OCW Spring 2017 newsletter

MARCH, 2017

SPRING EDITION -OCW NEWSLETTER

Since 1971

NEWS..

WWHEL CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS

SPRING 2017 SYMPOSIUM ANNOUNCED

NEWS A Note from the President [Article by Lema Kabashi)

“Thank You,” to all members of the Organization for Campus Women (OCW), for giving me the privilege of walking on this journey together for almost a year now. At our core, the OCW is an organization that supports women; however, throughout this year our members have also provided countless volunteer hours in support of children and our environment. We are proud to announce that on April 19th, we are continuing our Spring Symposium tradition. Personally, I am very excited for this year’s speaker; UWL’s own Dawn Norris. I hope many of you will be attending.

The OCW is always seeking new members who will consider joining forces with us to better serve women on our campus and beyond. There will be fundraising, leadership, event planning and many more opportunities for you to get involved with. We are excited about our future involvement within the University and the community; so please consider sharing your ideas, thoughts and creativity as a member so we, together, can make our campus and our community a better place to work and live.

As president for 2016-2017, I am honored to serve OCW and it’s members. We all owe the OCW to continue its legacy and build a better world for all of us to live in.

BECKI VINER, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

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MARCH, 2017

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE FALL 2016 WWHEL CONFERENCE [Article by

SPRING EDITION -OCW NEWSLETTER

At the Fall 2016 WWHEL Conference, Navigating Political Waters, in EauClaire, Wisconsin.

Lema Kabashi and Becki Viner; pictures by Lema Kabashi]

WWHEL’s Fall 2016 Conference: “Navigating Political Waters,” with Lieutenant Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch as keynote speaker was held October 20-21, 2016 and hosted at UW Eau Claire.

Lema Kabashi, the OCW president, attended this two-day conference that addressed women’s issues in higher education and leadership. There were three breakout sessions: 1) Rocking the Boat: Office Politics; 2) Uncharted Waters: Being Politically Savvy in Your Professional Advancement Journey; and 3) On the High Seas: Connection to Elected Officials. This conference encouraged women, faculty and staff to pursue leadership opportunities by emphasizing the knowledge and skills necessary for these positions. In addition, the conference provided a great opportunity for networking as well as information sharing.

Visit wwhel.org to see more highlights from the conference.

BECKI VINER, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Top: Lema Kabashi et al “Under the WWHEL umbrella,; Middle and bottom: a view of the Chipewa River and UW Eau Claire with Lema Kabashi

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MARCH, 2017

SPRING EDITION -OCW NEWSLETTER

SPRING 2017 SYMPOSIUM ANNOUNCED [Article by Becki Viner and Teri Holford Talpe]

how women successfully coped with these challenges.

Norris has also published in journals such as Symbolic Interaction, Research on Aging, and Teaching Sociology. She lives in La Crosse with her husband and two cats named after favored sociologists.

The OCW will hold a silent auction during the Symposium to raise money for scholarships and philanthropy. Some “noteworthy” items include a 33 x 22 inch framed photograph of Camp Randal Stadium in Madison, the 2011 Superbowl game between Green Bay and Detroit, and numerous baskets and items.

Watch for our flyers.

Dawn Norris, Assistant Professor of Sociology at UW La Crosse.

Mark your calendars! Thanks to a grant from WWEHL (Wisconsin Women in Higher Education and Learning) in partial support of the OCW’s Spring 2017 Symposium, a pay-at-the-door event ($5) will be held Wednesday, April 19 from 11:30-1:00 in the new Union, Room 3310. Refreshments will be served. The Symposium will feature Dawn Norris, an Assistant Professor of Sociology at UW La Crosse. She takes both quantitative and qualitative approaches to study the intersections of identity, age, mental health, and work/ occupations. Her new book, Job Loss, Identity, and Mental Health (Rutgers University Press 2016) examines what losing a job means for people’s identities and how that understanding affects their mental health. The book discusses how being female contributed to losing a job, what unemployment meant for women’s identities and mental health, and BECKI VINER, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

FUTURE OCW EVENTS The OCW will once again be offering meals to the Self Sufficienty Program at UWL: February 21, March 21 and April 18, 2017. There is still time to sign up for the April 18 date. You can find out more information and sign up with Karmin Van Domelen at kvandomelen@uwlax.edu.

ELECTIONS for OCW Steering Committee officers will be held in April, 2017. We have 2 university staff, 1 academic staff, and 1 faculty opening. These are three year terms. Contact Melissa Bingham by April 7 at mbingham@uwlax.edu with nominations or to get on the ballot.

Other Committee positions available will be President Elect , Social Programs Coordinator, and Newsletter Editor - all one year terms. Ballots will be distributed in early April. !3

MARCH, 2017

SPRING EDITION -OCW NEWSLETTER

The OCW’s Book Club Choice for Spring 2017 - Small Great Things: A Novel

by Jodi Picoult.

BOOK CLUB NEWS Date: Wednesday, March 22, 2017 Time:

Noon - 1:00 pm

Where: Murphy’s Mug, Murphy Library.

Everyone is encouraged to attend the Book Club meetings, even if you haven’t read, started or finished the current BC book! Jaralee Richter is our Book Club coordinator. Meetings typically take place at Noon in Murphy’s Mug, but this is always subject to change.

Jaralee will keep everyone updated through e-mail and the Campus Connection!

Picoult’s story begins in 1976 in a Connecticut Hospital where Ruth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse with more than 20 years of experience. She begins a routine checkup on a newborn, but is reassigned to a different patient because the babies parents are white supremacists, and they don’t want Ruth, who is African American, to touch their child! The next day, the baby goes into cardiac distress while Ruth is alone in the nursery. Does she disobey hospital orders or does she try and save the child?

She hesitates, but begins performing CPR. As a result, she is charged with a serious crime.

Her white public defender insists that mentioning race in a courtroom would not be a winning strategy. Ruth and her lawyer must gain each other’s trust, and in so doing, see that what they’ve been taught about others and themselves may be wrong.

2017-2018 JEAN L. FOSS & NORENE SMITH SCHOLARSHIP The Jean L. Foss & Norene Smith endowment fund was established in 1985 to assist non-traditional women students at UW La Crosse. Scholarships are awarded annually at the Eagle Excellence Scholarship and Award Recognition event in April, and paid to the students in the following academic year. The deadline to apply for the 2017-2018 Scholarships was March 1, 2017.

BECKI VINER, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

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MARCH, 2017

SPRING EDITION -OCW NEWSLETTER

RETIREMENTS ANNOUNCED June, 2017 - Chris Bakkum, Registrar June, 2017 - Becki Viner,* University Staff * - DENOTES OCW MEMBER

…& A Little Bit More Spring is around the corner…are you ready? Here are 5 refreshing ideas to get you sparked at home (or at work): 1. Swap out your bath towels—colored towels can add energy to your rooms.

2. Buy a bunch of colorful blooms for your desk at work or at home—they will brighten your surroundings and color is good for your mental health too.

3. Use your nice things now—make every day pleasurable by keeping your favorite things on display and using them regularly.

4. Tidy your entry way—it is the first room that you see when you get home. Consider a new storage bench, complete with hooks and storage drawers and a bench to sit on!

5. Brighter hues can be a mood lifter. Consider creating a multicolored collection of candy or retro packages in your office or your kitchen; it will lift your mood.

Learn More About US; VISIT our WEBPAGE at http://www.uwlax.edu/OCW/,

or CONTACT us AT: OCW@UWLAX.EDU.

BECKI VINER, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

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