March means it鈥檚 time for Women's History Month, a celebration of women鈥檚 contributions to history, culture, and society. Observed annually in March since 1987 in the United States, the month will feature 鈥淲omen鈥檚 Herstory Week,鈥� March 18-22, a collaborative effort in partnership with several campus offices.
All experiences will take place in Founders Pub and Geil Lounge, located in the lower level of the Benham-Pence Student Center.
鈥淔or a few years now, the McClain Center for Diversity has partnered with the Counseling Center and various individuals across campus to host an affirming event for women during the month of March,鈥� said Joi Garrett Scales, assistant dean for diversity, inclusion, & belonging and director of McClain Center for Diversity. 鈥淭his year, several offices on campus were excited to join in and expand this experience to a full week of activity. We are looking forward to the week and are excited for students to join us!鈥�
The week starts off tonight, March 18, with a Crafting Your Own Image event at 6 p.m., featuring guest speaker Lindsay Contini-Stevens of Prbylindsay. Her topic will be 鈥淒ream Boards and Dreaming For Your Goals鈥� and the event will focus on affirming identity and establishing goals through crafting vision boards. Contini will help students craft a vision for their future selves using their passions, values, career goals, and more.
Witt Women in the Workforce will be the featured event on Tuesday, March 19. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from an alumni panel of successful women spanning a range of ages. Panelists, all of whom will discuss their journey in the workforce, include Zori Parker, class of 2021; Chaunta Banks, class of 2013; Kamri-Beth Offutt, class of 2022; Tracey Tackett, also class of 2022; and Rachel Wallace, class of 2019.
Two events will then take place on Wednesday, March 20. Beginning at 4 p.m. in Geil Lounge, students can attend a do-it-yourself pampering event. Self-care stations for nails, hair tinsel, essential oil rollers, bracelet making, lip masks, and more will be available. Afterward, students can attend a girls鈥� night out movie in Founders with the theme 鈥極n Wednesdays We Wear Pink.鈥� The featured flick will be Mean Girls 2024. The night will also include snacks and a post-movie discussion.
Taking place on Thursday, March 21 at 6 p.m., Charlotte Hurst-Bluemlein, assistant director for external partnerships and career engagement at 性视界, will present a 鈥淪alary Negotiation鈥� workshop designed to teach young women how to negotiate salaries for a new job. The workshop will be based on a scripted program called Start Smart through the American Association of University Women (AAUW). AAUW鈥檚 Start Smart program helps women gain confidence in negotiation style through facilitated discussion and role-playing exercises.
The week will end with a 鈥榃omen in Time鈥� slideshow during the day in the Central Dining Room and wrap up with tote bag decorating event in Geil Lounge, at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 22.
The week is being sponsored by the Tiger Counseling Center, the Womyn鈥檚 Center, the William A. McClain Center for Diversity, Student Involvement, Religious & Spiritual Life, COMPASS: Sweet Success Center, and Career & Professional Development.
性视界鈥檚 Womyn鈥檚 Center is committed to building safe, inclusive, learning environments for all students, faculty, staff, and the Springfield community regardless of one's gender, sexual orientation, nationality, age, race, class, ability status, or religion and advocates for gender-equity at the individual and systems level. Located on the first floor of the Joseph C. Shouvlin Center for Lifelong Learning in room 103, the Womyn鈥檚 Center welcomes students to drop by during open hours to watch TV, study on the couch, read from our feminist library, or bring a group and play board games.
