN, A man too frightened to reveal his name led CNN reporters to another one of Hannibal Gadhafi's properties, a gated, high-walled villa-like house, where the man said more abuse was meted out to staffers. This masked man stated, "Shweyga is not the only one," describing a Sudanese man who was also scalded with water after he burned an undershirt he was ironing, "Foreign staffers bore the brunt of the abuse." Another woman describes basically a prison cell that she had stayed in as a care giver to the family. This behavior is a form of discrimination, hatred, racism, and enslavement. These people were not given proper meals, dormitory or respect and that is the worst thing you can do is disrespect someone. I feel the most sympathetic to all these beings and wish nothing more than happiness for all of them.

Back at the burn hospital, Mullah faces months of recuperation and surgery. Her story generated enormous public response. So far, people have donated more than $16,000 dollars for her care. CNN is making sure that she receives proper care to be eligible to return home to her family. This relates primarily to the Women's Center because not only is it an act of violence against a woman, but against multiple workers because of their race and against servants in general because of the stigma attached to how people treat lower level classed workers. As an activist and advocate for the Women's Center this relates extremely to our mission of advocating for a violence, harassment free environment, as well creating an anti-racist, non-sexist queer-affirmative space for all to feel free, but I cannot ever truly feel free knowing in the world such acts are still occurring. I pray that all the places in the world like us fight as diligently to stop these acts.

Welcome Back!!

2011-09-06T13:34:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to a new semester at the Women's Center! From now until the end of the semester this blog will be updated regularly Monday-Friday by the Women's Center staff and volunteers so get ready for a semester of interesting content. If you want to be involved with writing the blog, or helping out around the Center in another way consider coming to our Volunteer Training! It will take place on the 18th of September so e-mail women@ramapo.edu to get more information

Orrrr you could stop by our office for a visit in C220 this week for condoms, cookies, and some fun couches and people to chat with! Also check out our new bulletin board, featuring each of the student staffers as pokemon cards :) Here's a teaser!

End of Semester Shenanigans!

2011-05-10T12:38:00.000-07:00

After today blog updates will be sporadic until the Fall 2011 semester begins. To keep you all from missing us too much we've created a little video tribute to the 'Dub C & our graduating seniors.

If you're going to be around this summer for classes or anything, we'll be open for most of the summer from 12pm-5pm. Feel free to come by and hang out on our comfy couches :)

To Laura, Michelle, Becky, Shane, and all of our graduating WC friends ... we will miss you all so much! To everyone else: have a great summer, see you in a few months!

Massachusetts Bullying Case

2011-05-09T12:48:00.000-07:00

15-year old Phoebe Prince took her own life after being continuously ridiculed by fellow school mates. She was physically attacked, verbally abused and emotionally unstable due to the careless acts committed by friends of a former boyfriend of hers. the case has been surrounded around 6 students allegedly involved in the bullying. The most amazing part of this story is the amount of time and investigation Massachusetts has put in to reveal the truth about this child's suicide. She was a young, innovative girl who made one decision that turned into misery, not by choice but by antagonizing peers.

The day she took her life she was followed from the library all the way home, being bullied and verbally abused by student s who found they acts harmless. There is nothing harmless about any abuse or injury to anyone's emotions or state of mind. To bully is too attack the feelings and to devour the soul in ways unexplainable. This teenage girl had been repeatedly faced with the effects of jealousy and hate and yet no one has received jail time. I am saddened to once again see that the lives of amazing children in the world are be taken by the acts of careless individuals who do not care to watch how they treat people or consider for a moment what their actions may cause.

TRi find out more about this case visit : http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/05/05/massachusetts.bullying.trial/index.html

Rape Victim Flees from Libya

2011-05-09T11:48:00.000-07:00

Click the Title Link to find out more

The Truth About Mother's Day

2011-05-06T10:46:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day is coming up this Sunday! In honor of this, we'd like to share with you Julia Ward Howe's Mother's Day Proclamation which was sent to us the other day by Barbra Harrison, a Women's Center Director from the '80s, via Lee Sennish! (Thanks to both of these wonderful women!)

Mother's Day originated after the Civil War, as a form of protest regarding the death and destruction of the war, by women who had lost their sons. Mother's Day was created in 1858 by a community activist named Anna Reeves Jarvis. Jarvis organized Mothers' Works Days in West Virginia, with the goal of improving sanitation in Appalachian communities of West Virginia. During the Civil War, Jarvis and other women left their families to care for the wounded on both sides. Jarvis also spent her time during the war as a peacemaker, calling together meetings to try and convince men on both sides to end the fighting.

