Women's Student Association Constitution 2011

Women’s Student Association

Constitution

Preamble

The Women's Student Association at Indiana University is dedicated to supporting women through activism, conscious raising, and education within the IU community.

In addition, WSA provides an atmosphere for personal growth and social networking for people of all genders. WSA recognizes, and works to eliminate, the multiple levels of oppression that are acting in society. These include racism, sexism, heterosexism, ageism, ableism, and classism.

In addition, WSA understands their fundamental relationship to the unequal distribution of power.

Article I - Name

The Women's Student Association (WSA)

Article II - Membership

Membership shall be open to all University students, faculty and staff, men and women of any race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, ability, class, age or gender identity and expression in accordance with University policy.

Article III - Directors

There will be four Director positions that will be filled on a volunteer basis and approved by the executive board. They will serve a term of one academic year. These Director positions include: Director of Activism, Director of Social Programming, Director of Educational Programming, and Director of Outreach.

Each Director has clearly defined responsibilities that they are to fulfill.

Article IV - Executive Board

The Executive Board will be made up of the four following officers that will serve a term of one academic year: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Herstorian. They will be appointed by the election of the general membership.

Article V - Meetings

Meetings will be held weekly for a general. WSA will aim to include social events two times per month.

Article VI - Amendments to the Constitution

Adoption of new amendments requires previous notification and three-fourths affirmative vote of the mass membership present for voting.

Bylaws

I. General membership has voting power. The Executive Board can override a general membership decision by a unanimous vote. An executive veto can be overridden by a 3/4 vote of the general membership.

II. Director of Activism is responsible for:

1. Keeping the campus community, both members of WSA and non-members, informed about both national and local events and issues.
2. Getting students, both members and non-members, involved in activities of other organizations that support women's issues and agendas.
3. Creating and executing WSA activism projects such as protests, marches and demonstrations on both the local and national level.
4. Creating committees, made up of WSA members, when necessary for the completion of a program\event.
5. Activism events should include multicultural women's issues.
6. Develop activism programs ideally for: Hispanic Heritage Month, Asian-American Heritage Month, Black History Month, Women's History Month, Pride Week, and any other additional relevant events.

III. Director of Social Programming is responsible for:

1. Creating and executing social programs such as gatherings, parties, and receptions for both members of WSA and non-members.
2. Creating committees, made up of WSA members, when necessary for the completion of a program\event.
3. Developing social programs ideally for: Hispanic Heritage Month, Asian-American Heritage Month, Black History Month, Women's History Month, Pride Week, and any other additional relevant events.

IV. Director of Educational Programming is responsible for:

1. Creating and executing educational programs such as lectures, speakers, debates, and open forum discussions that address women's issues.
2. Contributes to conferences or to the creation of conferences that address women's issues for both members of WSA and non-members.
3. Creating intellectual discussion during meetings about the following: Hispanic Heritage Month, Asian-American Heritage Month, Black History Month, Women's History Month, Pride Week, and any other additional relevant events.

V. Director of Outreach is responsible for:

1. Communicating with philanthropic, volunteer, and student organizations to create opportunities for WSA to participates in, both action oriented and for fund raising purpose
2. Organizing the maintenance of the WSA Facebook page, blog, and MyInvolvement.
3. Creating and distributing WSA pamphlets.

Survey of Women's Experiences

Here's a post I found on the GLBTSSS Feed:


My name is Sonya Bettendorf and I am a psychology graduate student at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, working under the supervision of Dr. Ann R. Fischer.

- I’m writing to you because of my commitment to improving the lives of women.

- I’m hoping you will help me reach out to women by completing the following survey, which is part of the final phase to my dissertation project: http://www.dbcdesigns.com/experiencesofwomen/

- Women across diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations, social classes, ages, and abilities are invited to participate.

- Participants have an opportunity to enter a drawing to win a $20 gift certificate.

- You are invited to forward this email to others who might be interested in participating in the survey.

- More details are outlined below:

My name is Sonya Bettendorf and I am a counseling psychology graduate student at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. I am currently working on my doctoral dissertation, which is chaired by Dr. Ann Fischer. I am writing to ask for your help by participating in a study that will help me develop a measure that assesses women’s experience related to social and cultural messages about women’s bodies.

Exploring this issue is important for several reasons. First, it may contribute to deeper and more meaningful understandings about women’s experiences. Second, it may help psychologists develop ways to best help people. Third, it might help psychologists focus on strengths that women already have in providing more effective services.

Participation in this study is voluntary and you may withdraw at any time. It will take you approximately 45 minutes to complete the survey. Your responses will remain confidential such that only the researchers will have access to your data. Identification codes, rather than names, will also be used to assure your anonymity. After full completion of the questionnaire, you will have the option of providing an email address to be entered into a drawing to win a $20 gift certificate to a Barnes & Noble book store. Only researchers will have access to the data file containing the email address, the email address will only be used for the purpose of the drawing, and it will be deleted following completion of the study.

If you would like to participate in the study, please visit the following website:

http://www.dbcdesigns.com/experiencesofwomen/

If you would like to have your name removed from this mailing list, please respond to this email at sonya.bettendorf@gmail.com and indicate that you opt-out from the messages. If you do not respond to this survey or return the opt-out message, you will be contacted again with this request 2 times during the next 4 weeks.

