Yell!: Augusta University Women’s and Gender Studies Magazine (4.1)

Women’s and Gender Studies Program Augusta University

YELL! Augusta University Women’s and Gender Studies Magazine

Spring 2016 - volume 4, issue 1

contents 3 4 6

About & Letter from the Editor Campus Resources Campus News: “7th Annual Take Back the Day 5k, 20th Annual Take Back the Night Rally” by Dr. Allison Foley

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Campus News: “Lambda Alliance” by Meggie Kotson

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Feminist Poetry: “0847hrs a Letter to his Offspring” by Seqhoia Sinclair

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Campus News: Women’s History Month

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Feminist Poetry: “The Savage Sacrament” by Ashley Hampton

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Feminist Scholarship: “Prep Your Diaphragm: Hilarious Women and Stale Men” by Kitty Johnson

Feminist Poetry: “0107hrs and Tinted Windows” by Seqhoia Sinclair

Feminist Poetry: “The Sempstress Sees her Shadow” by Ashley Hampton

Feminist Scholarship: “The Chinese Female Political Figure as Individual Vs. an Extension of her Husband” by Meggie Kotson

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Upcoming WGST Courses Fall 2016 Yell! Call for Submissions Triota Advertisement

Meet Our Contributors Credits

Find the Augusta University Women’s and Gender Studies Department online Website: http://www.gru.edu/colleges/pamplin/wmst/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AUGWGST/ Tumblr: http://aug-wgst.tumblr.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/AUG_WGST

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about Yell! • • • “A cheer of support: a rhythmic word or phrase chanted by a group of people to give support or encouragement.” This elementary four-letter word seems so inadequate when put alongside its synonymic counterparts. Bellow. Vociferate. Holler. Exclaim. They all sound so dignified, so regal.

But Yell! is a word of a very different caliber. Yell! describes our mission in a way that its predecessors cannot.

To us, Yell! means to reclaim women’s voices, not only on the GRU campus but in the community.

Yell! means to uplift and galvanize ourselves and everyone we interact with. Yell! is our rallying cry, and we fully intend to embody the vehemence with which it is described here. We are no longer satisfied waiting in the shadows. We will Yell! in solidarity, our mission and our goal.

We are a unified front, ready and willing to step into the line of fire for social justice. We will approach our obstacles with intrepidness and pugnacity, never being afraid to fall. Because what is failure but an opportunity to improve?

That is what Yell! means to us here in the GRU Women’s Studies Program. It is who we are, and it is what we do. Join us.

Megan Pugh

letter from the editor • • • This publication marks my second semester as Editor-in-Chief of Yell! magazine. One more semester contributing to a program I love, one semester closer to graduation.

As I head into my senior year I’ve been taking a lot of time to reflect on my experiences as a student at Augusta University, formerly Georgia Regents University, formerly Augusta State University. When I moved to Augusta for college I didn’t know anybody here. I had no friends, no connections outside of my dad, and I was studying a major that I wasn’t too keen on. Now I have a large network of friends, I’m an officer in multiple student organizations, I’m succeeding in my classes, and I’ve made it into two honors societies. A lot has changed in 4 years.

None of my accomplishments would have been possible if it weren’t for the Women’s and Gender Studies Program. My intro class is where I met one of my closest friends here, learned that Lambda Alliance existed, decided I was going to minor in WGST, and realized that there were professors here who were genuinely open to and knowledgeable about topics that I was personally interested and invested in. It opened doors that I didn’t even know existed.

I would like to thank all the professors, peers, and friends that got me to this point. In many small and big ways, you’ve helped me thrive at this school. I look forward to Fall.

Meggie Kotson Editor-in-Chief 3

campus resources • • • Women’s Studies Student Association

Lambda Alliance Lambda Alliance is a student led organization whose purpose is to provide a welcoming and supportive environment for LGBTQIA persons of Augusta University and their allies. We strive to educate the student body and the community on LGBTQIA issues and to promote understanding and acceptance on campus and in the community through social and educational events. All are welcomed, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or other factors! No member of Lambda's sexual orientation or gender identity is assumed.

The Women's Studies Student Association is an official student-run organization. It was formed in 1997 to address women's issues both on and off campus.

The WSSA serves as a forum for all students at Augusta University.

The organization participates in the annual Take Back the Night Rally and the Take Back the Day Walk to Prevent Sexual Violence—both events that increase public awareness and prevention of sexual violence. WSSA students are also heavily active in carrying out Love Your Body Week each October, with events that have included film showings, goodie bag distribution, Operation Beautiful notes, and healthy body fitness classes.

Contact: President Kathryn DelGenio kdelgeni@augusta.edu

Contact: Secretary Michelle Haynes phaynes@augusta.edu

Equality Clinic

Safe Zone Safe Zone Programs are part of a national initiative dedicated to training faculty, staff, students and support services at colleges and universities in an effort to create safe and inclusive environments for individuals of all sexual and gender identities. The Primary objectives are to:  Promote the emotional and physical safety of GRU’s sexually and gender diverse student, faculty, staff, and patient populations.  Cultivate a supportive and respectful environment conducive to educational achievement, professionalism, and overall health and well-being.  Train students, faculty and staff as SZ allies and advocates so that they may serve as resources for the AU campus, the AU Medical Center, and the broader Augusta area.

We serve as an LGBTQ-friendly space for those in the CSRA community who are under- or uninsured and fall below 200% of the federal poverty level. We are creating a clinic where patients can receive the care they deserve in a welcoming, open environment.

Wherever you fall on the complex spectrums of gender expression, gender identity, and sexual attraction, you can come to Equality Clinic and discuss your specific health needs without fear of judgment or discrimination.