In 1872, Julia Ward Howe proposed an annual National Mother's Day for Peace. This is the original proclimation that she issued:

Arise then...women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts!
Whether your baptism be of water or of tears!

"We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."
From the bosom of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with
Our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe out dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil
At the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace...
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God -
In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality,
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient
And the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.

Americans celebrated Mothers' Day for Peace on June 2 for thirty years after this proclamation. In 1913 Congress declared that the second Sunday in May would be Mother's Day.Many activists mark this proclamation as the turning point where Mother's Day became commercialized and focused on honoring mothers through gifts and fancy meals (consumer goods) rather than through activism and the pursuit of peace.

Personally, I would love to reclaim Mother's Day for Peace by keeping this activist perspective firmly in mind this Sunday. I play to talk with my family (at Mother's Day Brunch) about the origins of this holiday and what it means, as a start in reclaiming it. I also plan to make a donation to the activist organization of my mother's choice as a means of reclaiming those roots. What do you think?

Time for a Cute Break!

2011-05-04T10:50:00.000-07:00

For those of you in the middle of finals stress check out Cute Roulette! This site features an endless supply of cute animal videos... perfect for a quick five-minute break from studying.

This video is one of my favorites... feel free to share one of yours in the comments.

Also, don't forget to stop by the Women's Center for dancing, snacks, and prizes!

Shoutout to J.Lees!

2011-05-03T15:19:00.000-07:00

I don't have much to say today because everyone in the Women's Center has been INCREDIBLY busy playing the Michael Jackson Just Dance Game... if you haven't stopped by to join us already, please do! It will be up & running through Friday at 5pm. Come watch the WC Staff & random guests look silly (or awesome, depending on the person) while listening to some really good music! We also have delicious snacks and fun prizes!

The picture to the left is of an awesome poster that is currently up all over J.Lees, (and probably in other Student Development offices too.) We have a tiny copy in the Women's Center as well. This sign does a good job of embodying what we are all about here (compare it to the mission statement up top!) and it means so much that other offices in the Student Development family are also promoting this message.

Thanks J.Lees!

Check back tomorrow for something else fun :)

Finals Week Fun, Part One!

2011-05-02T15:08:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the last day of classes and after tomorrow, finals week will officially be upon us. Because we are rapidly approaching the end of this semester, the official Women's Center blogging semester is over. However, as publicist, I am going to do my best to throw some fun things up here through May 11th to help take the pressure off of finals a bit!

Since we love youtube videos in the 'DubC, and the White House Correspondant's Dinner just happened, today I want to share Obama's comedic speech with anyone who missed it!

See you tomorrow!

Shameless Plug for Finals Week!

2011-04-29T09:03:00.000-07:00

So finals week has the potential to be a stressful time for a lot of students...papers, presentations, exams, all due, all at the same time. In order to be successful though, you need to give your brain a little rest from all that thinking every once and a while. And HEY, while you're taking that break, why not come to the Women's Center (C-220) and dance and eat and win some gift bags full of fun?

Here's the info:

When? May 2nd to May 6th during our office hours
Where? The Women's Center (C-220)
Why? Cuz finals week can be stressful!
What? Play the Wii game "MJ: The Experience", enjoy some light refreshments, color, enter to win FREE condoms and other great prizes through the week.

Sounds like fun, right? So come hang out with us next week and challenge the staff to some MJ dancing...and FYI, some of us are pretty damn good!

Although, if you can move like this kid, then we might have a problem...

See ya then!

California's New History Bill

2011-04-27T07:43:00.000-07:00

A proposed new bill in California would require the inclusion of LGBT history in the social studies curriculum. As a history major, I think that this is a good step forward in making the study of history in elementary and secondary education more inclusive and reflective of reality rather than being a celebratory whitewashed version of the truth. However, not everyone is in favor of this bill.

What those in opposition are stating as reasons that this bill is negative is just ridiculous. The question of whether or not it is appropriate to teach this history to younger children is downright silly; we don't question whether it is appropriate to teach children about men like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. or women like Rosa Parks, because there is no reason that it should be an issue. The sooner children learn that members of the queer community are significant in history and completely normal, the sooner we will reach a more tolerant and equal society.

