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Printer-Friendly ModeForum analyzes feminism
Women leaders consider current, future implications of feminism
April 4, 2005 —
SVSU welcomed a number of prominent women to campus during the First Annual Women's Leadership Forum held on March 23 in the Multi-purpose room.
The forum was moderated by WEYI TV 25 anchor Valerie Jackson-Warner and featured Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land as the keynote speaker. Panelists for the forum included Saginaw Mayor Wilmer Jones Ham, Saginaw News Publisher Renee Hampton, Janet Lawson, the executive director of the Michigan Community Service Commission, Michigan Children's Ombudsman Lynne Martinez and Alma College President Dr. Saundra Tracy.
The purpose of the forum was to get students, particularly female students, interested in actively pursuing leadership roles in their communities.
To help bring such future leaders to the forum, invitations to the event were sent out to all female students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher. In all, 2,600 invitations were mailed and only a handful of the 200 chairs available at the forum were left unfilled.
As for the event itself, a committee was created to brainstorm questions for the panelists. Examples of such questions included how each woman viewed feminism, what it's like to have men working under them, and how they balanced their careers and family.
"With this particular topic, it lets people know and acknowledge that feminism is still going on," said Jennifer Jackson, assistant director of Student Life. "It's different from the past with the burning of bras and stuff. We were hoping that we could get the women students to reenergize the word feminism and see what it means to them."
According to Jackson, the forum was a success. Many of the students in attendance enjoyed interacting with the panelists and another forum is set for next spring. The Second Annual Women's Leadership Forum is tentatively scheduled for March 2006.