Contact: equalityclinicaugusta@gmail.com

Contact: Student Assistant Kathryn DelGenio kdelgeni@augusta.edu

Augusta University Equality Clinic

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• • • campus resources Counseling Center

Our services are free of charge, confidential, and available on both the Summerville and Health Sciences Campuses.

We understand that students experience a wide range of concerns that impact their overall wellbeing and ability to succeed as a student, and we are here to help.

Our main Counseling Center is located on the Summerville campus in the Central Utilities Building Annex, 2nd floor (CE Building). If you have a physical condition which prevents you from walking up the stairs (unfortunately, there is no elevator at this location), please call us ahead of time so that we can make accommodations for you.

We also have a satellite office on the Health Sciences campus, within the Student Health Center in Pavilion II. The physical address is 1465 Laney Walker Boulevard.

Office Hours Monday-Friday 8 AM - 5 PM Telephone 706-737-1471

Emergency Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) Georgia Crisis & Access Line: 1-800-715-4225 Office of Diversity and Inclusion The Augusta University Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) reports to the Office of the Provost and is the hub for planning and implementing organizational systems and practices to ensure that our enterprise accomplishes its goal of creating a diverse and inclusive environment. Working hand-in-hand with Human Resources, Office of Employment Equity, academic units, Department of Patient Engagement, and senior leadership, and several others, the ODI will build, align and coordinate diversity efforts as a strategic approach that contributes to organizational goals and business performance.

Augusta University Health Sciences Campus 1120 15th Street Augusta, GA 30912 Telephone 706-721-9265

Augusta University Cares Whether a student, staff or faculty, if you or someone you know is in a distressing situation, support is available for you on this website. You will find helpful resources on a variety of issues including: 

Emergency or crisis situations and safety concerns



Medical concerns

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Multicultural, psychological and personal issues



Interpersonal conflict both in workplace and amongst students

FILE A CARE REPORT

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Assault campus news • • • Sexual Awareness Month 7TH ANNUAL TAKE BACK THE DAY 5K , 20TH ANNUAL TAKE BACK THE NIGHT RALLY

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students? On campus or off, sexual assault can and does interfere with student success in the classroom, on the sports field, and in plenty of other areas of life. This means the university has a responsibility to respond.

This is the reality of sexual assault victims everywhere, but there is something unique about sexual assault in college. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, just to name one of the resources that compiles data on this crime, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 16 men will experience a completed or attempted sexual assault during college. The majority of victims know their assailant. Many times these assaults occur between romantic partners in the context of an abusive relationship. Most who experience it do not report the crime to police, especially men, and few of those who do report actually see the perpetrator convicted. Sexual assault victims experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, PTSD, drug and alcohol abuse, and even academic failure. That may not be surprising to you, because most of us understand that sexual assault can and does traumatize its victims. But did you know that the federal government requires universities to take steps to address sexual assault when it happens to

A full explanation of the university’s role is a lengthy one but much of it is described in our student sexual misconduct policy. My experiences in the classroom have taught me that students are only vaguely aware of this policy that they’re being held to, which you can find in the Student Handbook. We discovered the lack of knowledge during our Sexual Assault Awareness Month Teach-In Series. These teach-ins were a new addition to our annual event series hosted each April in partnership with Rape Crisis and Sexual Assault

ou know Lady Gaga, even if you might not want to. You’ve likely heard her song, Til It Happens To You. Maybe you saw her perform it on the Oscars broadcast, but have you seen the music video? It will take you aback with its direct depiction of the rape of three college students. It will move you with its depiction of the aftermath. Three students struggling alone in the privacy of their dorm rooms, trying to concentrate, trying to study, trying not to think about what they experienced, just trying…

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April 2016 • • • campus news Services, Paine College and the Fort Gordon SHARP Program to recognize National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. Developed by Dr. Candace Best, Assistant Professor of Psychological Sciences, her graduate students and members of the university’s Sexual Misconduct Task Force, the teach-ins sought to empower students with knowledge they can use if they or someone they care about ever experiences sexual assault—for instance, who you can call to make a confidential report, who is not a confidential source, what happens when you report to a hospital, and who at the university is responsible for dealing with these issues. We showed students Lady Gaga’s music video and focused on the ending, when friends come pick the victims up, almost literally, and help them walk down a long corridor—akin to a path of recovery.

“Til it Happens to You” encourages us to unite in support of survivors. It echoes the intent of all of the

events during Sexual Assault Awareness Month, which is to educate, raise awareness, and foster support for survivors and the organizations that serve them. Several Clothesline Project t-shirt making events were held at each institution to provide people with an anonymous way of sending a supportive message to survivors. In addition to the Teach-Ins, several events were held at Paine College to educate students about alcohol and sexual assault (“Drunk in Love”), consent and victim blaming (a film screening of “Asking For It”) and healthy sexual relationships (“Let’s Talk About Sex”).

Those at Fort Gordon had the opportunity to hear guest speakers and take the SHARP pledge to “Intervene, Act, Motivate” to prevent and condemn sexual misconduct of any kind. A number of individuals across these institutions participated in filming Augusta University’s first It’s On Us video (which you can watch at https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-NTWAdkyXw), which encourages people that each and every one of us can take action to help prevent sexual assault. Most notably, around 300 individuals took advantage of the beautiful weather on Saturday, April 15th, to financially support Rape Crisis and Sexual Assault Services in the 7th Annual Take Back the Day 5K Run/Walk to End Child Abuse and Sexual Violence. The series concluded with the 20th Annual Take Back the Night Rally, which features what is arguably the most powerful part of the month: the testimony of survivors whose lives were transformed by the services Rape Crisis and Sexual Assault Services provides.