The issue that Mr. Carlson raises in the video about focusing on historical figures' sex lives is also totally missing the point. Including someone who is gay in history books will not focus on what that person did sexually, but about the contributions to history that he or she made. Bayard Rustin, for instance, was arguably one of if not the most important figures in the African American fight for civil rights during the twentieth century who is commonly neglected when the topic is brought up. Somehow I think that impact he had is what the schools will focus on, not what he enjoyed in the bedroom.

Lastly, in stating that this whole bill is propaganda that does everyone a disservice by not teaching the whole truth Mr. Carlson is bringing up a much larger issue in that most U.S. history is taught as a celebratory vision of a much more controversial past. If he thinks that is such a major problem, he should be focusing on changing that, not attacking a bill that is the equivalent of getting one's foot in the door. Yes, there are undoubtedly gay history figures that did negative things, but that can't be brought up until queer history is accepted as a whole as part of the standard social studies curriculum. Given that much of the U.S. is still homophobic, it stands to reason that by focusing on negative contributions of the queer community little would be done to counteract those feelings of bigotry. Thus, by introducing this bill California has taken a bold and great step forward in what will hopefully become standard fare for social studies classes nationwide.

I can only hope that this bill would encourage serious education about the significance of queer men and women in history rather than what happens to so many marginalized groups, getting a day or two's weak focus that hardly ties it together with the larger history being taught. However, in spite of that I still applaud the makers of this bill for the contributions they are making to a more equitable social studies curriculum.

Katy Perry's E.T.

2011-04-26T07:34:00.000-07:00

I like Katy Perry, just as much as the next person, but sometimes, I have issues with her lyrics. I know that her lyrics are not as offensive as other songs, but I just wanted to raise a few points.

I was talking with my co-worker/roommate Michelle the other day about the newer song "E.T." We were trying to figure out our sentiments about the song. Yes, it's catchy. Yes, it's a pretty cool music video. But we finally realized what was not sitting well with us. In the chorus, she sings "wanna be a victim, ready for abduction." Later on, Kanye sings:

"I'ma disrobe you, then I'ma probe you

See, I abducted you, So I tell ya what to do"

I have a problem with her using the word "victim." Personally, I don't think you should ever want to be a victim of anything. I think Kanye's part makes it worse because it shows dominance and control. I can't help but notice parallels between this and sexual assault. Notice how it's not a "we are going to do this." It's more like "I am going to do this to you."

Just something to think about...

Women's Bodies in Art vs. Women in Today's Media

2011-04-25T15:00:00.000-07:00

Being that I am a Marketing major and also an advocate for positive and healthy body image, I have always had this conflict in my head about where I fit into the equation. I know that the way women are portrayed in popular media today (in TV commercials, print ads, billboards, etc.) is very skewed and misrepresentative of our society as a whole and in a way I feel guilty working in any realm of marketing. However, I also know that I cannot single-handedly change the way women are depicted in the media. And it's not just Americans who are being bombarded by these unrealistic ideals of beauty. For a while, I thought that beauty standards around the world were much better than they are here. Take European countries for instance. I studied in Barcelona, Spain for a semester and there was a much more diverse sense of fashion there. Women seemed to care much less about how they looked (or how others perceived them) and they expressed a much more unique style. However, the same images that are plastered on our billboards and in our magazines here in the US are very much present over there. I found a wonderful video that was put together by Elena Rossini, a documentary film maker and super awesome feminist. This video deconstructs the images of women that are shown around the world in commercials, ads and billboards and shows several famous works of art in which women are the primary focus. It is amazing to see the difference between the images of women seen by the masses a few hundred years ago and how far we've come in terms of what is shown now. What do you think?

Ideal Women from Elena Rossini on Vimeo.

House Republicans and DOMA

2011-04-21T11:12:00.000-07:00

After President Obama declared that the Department of Justice should cease enforcing the Defense of Marriage Act, it was obvious that there would be simultaneous celebration and revulsion from those who support and oppose equal marriage, respectively. Now it is becoming clear exactly what those who are in favor of keeping the Defense of Marriage Act alive are willing to do to continue the oppression of the queer community. Republican representatives in the House are using up to $500,000 in taxpayer dollars to pay a law firm to fight this legal battle.

This is an absolutely abhorrent move made by these members of Congress. $500,000 is understandably a small amount in comparison to other government expenditures, but this is a significant chunk of money that should not be used to uphold a discriminatory law without. That amount of money could be used to fund scholarships for underprivileged students or any other number of ways to improve this country, but instead it is being used to fight against progress and equality. This is blatant anathema to the constant Republican promise to cut government spending - wastefully using taxpayer money when it is wholly unnecessary to do so. These are the same men and women who fought to cut funding to Planned Parenthood on the grounds that it did not deserve government money due to the services it provides.