If you have any questions about this study, feel free to contact us at by email at sonya.bettendorf@gmail.com or arf12@siu.edu or by phone at (618) 453-3560.

This research study has been reviewed and approved by the Human Subjects Committee at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Questions concerning your rights as a participant in this research may be addressed to the Committee Chairperson, Office of Research Development and Administration, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL 62901-4709. Phone (618) 453-4533. E-mail: siuhsc@siu.edu.

Thank you for taking the time to consider participating in this study. Your participation is valuable and will contribute to strength-based research and practice.

Sincerely,

Sonya Bettendorf, M.A.

Sex and State Power

I hope you are all having wonderful summers. If you are looking for a way to make your blood boil this afternoon, try reading this article:

http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/07/sex_and_state_power.html

Of course, this inflammatory style of writing and aggressive ignorance are no news to any of us, but given the fact that the subject matter is so large a focus of WSA and the fact that someone really truly posted this on Facebook this morning in agreement with its message (prompting me to believe that large numbers of Americans feel the same way), I thought I would pass it along to you.

For the sake of argument, and because some people seem to agree with it, I will briefly entertain the main point of the article. The author posits that, in introducing programs into schools that aim to end sexual harassment, promote individual expression, and provide comprehensive sex education, the Evil Government is stripping children of their individuality (?) and control of their bodies. I will interpret this as saying that the children in question are being encouraged (or forced, depending on your reading) to be homosexual and promiscuous, rendered incapable of "choosing" the heterosexual, saving-it-for-marriage lifestyle God intended for them.

Obviously, this article's main fault is its horribly contorted attempt to shape the means (i.e. the argument) around the ends: that is, the author's prejudices and discomfort with the fact that the world is changing. He appeals to our inner Western imperialist, comparing this oppression of our children by the government with the oppression of women under Islam, and goes on to make several racist remarks about Muslims (uncultured barbarians!). I am not versed in identity politics, so I feel unfit to comment on the situation of Muslim women, but nevertheless the allusion seems a bit pointless, foremost since it makes no sense.

Though there are many highlights, one of my favorite parts of the article is the author's utter horror that there was a program in an eighth grade classroom that taught proper use of a condom. (As an aside, there was a similar program in my schooling when I was about the same age. New Hampshire kinda rules sometimes.) Par for the course as far as fantasy-world sex ed. goes, but still worth acknowledging, as always. Then of course we have the infallible nuclear family being threatened through mere critical thinking. The author strongly condemns the health curriculum of a Helena, MT elementary school, saying it "veers wildly between respect and advocacy." He goes on to quote the curriculum: "[u]nderstand media often presents an unrealistic image of what it means to be male or female, what it means to be in love & what parenthood & marriages are like." That sure sounds like "advocacy" (of what, using your mind?) to me.

As society continues to evolve, it has less and less in common with the traditional "Western Christian" model; as we continue to become more integrated, more in tune with each other, and learn more about the human race, it becomes more and more obvious that our societal model needs to be revised. If you want your child to receive a "traditional Judeo-Christian" education, send them to a "traditional Judeo-Christian" school and not a public one. From there, you can feel free to decry social progress as social decay and leave the rest of us out of it.

(Please understand I am not a writer, nor am I a debater in any capacity. Feel free to point out any holes in my argument or anything I've missed.)

Stop Sexist Remarks

From the blog stopsexistremarks.org

Stop Sexist Remarks: "In January, Egyptian parliamentarians introduced a law that if passed, would impose a year in prison and/or a fine of 1,000 Egyptian pounds on men who sexually harass women in public places. The legislation came about through the efforts of the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights, a grassroots organization started in 1996 by six women from Cairo. In 2005, the Center launched a campaign against sexual harassment, culminating in a 2008 study involving interviews of 2000 women. The Center’s investigation revealed that in Egypt, 83 per cent of Egyptian women and 98 per cent of foreign women had been sexually harassed, usually on the street or public transport. The study raised the profile of the issue, igniting a debate among Egyptian academics and policymakers about what should be done. Today, the proposed law is supported by both the ruling National Democratic Party and the opposition Muslim Brotherhood and so is expected to pass."

punk rock girls

So I went to see Joe Jack Talcum from the classic satirical punk band The Dead Milkmen this past Saturday night.
Both the bassisit and drummer of the band that backed him, called the boohoos, were women.

Thought it was preeetty cool.

And now this gem from an IU student. Sometimes people just suck.

Ick.

 Via Jezebel.

An opinion columnist at American University has written a piece attacking feminists and queer activists as overly sensitive and anti-sex, comparing them inexplicably to the "great religions of the world." 

The anti-sex thing might actually makes some sense, given that his own view of being pro-sex somehow equates with being pro-date rape. Date-rape and consent, he argues are too loose of concepts to be applied to "the sexual arena" and "the volatility of its practice."

Helpfully, he breaks it down further: "There's rape and there's not rape." 

"Rape," apparently means a violent attacker jumping out of the bushes, "not rape" seems to be just about anything else. A woman drinking alcohol and going to a man's room is "indicating" consent to sex (emphasis mine). Sex is not about "contract-signing" (read: normal, healthy communication between partners, like, "Is this okay?"); rather, it is about "control" and "surrender."

O, rlly? Ew. 

At least you have a handy example next time someone asks you what rape culture is or why feminism still matters.