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Assault campus news • • • Sexual Awareness Month

For 41 years, Rape Crisis has provided free individual and group-based counseling for sexual assault survivors, regardless of whether the assault occurred three days or thirty years ago. They operate a hotline and are first responders—going to local hospitals throughout the CSRA to serve as victim advocates during the difficult experience of receiving medical care and collecting physical evidence from the assault. They guide adult victims through the decision to officially report the crime to law enforcement and remain with them and child victims through the court proceedings. In fact, tragically, the majority of their clients are minors. Their work is difficult but absolutely crucial and would not be possible without dedicated leadership and staff, welltrained volunteers to operate out of each surrounding county, and necessary financial support. To get involved, visit their webpage at www.rapecrisisaugusta.org and follow them at www.facebook.com/rcsas to be notified of upcoming volunteer trainings. Follow Augusta University Sexual and Relationship Violence Awareness on Facebook as well to keep informed about events that take place throughout the year. October’s Domestic Violence

Awareness Month will be here before we know it!

Allison Foley, PhD Associate Professor of Criminal Justice Director, Center for Public Service Very Special Thanks to Augusta University Division of Enrollment and Student Affairs, Augusta University and Paine College Public Safety Departments, and the SAAM 2016 Committee Members: Candace Best, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychological Sciences Brittany M. Bing, Augusta University Counseling Center Sadrine E. Catris, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, History, Anthropology and Philosophy Leslie Dickerson, Student Wellness Coordinator Karen A. Mobley, Coordinator of Student Development & Engagement Brooke E. Robertson, Counseling Services Capt. Dawn Lishnoff Julia Armstrong, SHARP

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feminist poetry • • • 0847hrs a Letter to his Offspring

By Seqhoia Sinclair You will be terrified the first time someone calls you women Their affliction will be somewhere between chastise and glorify slicing through the horizon of your lips Tampering your dormant Broca’s, You spit the blood of syntax for the very first time Petrified How do you fill this cathedral?

Remember: We are taught to suckle the breast of life while swallowing is reflex So never let the convictions of our fathers reflect the ease of our breaths When you shed your first lining may the world silently dances The churning of its hymn will line your insides with milk and honey Heed, not all monsters like the darkness in closets Some like daylight and shed light on the taste of elastic flesh Their skin sheds Triggered by the pleasantry of your radiant resilience Remember: That a good man always knows the strength in gentleness presented by little girls Behind him lies the spine of self-reign That his sun will always be superior to man Know: That a women who lies with beauty shell discern the bounties of love and marinate with it

Upon first wale the creed of your existence is already written But you have walked before read and tripped on your own circumstances keeping the scars for bragging rights Your anatomy took the keys to the city There is something inside you that throbs Daunts on your cerebrum and mantles your sanctuary Placed on your sleeve for better listening, Thrive to its pant Life’s only algorithm is the sum of you is greater than the product of your wounds It’s ok to harvest the relics of them

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• • • feminist poetry Little girls in this world are owed nothing So women earn the gross worth of it, anger is for the privileged They too have reaped the benefits in knowing the strength in gentleness presented by little girls How do you feel this cathedral?

By showing off your void nakedness in the arena everyday

0107hrs and Tinted Windows

By Seqhoia Sinclair

The confidence of her eloquence eased me, the wayward’s secrete from her lips Could alter dimensions taking me to places I wish I had never been Her light eyes with a softness blankets the afflictions of my soul and coddles its reflections— acceptance When we speak of broken fairytales I wondered: have you ever heard the break of bones?

Anticipated the agony right before the snap?

Lay pressed against the metallic earth, The moist fog and its sweet sewage smell, Putting it to rest on your flesh— Toxins on your skin

While the universe slithers through your frailty slowly slides between your inner thighs

Have you, too heard the whispers of drunken breaths, Familiar faces turn into faces of black silhouettes?

Bones swaying away from cognizance, mirroring neglected prairies after the cloudsburst Drifting further and further away from consent?

Snap—did you hear that?

The sound of chambered screams muffled against joints that have been tailored like puppets

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feminist poetry • • • Snap— The sound of fractured souls fighting to be whole, battling make-believe serpents Snap— Brainwashed in my own destructiveness

Snap— My vagina walls hold scars so deep, it leaves blisters in my membrane Snap— Can you hear that? The loud stench of shame Have you ever heard the brake of bones? Anticipated the agony right before it snapped?

Felt the shiver of your core surrender to self-loath?

Your innocence collapsed on your chest, laying just with in the grips of callused figure tips, While waiting to exhale?

With stern and vivacious gentleness attain she’d say: “Close your eyes. Listen to the foil of bones Now. Hold it” Who would have ever thought that ninety minutes of limbo could reframe fragmented pieces of fairytales?

That a voice could caress inner thighs, ceasing the convulsions of pain, while listening to things unsaid Have you ever heard the break of my bones?

Rib caged collapsed on my chest?

Submitting my existence while anticipating the agony of a thousand deaths?

Eyes closed waiting…

Just to realize it was only a snap.

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lambda alliance

campus news

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ambda Alliance has had a bumpy year this year but we’ve made it through. At the beginning of the semester some members of Lambda Alliance worked with faculty to organize the “Take Back the Sidewalks Rally” in order to address homophobia on campus and talk about our experience with the harassment our organization faced last October. We had speakers from the student body, faculty, administration, and the community and afterwards chalk was passed out so attendees could write affirming messages on the sidewalks around the amphitheater. Lambda also organized an educational panel titled “From the Sidewalks to the Supreme Court: Homophobic Rhetoric in America” in order to provide information to the student population about homophobic hate speech and rhetoric. Several members of Lambda also spoke on a panel about mental health in the LGBTQ+ community during Come Out For Health Week on the medical campus.