This whole web of hypocrisy goes to show that many in government today are more interested in keeping partisan lines well-drawn and enforced as opposed to doing what was best for the country. Cutting a necessary organization to save money just because one disapproves of some of its services is wrong, and so too is spending money that will be used to uphold discrimination that has no place in government in the first place.

I'm a Princess Boy MOM !

2011-04-20T07:48:00.000-07:00

Five-year-old Dyson Kilodavis' preference of pink and princess dresses inspired his mom to write a book on tolerance. His family has supported his decision and his preference o f dresses and have learned to listen to their child and help him pursue his happiness. His mother and father were trying to force gender role norms on their child and it took for Dyson's older brother to tell his parents "Just let him be happy."

His mom wrote a book called My Princess Boy, inspired by her son and to open people's eyes to acceptance and understanding that children do what makes them happy. By forcing them to break these habits,we are pushing them into boxes they do not wish to be placed. We force them into these ideal images of what their role tells them to be and that is not the case. This experience has opened her eyes to listen to her children and she believe she has a responsibility to nurture her child's happiness. It makes Dyson happy to know that his family is supporting him and wants nothing but happiness for him.

Need a Unique Mother's Day Gift?

2011-04-19T14:53:00.000-07:00

In honor of Mothers Day the Rockland Coalition for Choice and NOW, are taking out their annual advertisement proclaiming their support of: "Motherhood, Freely Chosen, Joyfully Anticipated, Deeply Rewarding." The advertisement, which will appear in The Journal News on the Thursday before Mother's Day, will feature the aforementioned phrase along with a list of Pro-Choice supporters.

If you would like your name (or your mother's name!) to appear in the advertisement, just fill out the form below and send it to Rockland NOW, Box 275 New City, NY 10956 by May 1st.

This is a great opportunity to honor some of the awesome pro-choice moms out there for Mothers Day!

(Thanks to Lee Sennish, one of the Women's Center founders, who is a part of this project, for bringing it to our attention!)

And the Bigotry Award goes to...

2011-04-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

Maggie Gallagher, board chairman for the National Organization for Marriage, was awarded the "First Annual Anita Bryant Award for Unbridled and Unparalleled Bigotry". Two for you Maggie Gallagher! You go Maggie Gallagher!

7-Year-Old Gets Plastic Surgery...That's Right 7.

2011-04-15T07:01:00.001-07:00

If the title still isn't clear..yes, 7 year old girl gets plastic surgery. Ear surgery to be exact (her ears "stuck out" according to her mother). This is beyond comprehension to me. Currently, I am graduating (in May!!) with my Bachelor's in Nursing and I am so excited to be starting my career. But a small part of me really wants to take up a career as a motivational speaker for young girls because the more I have learned about body image and eating disorders throughout my 4 years in college, the more I realize these issues stem from insecurities and social constructs of beauty, that women learn and recognize as early as 5, 6, 7 years old.

And by the time we are 11? Well, you can forget about it because at this point...you are already doing damage control for girls and their self-esteem. Bottom line: A 7 year old should NEVER have to be concerned about how a body part looks. They should be exploring what their body can do for them, how it helps them run fast, climb monkey bars, paint a picture, go to dance class, play soccer. They should be curious about how their bodies are growing and ultimately, they should be made to feel proud of who they are. And parents are a critical part of this development.

I have no doubt in my mind that the mother of this girl only had the best of intentions for her daughter. As a parent, I can only imagine the difficulty she must face to know that her child is being ridiculed by other adults and children on the playground. But wait, the girl herself told reporters that she was not bullied by her peers because of how her ears looked. So, it seems to me that this mother is trying to sooth her own insecurities about her daughter's ears, instead of sticking up for her daughter (who is absolutely beautiful by the way) and telling those other adults to back the fuck off. No, instead, this mother has decided that there was something wrong with how her daughter looked, to wage a war on her daughter's body, and in the process, has now projected an idea onto her daughter that she is not perfect, that there is something wrong with her. Isn't that a little sick?

As mothers, as daughters, as sisters, as friends...as WOMEN, we must stop putting each other down. We have to STOP making each other feel anything less than perfect, anything less than beautiful. This means, STOP the talk about "what is she wearing", "look at her hair", "she's so fat", "she's so insert offensive comment here". We have no right to judge someone else, because in the end, it is your comment and your attitude that makes that woman go home and throw up. Keep that mental image in your head and picture it before you decide to make an insensitive comment next time.

We have no idea the intense hurt and damage we cause to other women, to our sisters. If a mother cannot stand up for her own daughter, can not assure her own flesh and blood that she is in fact beautiful, what hope is there for this society we live in? How are young girls suppose to grow up and feel confident and beautiful when their own mothers are telling them the opposite?

So I urge you to take this to heart, and tell the women in your life today how beautiful they are, and how happy you are to have them in your life. Tell the young girl in your life how wonderful she is, just for being her.

Tip-toeing Towards Being an Accountable Ally

2011-04-12T13:56:00.001-07:00

“I’m going to expect any ally to speak out against racism and any other injustice…If you can’t challenge racism in your own safe spaces, you’re not an accountable ally…We need to stand up for justice all the time. We’re privileged to speak for the women whose voices may never be heard.”

- Loretta Ross, Founder of SisterSong
@ the CLPP Closing Plenary

The last workshop I went to at the CLPP Conference, a Strategic Action Session on Racism & Being an Accountable Ally lead by Lorie Seruntine, was honestly transformational.

In order to even have a prayer of being an effective anti-racist activist & ally to people of color focused initiatives that want allies I have a ton of work to do. The biggest thing I took away from this weekend is quite simple: I don't know much of anything at all when it comes to issues of ethnicity and race. Its obvious through the clunky way I write about it, the way I nervously and carefully select my words, the way I often stay silent for lack of the right words.

I don't have much more concrete information now than I started with at the beginning of the weekend... but what little I have has released me from this self-imposed silence.

In the Strategic Action Session I learned the history of the word Caucasian [click to read Zaneta's post on this issue, from awhile back.] All this time I have been referring to myself, off and on, as "caucasian" because in my mind it was the politically correct word to use in this dialogue. I never took the time to figure out where this word came from or what it really meant and, as a result, I messed up and inadvertently supported a racist system through my ignorance. Recognizing this ignorance is the first step to moving past it.

I have messed up, a lot, in the past. I will continue to mess up in the future, no matter how hard I try, its inevitable. When I first came to feminism I said a ton of stupid things about gender issues, reproductive justice, and so on... I still do mess up from time to time, but as I read and read and read and write (or listen and listen and listen and talk) more I mess up less and less because I learn from my mistakes and the mistakes of others. Its scary to be at the beginning of that process again, which is why it has taken me so long to start holding myself accountable as an ally to anti-racism work. Staying in the comforting realm of (white) body image and (white) gender issues would be so much easier and would feel so much more comfortable... but it would also mean that I was alienating tons of people and helping to contribute to a system of oppression.

In the same workshop I also learned just a tiny bit about how white supremacy was put into place in the United States:

In 1676 came Bacon's Rebellion by white frontiersmen and servants, alongside black slaves. The rebellion shook Virginia's planter elite. Many other rebellions followed from South Carolina to New York. The main fear of elite whites everywhere was a class fear. Their solution: divide and control.

On one hand, the slave codes were enacted that legalized chattel slavery and severely restricted the rights of free Africans. The codes equated the terms "Negro" and slave. At the same time rules were set for servants, their bonds were loosened, they were granted certain privileges such as the right to acquire land, join militias, and receive bounties for the slaves they caught.

With these privileges they were legally declared white on the basis of skin color and continental origin that made them superior to blacks and Indians, thus whiteness was born as a racist notion to prevent lower class whites from joining people of color, especially blacks, against their common class enemies. [Source]

Seeing whiteness as a construct invented to create this discomfort, this divide between me and the people of color in my community, is the key that has finally, finally unfrozen me.

The power structure in the United States depends on the discomfort, and consequential silence, to survive. My silence is a small part of the divide that prevents us from joining together and rising up against this bullshit system that separates us and gives me more power. It makes us look at one another and see strangers, others... where we should be seeing allies. Its my responsibility to subvert this construct however I can.

Here are some of the tools that I feel I found this weekend for starting to do just that:

Accept the fact this this won't be easy or comfortable; it will be worthwhile.

Although our facilitator and fellow participants did everything they could to make the space comfortable today, I still felt anxious even starting to talk about my own racial/ethnic identity. As an ally the first thing I need to accept is that no one owes me comfort, no one owes me education, no one owes me anything. I am responsible for educating myself before engaging, and seeking out opportunities to listen and learn in order to contribute to this movement.