Finally, our main event this semester was our annual LGBTQ+ prom. This year’s theme was “Once Upon a Prom” and attendees were encouraged to come dressed as their favorite fairytale character. The prom had a good turn out and everyone had a lot of fun! Pictures can be found on our Facebook page. We plan on remaining active during the summer with Augusta Pride coming at the end of June and multiple opportunities to recruit incoming students at orientations. We look forward to a fresh start in the Fall with our new panel of officers. Congratulations to our graduating members! Lambda Alliance plans to have a much stronger presence on campus in the coming school year and I hope we make you proud. We would like to thank everyone for their support.

Have a good summer!

Meggie Kotson Vice President of Lambda Alliance

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feminist poetry • • • The Savage Sacrament

By Ashley Hampton A man taught me how to sew by forcing on my finger a wedding band.

I carried pink snapdragons into the House of God. I heard my deafening silence.

In our marriage bed I slept with an open eye-even in sleep it wasn’t safe to speak.

It was simple to speak before I learned to sew.

None could see past his eyes that he was a one-man band of thieves. He assured my silence by choking me with snapdragons.

Bound by withered snapdragons he laughed when I tried to speak then reveled in my somber silence.

With needle and catgut I was ready to sew a shackle, not a wedding band.

My pain unseen by the naked eye.

I decided some things no longer pleased my eye.

Things like pink snapdragons reminded me to strike up the band, play my funeral dirge. But I had no time to speak.

My duties were to sew and keep my vows in heavy silence.

I learned to treasure my silence beneath his all-seeing eye; to be a good wife because I could sew.

I came to resent the snapdragons.

When he wasn’t around I would speak to them: “There’s no happiness in a cold metal band.”

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• • • feminist poetry I formed my own band of thieves. Under the cover of silence, for I had no intention to speak, I used my hand to gouge his eye.

I was sick to death of snapdragons and I refused to sew.

This is my wedding ban. I never wanted his eye on me. He can keep his silence and snapdragons.

This is the last I will speak of him and how I learned to sew.

The Sempstress Sees Her Shadow

By Ashley Hampton Sometime before dawn, the Sempstress dozed and dreamed of sandy, far-away beaches, her nickel needled and thimble slack in her aching hands.

He always said he’d take her to see the Atlantic, to taste brine on her lips, to twirl in the foamy water.

But husbands and children and clothes and quilts-these things happen.

Finally, there were no socks to darn, no quilts to bind, no pants to hem, no buttons to replace, no children to raise no husband to praise.

The sea glowed turquoise under the white sun, on its rippling surface a long shadow cast.

The Sempstress sobbed.

Her heart pounded like the hooves of Neptune’s horses, like waves as they broke upon the shore.

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feminist scholarship • • • PREP YOUR DIAPHRAGM: HILARIOUS WOMEN AND STALE MEN

“B

ut what I’m trying to say is, at least to you young people, is don’t let your guard down because once life gets inside it, it won’t stop hitting you and you don’t stand a chance no matter how invincible you think you are. Oh, and don’t forget to tip your bartenders a little extra tonight,” I said as I shackled the mic back to its stand. The polite and attentive audience broke in to applause.

“Thanks, Kitty,” said the venue proprietor as I took my seat. I shook the performance from my head and sipped on the Shiner Bock I purchased every open mic night as a good-luck ritual. Alcohol had never done anything positive for me before, but that was clearly no reason to think sensibly now.

The band that followed my standup act was mediocre at best – though maybe I’m too harsh of a critic as music never was my forte. As their set came to an end, a pair of arms crept in to my periphery and stroked the unwieldy mess growing from either side of my face before they wrapped around my chest.

A voice whispered in my right ear, “Hey, Kitty. I know I can trust you, so would you mind recording my show for me?” From that range I could smell the alcohol on her breath. I was amazed at Tilly’s ability to get all the free drinks she could handle even though she was still a couple of years shy of drinking age. In her defense though, that’s the first sign that we were living in the South. Neverthe-less, I agreed.

After the camera was set up, she took the stage to begin her act. She firmly grasped the mic and knocked the comedy ball right out of the park – or at least that was my impression. I was, however, the only person in the room with that impression. Over half of the audience I had played to had already left during the band’s performance and there were maybe fourteen people left - all males. They interrupted every single line she spoke with cat calls and shouts begging her to take off her shirt or perform sex acts.

It was an appalling spectacle. Tilly deserved every bit of attentiveness and respect that I had been shown on stage. Female comics deserve the same level of respect that their male comic counterparts receive both on- and off-stage. They deserve to be free from sexual harassment. They deserve major shows on television

and they deserve starring roles in movies. And while women have made great strides in breaking in to the industry – some would even say they have come to take it over and that women run the comedy business now – simply by looking at the YouTube comments section for the Ghostbusters remake, one can tell that many still treat comedy as a boys club complete with a sign on the door that reads definitively: NO GIRLS ALLOWED. Noted author and journalist, Christopher Hitchens is

often held up as the paragon of anti-female comedian movement by his fans – an insult to real movements.

Christopher Hitchens often described himself as a socialist and as a Marxist and wrote for many prominent leftist publications though many of his works contained a stance that was simply the contrary to popular culture on such issues as Mother Teresa, Princess Diana, and President Bill Clinton. However, after September 11, 2001, Hitchens discovered that he finally had a golden ticket in the form of anti-Islamic sentiment to pursue his true passion – calling for the deaths of religious people. In fact, Hitchens claimed that the September 11 attacks not only “exhilarated” him, but they set the fire for “a battle between everything I love and everything I hate” as he openly called for war against “fascism with an Islamic face” (Parker).