Only I can get myself to a place where I am capable of engaging in a way that actually pushes this movement forwards.

Realize that intentions are not always enough.

My intentions when calling myself "caucasian" were good: I wanted to use the "right" word and be able to engage in dialogue. My intentions in staying out of these conversations were good: I didn't want to butt in where I was uninformed and unable to add to the space in a meaningful way. Yet despite those intentions, my actions only managed to alienate people by supporting words that have been historically used to oppress and keep myself away from spaces where I could learn to change my thoughts and actions. For all my good intentions, I was doing the opposite of what I wanted to do.

Good intentions are a great starting point - but we have to move past them in order to be able to accomplish anything.

You can't just declare yourself an ally; allyship must be a consensual endeavor.

Jessica Yee brought this up in the first panel and, embarrassingly enough, this concept had never occurred to me before she said it. There isn't much to say here, the concept is ridiculously simple: in order to really claim the identity of ally to any movement you need to know the people directly effected by that movement well enough to know what they want to get out of the movement and, thus, if and how you can help by being an ally.

To call yourself an ally without consent is worse than meaningless, it can actually cause harm and alienate us further from one another.

Allies take initiative to educate themselves.

This conference was a fantastic start on that for me. I didn't liveblog the two panels I went to regarding issues of racism and colonialism, because I couldn't do them justice... I was just too ignorant to even consider typing and focusing at the same time because catching up to the people around me took 110% of my focus. That's okay, for now, but moving forward I know it is my job to learn enough that I can keep up in the same way I do with things like (white) body image issues and conversations about gender. In order to take steps towards that I made myself an education action plan; my goal is to have accomplished the things on this list (and more) by next year's CLPP conference. (Feel free to join me!)

My Personal Education Action-Plan

Read and blog about Feminism for Real: Deconstructing the Academic-Industrial Complex of Feminism a book that was edited by Jessica Yee, who was one of the speakers on the first panel that I went to this weekend. [Zaneta did an awesome liveblog of it here!] I just ordered my copy off of Amazon and I am so excited!
Commit myself to spending more time reading blogs and online articles about racism and the experiences of people of color.
Interact with the awesome resources provided in the Strategic Action Session. [Challenging White Supremacy] [People's Institute for Survival and Beyond] [SisterSong] [Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice]
Take a related course at my college. I registered for Advanced Topics: Black Issues as my senior capstone psychology course over the summer!

Allies use their privilege strategically to amplify the voices of people that they are working alongside and educate other allies into the movement.

I saved this for last because it may be the most important point.

My main goal as an ally is to amplify the voices of those directly effected by the movement. I started to tip-toe towards this by live-tweeting the Plenary and putting quotes in when I can. I also, personally, try to do this with the "Read This Now!" section of Imagine Today. I, personally, have a long way to go on becoming an effective and consensual ally in this sense.

This particular post does not really amplify anyone's voice but my own. It is very self-centered on purpose because it is helping to work towards the second part of this bullet: educating other allies. It is my hope that this blog post will help other potential-allies and activists to break through their own hesitations & just dive in. Voicing my own discomfort and ignorance will, I hope, help other potential allies to own up to their discomfort and start to take positive steps towards turning themselves into an informed and effective consensual ally to the many justice movements that exist in this country.

Please contribute in the comments! I want to hear about your experiences, your reactions, reading recommendations... anything & everything to help in this process of growth.

Crossposted from Imagine Today

Feminism For Real: Deconstructing the Academic Industrial Complex of Feminism

"The P Spot"

2011-04-11T09:21:00.000-07:00

I'm proud to say I have finally been able to attend a CLPP Conference at Hampshire College! While taking in the campus' breath-taking beauty and the overwhelming sense of community acceptance by neighboring towns, I also learned a great deal of information.

In the past I have facilitated sex toy workshops so I was really interested to hear someone else give this presentation and to learn even more. The selling point of the workshop to me, however, was learning about the "P Spot". I had always known this term just in other words, such as "the G spot but for guys". The facilitator gave out great information on how to make each spot "feel good", (we discussed the "C Spot" and "G Spot" too) as well as which toys work best with each spot.

The facilitator also recommended a great sex toy store in Northampton, MA called Oh My. After the workshop some friends and I explored the downtown area of Northampton and found the shop as well as a great pizzeria.

While I generally stray away from conferences, this conference was a really great experience and I recommend it to anyone interested in reproductive rights and social justice issues.