I set this up to provide you with a frame of reference as to what kind of thinker Christopher Hitchens was and to give you some insight to the minds of his fans - a

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• • • feminist scholarship large contingent of the adult male population that honestly believes that the highest duty a man can possess is to his primal urges and that they are entitled to living solely for themselves with no other purpose.

In 2010 Anthony Daniels – an English psychiatrist and author - under the pen name Theodore Dalrymple wrote of Christopher Hitchens that: “Christopher made an early commitment to Trotskyism, but it is difficult to take him very seriously as a revolutionary because he always has been too much of a hedonist. … Not permanent revolution but permanent adolescence has been his goal, and I think he has achieved it” (Dalrymple).

And so it is this same Christopher Hitchens who in January of 2007 wrote an article titled “Why Women Aren’t Funny” in the Culture section of Vanity Fair.

The crux of his article is an appeal to evolutionary differences between males and females, but he pads the majority of the article with inflammatory rhetoric that exists solely to stoke controversial fires and generate attention. Hitchens only provides examples of what is funny from a male perspective while claiming nothing from a female perspective can be found funny without stopping to question whether or not he is looking at the joke from the right angle.

Any minor scrutiny applied to the claims of Christopher Hitchens cause them to fall apart.

In 2008, Alessandra Stanley wrote an article entitled “Who Says Women Aren’t Funny” in which she calls Christopher Hitchens to task for his unsolicited misogynistic sleaze.

Hitchens responded with his own article “Why Women Still Don’t Get It”. This second article even goes so far as to admit that not only is Alessandra Stanley correct, but then derails as he claims that women like Stanley are now responding to his original claims only with the intent to please him.

He even claims that his objectification can in some way

qualify as a “little joke”. On the contrary, objectification is anything but a little joke. Once his article was pushed into the public domain it went beyond being an inappropriate private joke and devolved into the same spiteful dreg that pollutes public discourse with antifemale rhetoric and instills a sense of inferiority and unworthiness in young women. This can completely turn off young female comedians from attempting to pursue a career in this field they are so passionate about and worse yet, it helps to reinforce the incorrect idea that they are only as good as their physical appearance and that women should only be concerned with capturing the attention of men. Ultimately this is the one true comedic irony that many men fail to grasp.

Hitchens is not providing facts. He is not committed “to the Enlightenment values of reason, secularism and pluralism” as George Eaton of Britain’s the New Statesman magazine affectionately described him. He is simply acting as lecherous old man, more concerned with a feeling he hasn’t been able to sustain in many years instead of the foresight and character building in all youths, both female and male, that a “socialist” and a “Marxist” such as himself should want to see.

Social justice is the uplifting of the downtrodden. It is the pen gifted freely to the voiceless. It is the microphone stood before the young woman that she too may have her chance to fail, fail and fail again until her hard work and dedication one day pays off - though, as with her male counterparts, for now she should not quit her day job. While I may support the liberty to make the comments that Mister Hitchens has made, discretion would see fit that he did not.

Justice, herself, is the concept of not doing something just because you can. The spread of this vitriol also teaches boys it is okay to think women are not equals. It is the perpetuation of a vicious cycle that destroys opportunities and limits the boundless

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feminist scholarship • • • potential of so many of our fellow humans – young and old, female and male.

And so it is in the spirit of fairness and nurturing that we must acknowledge that women are hilarious. Female comedians have a rich history that cannot be ignored.

In 1933, African American novelist Jessie Redmon Fauset released her first comedy titled Comedy, American Style. It was a satirical study of the self-hatred the protagonist felt and how she believed becoming white would allow her upward mobility. In the end, her rampant obsession and own internalized racism end up destroying the other characters in the book. In the forward for the recent republishing by Rutgers University, Cherene Sherrard-Johnson includes that the novel is a powerful piece of literature for African American feminists because of its message of “female emancipation, development, autonomy, and empowerment” (Fauset, Sherrard-Johnson 23). Faucet helps to show us that women can not only use comedy to inspire laughter, but also to cast light upon serious issues and allow us deeper introspection.

Early comedic actresses such as Carole Lombard and Barbara Stanwyck were not allowed to write for their shows and were only allowed to show their acting ability on-screen. Stanley even mentions, “[o]ff-camera Lucille Ball was about as funny as lead.” Writer Nora Ephron goes on to attribute the rise of women in the business to television. She argues that as twenty-four hour television became the norm, “[executives] ran out of men” and turned to women en masse to pick up the slack (Stanley). Ultimately these women proved just how valuable they were and established themselves as potentially even more valuable than their male counterparts.

Phyllis Diller and Carol Burnett built their careers on self-deprecating humor that many argue is male-only territory (Women in Comedy). Sarah Silverman and Lisa Lampanelli have made their acts revolve almost exclusively around offensive vulgarity – another staple of the boys club. However, not all things are as bright as they seem.Joan Rivers was quoted as saying “you can’t even get on open mike with less than a C cup” and says a large part of the problem is due to male industry executives wanting more vulgar and all around “sexier” female comedians (Stanley). However, Patricia Marx, writer for The Harvard Lampoon, submits that

attractive women may have always been funny but are only now deciding to go in to the field simply because of how much more accessible it is these days.

Personally, much of this feels like shallow in-fighting as the existence of hilarious women like Roseanne Barr, Leslie Jones, Melissa McCarthy, Lena Dunham, and Amy Schumer prove there is no standard mold within which comedians must be forced to fit.

Stanley points out quite accurately that male comedians such as Will Ferrell, Jack Black, and Seth Rogan are constantly cast as heartthrob roles despite their extra pounds or general lack of good looks. As it stands, there really are no female comedians in major movie roles and they still do not have major roles hosting late night shows (Stanley). The good news though is that with Samantha Bee’s new talk show and the new allfemale Ghostbusters movie, this cap on the career heights of female comedians seems to be quickly rising for the better.

Women have taken the comedy world by storm. From off-the-beaten-trail personas like Whoopi Goldberg or the quirky, but likeable mannerisms of Amy Poehler, women have risen to the upper echelons of laughter.

Their raw talent and passionate dedication along the way has flung open countless doors for new faces in the field and today we stand on the shoulder of giants.

While today’s stars are shattering glass ceilings thought previously unreachable, there are still many obstacles in their paths. Slowly, but surely these ever-strong women are tearing the NO GIRLS ALLOWED signs off each post as they advance.

Ladies, it’s okay to be funny – in fact, we encourage it.

The world simply needs more laughter. Gentlemen, it’s okay to laugh at female comedians. And yes, it’s okay to not find her funny, but that’s your problem, not hers and the only thing that’s not okay is forcing it to be her problem. Just relax a little and have a good time. Keep your negative comments to yourself. They don’t matter and you’ll just fade into obscurity as the paradigm turns on you with time’s long march. As Tina Fey said, “You still hear it. It’s just a lot easier to ignore.”

Kitty Johnson Computer Science Major

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• • • feminist scholarship THE CHINESE FEMALE POLITICAL FIGURE AS INDIVIDUAL VS. AN EXTENSION OF HER HUSBAND

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espite the egalitarian ideas that have pervaded Chinese political discourse from the beginning of the 20th century, China remains a patriarchal society. This is perhaps most evident from the lack of women in power and the difference in what influences public opinion of men and women in Chinese society. Influential or powerful men are never spoken of in relation to their wives' political leanings or accomplishments. Women however, are often subject to comparisons and links to their husbands' deeds depending on the intent of the criticizer.

Throughout modern Chinese history, Song Qingling, Song Mei-Ling, and Jiang Qing have all been judged both on their actions as individuals and on the actions of their husbands during their lives and within their legacies, depending on what was most convenient and beneficial to those in power or seeking power at the time.

This reflects a conflict of interest of revolutionary Chinese ideals in which women are meant to be equal to men but the focus on state-sanctioned changes to the idea of family, the idea of coming from a good or bad background, and other forms of lingering sexism from Confucian tradition interact to affect public opinion of women in positions of influence.

At the turn of the century one of the biggest political issues in China was that of the "woman question" which was especially talked about in revolutionary circles i.e. the early founders of the Guomindang and writers within the New Culture Movement. It was obvious women were to have a different role in society than they had under Qing rule, for how could a new government be revolutionary if half of the population was still chained by tradition? When the Chinese Communist Party formed in 1921, they developed some of the most progressive views on women's rights of any major contemporary political party in China's history. Free love and marriage, birth control, and equal access to education were all on the table. However, if men were deciding what made women free, were women really going to know freedom?

With many advocating women's emancipation from the Confucian shackles of the Qing Dynasty, the power couple arose. If men and women were equal, they could

both work towards a revolutionary cause. The first couple to rise to a significant level of influence under such ideas in the early 20th century was Song Qingling and her husband Sun Yat-sen, the founder of the Chinese Nationalist party, the Guomindang. The couple travelled and studied together. Even physically they were part of a set, beginning with Western wear and shifting to the couple bother wearing the new “traditional” Chinese dress in order to reunify China and control the way the country was presented to the outside world. As part of a pair, Song Qingling rose to fame and popularity in the GMD. While it seems to be impossible to separate her status as a revolutionary from her husband, whole papers are written on Sun Yat-sen’s involvement in the 1911 revolution and with details of all his political opinions without even mentioning his wife. Towards the end of Sun Yat-sen's life the GMD and CCP joined forces to form a united front against the warlords. After Sun Yat-sen's death, the two parties split once again and Song Qingling made the decision to side with the Communists, who were now opposing the party that her husband founded. Members of the CCP accepted her readily for her individual merits and beliefs despite her late husband's political alignment.

Song Qingling remained an important political figure throughout the 20th century but her status as an independent thinker was later challenged. During the Cultural Revolution starting in 1966 Song Qingling was newly attacked for her late husband's status as the founder of the GMD. Despite her personal alignment with the CCP and her extensive political and activist work for over 30 years, she was still subject for being criticized based on her husband's choices. She managed to survive the bloody years of the Cultural Revolution and once the fervor had died down she was once again judged on

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feminist scholarship • • • her own merits. She even served as vice chairperson of the People's Republic of China for a number of years.

Today, her association with her husband has once again been flipped into a positive. She is known as the mother of modern China for having had a hand in the establishment of the Republic of China, the precursor to the PRC. Propaganda featuring her in the post-Mao era always depicts her as a kind woman surrounded by children. Sun Yat-sen is often referred to as China's father. Right before her death she was named honorary chairperson of China and in recent Chinese publications about her she is spoken of almost reverently.

For Song Meiling, Song Qingling's sister, the Chinese have not been as lenient. Song Meiling's husband Chiang Kaishek asserted himself as Sun Yatsen's successor to the head of the GMD and effectively to be the leader of the Republic of China.

Song Meiling supported him throughout this dictatorship. Following the end of World War I many Chinese people were unhappy with the GMD government for being corrupt and bowing to the unequal Treaty of Versailles. Song Meiling supported her husband throughout his life and the two of them became the darlings of the United States, representing a Christian couple driving China further away from bogeyman of Communism. Despite her perpetual link to her husband’s position which might seem irksome at best to other women, Song Meiling herself may have been perfectly content with it. The GMD fought against the ultra-progressive views on gender rights that the CCP held and Song Meiling herself promoted the idea of girls being raised and educated primarily on how to become a good wife and mother.

lish the crumbling GMD in a new Republic of China.

When Chiang Kaishek died, Song Meiling did not follow in her sister's footsteps of changing sides to the CCP. No matter what he actual beliefs were, it stood to reason that she could not return to the Chinese mainland due to the hugely negative opinion of her late husband and the GMD generally.

Song Meiling eventually turned expatriate and lived most of the rest of her life in the United States. Even if she had denounced her husband at that point and despite the fact that many members of the GMD had been living in the PRC without trouble, it was doubtful she would have been welcomed back, if not due to her late husband, than due to her own choice to Westernize and develop loyalties to the capitalist US. Unfortunately almost all articles written about Song Meiling during her life, including the obituaries, were published by American and other Western sources. It begs the question of whether she was so insignificant without her husband that the Chinese press just did not bother writing about her.

The CCP emerged victorious from the Chinese Civil War in 1949 and the PRC was established shortly after. Mao Zedong would become the iconic leader of the PRC from the 1950s to his death in 1976. For the first time, gender equality was officially written into the Chinese constitution. One of the first tangible representations of this was the Marriage Law of 1950 that outlawed arranged marriages and concubinage and allowed women to seek divorce more readily. However, this did not save Mao Zedong's wife from falling into the same pattern of being judged based on her husband's merits just as often as her own accomplishments were acknowledged.

When the GMD lost the Chinese Civil War immeLuckily for Jiang Qing, Mao Zedong was in good diately after the end of WWII, Song Meiling and Chiang standing with the Chinese public for most of his dictaKaishek fled to Taiwan to avoid execution and reestab- torship. Jiang Qing had part of a hand in this herself

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• • • feminist scholarship through her work with Lin Biao to reinforce the cult of Mao. Throughout Mao's stint as chairman, Jiang Qing was referred to as his "closest comrade," seemingly solidifying them as equals while simultaneously linking her work for the CCP with Mao's work and his grand persona. Jiang Qing was trusted with multiple leadership positions and projects to head by her husband including direction of parts of the Cultural Revolution.

Unfortunately, Jiang Qing's association with Mao did not save her after his death. Many plans had gone awry during Mao Zedong's reign but due to the cult of personality that had grown around his image it was next to impossible to criticize him too heavily without appearing counterrevolutionary. His wife however became a popular target. Jiang Qing was grouped together with three other members of Mao's inner circle as the Gang of Four, supposedly responsible for the tragedies of the Cultural Revolution. Ironically Hua Guofeng was their main accuser, claiming the Gang sought to usurp power following Mao’s death but their arrests allowed himself to safely usurp that power instead. Throughout her trial Jiang Qing insisted she was loyal to Mao and the CCP but propaganda effectively separated her from her late husband's accomplishments and his godlike status. Previously Jiang Qing had appeared on propaganda posters upholding her as a role-model of the revolution.

The new political cartoons now portrayed her as a domineering woman dressed in feminine clothes

rather than the Mao suit that identified her as a member of the CCP. and she was sentenced to death, later adjusted to life in prison. She committed suicide in the early 1990s.

There is one other trend worth pointing out in regards to the way women of influence are thought up in Chinese society. No matter what instigated the initial feeling, heroes of Chinese history are given a lot more leeway than the villains. For instance, Song Qingling, the mother of modern China, is pardoned for her involvement in the GMD. Of course, she switched to the CCP after the two split but the GMD was so vilified by the CCP and the general population that it is a wonder she was trusted. Mao Zedong himself, who was responsible for the disastrous Great Leap Forward, is usually let off lightly as having had “good intentions.” Chang-tai Hung writes about the cultivation of the “red martyr” usually in reference to every day soldiers that are posthumously upheld as being the pinnacle of Maoist dedication. Perhaps, while not as cultivated explicitly, the idea of the red martyr has an impact on even the way higher ups are remembered despite them not dying in combat.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Jiang Qing has been completely villified in Chinese history.

Any good she may have done for China is totally overshadowed by the campaign to disgrace her after Mao Zedong's death. An evil person is meant to be evil with no grey areas to dispute. That line of thinking is extended to their husbands as well. Mao Zedong is remembered in the grey, with some of the things he did being bad for China while most is written as being great accomplishments. Chiang Kaishek on the other hand, corrupt as he was, is not remembered for any good act he may have done in China's name. Instead he is a pure villain of Chinese history. Still, one thing they have in common is that as men neither of them is criticized based on their wives.

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Meggie Kotson History Major

feminist scholarship • • •

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courses • • • spring 2016 WGST 1101: Introduction to Women’s Studies Dr. Christina Henderson / MW F/ 12:00—12:50pm An interdisciplinary course designed to provide a foundation for the women’s studies minor.

WGST/HIST 4950: Witchcraft, Law, and Culture Dr. Ruth McClelland-Nugent / MW / 4:00—5:15pm An examination of beliefs and practices related to witchcraft and popular magic, with an emphasis of cultural and legal responses to this alleged phenomenon. This course includes a special emphasis on gendered aspects and social consequences of witchcraft beliefs and persecutions. May be repeated for credit. Course may be accepted for upper-level ANTH credit.

Prerequisites: HIST 1111 or 1112 or permission of instructor.

WGST/SOCI/CRJU 3336: Women, Crime ,and the Criminal Justice System Dr. Allison Foley / Online A sociological analysis of women as criminal offenders and as workers in criminal justice fields. Examines the socio-historical construction of gender for its influences on criminal law and the practices of criminal justice agencies. Covers historical perspectives on women and crime, the adequacy of contemporary criminological perspectives for explaining female criminality.

Prerequisites: WGST 1101 or SOCI1160; SOCI 1101 or CRJU 1103.

WGST/COMS 4120: Gender and Communication Dr. Pamela Hayward / MW / 2:30—3:45pm This course explores gendered communication patterns in a variety of contexts and examines how communication creates and reinforces gender. Theories that explain how culture shapes gendered communication and how gendered communication shapes culture will be examined.

WGST/ENGL/HUMN 4310: Studies in Feminism Dr. Seretha Williams / MW F/ 9:00—9:50am “Mad Women in the Attic: Gender and Trauma in Women’s Literature.” We will read texts (novels and essays mostly) written by women authors and scholars. We will apply feminist criticism in our readings of texts. Trauma theory and intersectionality are two of the lenses through which we will interpret texts.

WGST/ENGL 4950: Major American Authors Dr. Cheryl Hopson / TR / 10:00—11:15am The course is designed to introduce students to the writings of major American author, Alice Walker. We will read the creative works (novels, poems, short stories) and nonfiction writings (essays, memoir) of Georgia-born African-American novelist, and self-named womanist (i.e. Black feminist), Alice Walker, and focus in on the confluence of Walker’s aesthetic and womanist/ feminist philosophies. Students will read across genres, with an eye toward Walker’s construction of 1) African-American female/ male subjectivity, 2) African-American inter-generational and inter-familial relations, and 3) the American socio-cultural landscape, both pre– and post– the Civil Rights, Women’s Liberation, and Black nationalist movements of the 1960s and 1970s.

SPRING 2016 REGISTRATION WILL BE JANUARY 8, 2016

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Yell! • • • get involved

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get involved • • • Triota

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meet our contributors • • • Dr. Allison Foley I was always fascinated by crime and deviance, and by the way gender shapes our experiences and understandings of the world.

When studying these topics while obtaining my PhD. in Sociology, I discovered just how much gender inequality remains in our world and in our justice systems. I then began studying society's preventive and reactive approaches to girls' delinquency, looking specifically at animal-assisted delinquency programs. This provides the foundation for my Women, Crime, and the Criminal Justice System course. I continue researching in these areas and also teach courses on deviance, corrections, and popular culture.

Ashley Hampton Ashley N. Hampton received her first Bachelor's degree in Sociology and Women's Studies in 2006 from Augusta State University. She has since returned to pursue an additional degree in English - Creative Writing and History. She hopes to pursue a graduate degree in literary linguistics. Her poetry has been featured in Purple Pens and Pegasus and her short fiction has appeared in Unwrap These Presents. She is married to her kindred spirit, Johnny, and has three beautiful boys as well as one very spoiled dog.

Kitty Johnson Kitty Johnson is a Computer Science major at Augusta University and currently works as a game design consultant and spends most late nights in the underground lab working on the next hit game or out in the wilderness, barking at the moon. As a transgender advocate, she works to raise awareness and visibility of transgender students both on- and off-campus while working to promote unity and empowerment for all. Kitty is also a feline enthusiast, Halloween expert, self-described "dangerous subversive", and heads the all-inclusive group Gamers Sans Frontières. You can follow her on Twitter @kittiesnkaijus to catch all her rambling thoughts in between bouts of kitten retweets. Seriously, there are a lot of kittens in that feed. Like... tons.

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• • • meet our contributors Margaret “Meggie” Kotson Meggie Kotson is a senior History major at Augusta University.

She is minoring in Women’s and Gender Studies and currently holds a job as the WGST director’s student assistant. This summer she is participating in the Augusta University Summer Scholars program to research gender and disability historically. They were recently awarded membership to the History honors society Phi Alpha Theta and were selected to win the 2016 Women’s and Gender Studies Award for Student Service. She is the current Editor-in-Chief for Yell! Magazine, president of Triota, and vice president of Lambda Alliance. She hopes to pursue a doctorate in history and reshape the way history is taught to encompass a more inclusive range of viewpoints. Their hobbies and interests include cartoons, comics, video games, card games, and musicals.

Seqhoia Sinclair Poetry is the fusion between physical and cognitive. It swallows the two, then regurgitates them into syntax that evokes all human senses. Sequoia’s poetry displays her advanced ability to introspect while forcing her readers to do so as well. She understands that it is imperative to allow the flow of your mind to beat with the tune of your physical presence. Therefore, it makes sense that the discipline of psychology would beg for Sequoia’s insight. Upon receiving a bachelor’s degree in psychology she plans to continue on with higher education. With an advanced degree she plans to work with adult male sex offenders to do research on relapse prevention, to get insight on how society influences the self-concept of sex offenders, also, to gauge societal views on sex offender typology and how it relates to the behavior or strategy of offenders. Sequoia is set with the idea of publishing her finding as well as publishing poetry and creative nonfiction.

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credits Editor-in-Chief

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Meggie Kotson

Description: Photo of a microphone in front of a blue curtain

Program Director

Credit: Pixabay user mazsola65—CC0 Public Domain

Dr. Ruth McClelland-Nugent

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Contributors

Description: Photo of Song Qingling

Allison Foley

Credit: Wikimedia Commons—CC0 Public Domain

Ashley Hampton

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Kitty Johnson

Description: Photo of Song Meiling

Meggie Kotson

Credit: Wikimedia Commons—CC0 Public Domain

Seqhoia Sinclair

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Special Thanks

Description: Photo of Jiang Qing and Mao Zedong Credit: Wikimedia Commons—CC0 Public Domain

Allison Foley Art & Photography Credits Page 01 Description: White lily on a white background Credit: Pixabay user monicore—CC0 Public Domain

Page 06-08 Description: Pictures of the Take Back the Day 5k Credit: Spotted on the Augusta Chronicle

Page 06-07 Description: Pictures of the Take Back the Night Rally Credit: Inesha Howard with the AU Bell Ringer Page 16 Description: Photo of a girl standing on a stage and holding a microphone Credit: Pxabay user Nickbar—CC0 Public Domain

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