fairfield county women's center newsletter

8/9/2019 Fairfield County Women's Center Newsletter

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Find Your Center

Fairfield CountyWomens Center

NewsletterDirector: Bernice Marie-Daly, Ph.D.

MEET TINA LANGLEY!

Tina Langley is the new face at the desk in the Womens Center. Astudent at NCC since 1997, she is studying to be a respiratory care therapist

and eventually hopes to become a nurse. She came to school later in life

and has taken her classes slowlyone or two at a time. At the beginning, it

was difficult with three children, she says, to make ends meet and still pay

for her classes, but she stuck it out, and thats an important thing to her.

What struck me most about Tina was her spirit of perseverance.

More than once when we were talking about her schooling or her life, she

said, Youve got a find a way to keep climbing up that mountain. Eventu-

ally, youll get there. She divorced her husband when he started stepping

out. Apparently, he was so absent from their home that she was in school

for a year before he noticed. (She took up golf, too, and he never knew.)

Young women today, she says, have to figure out who they are, because

once they know that they wont let a man dictate to them.

She found out about the FCWC through last winters Connecticut

Womens Hall of Fame exhibit. She came out of her Western Civilization

class, saw it in the lobby, and got talking to some of the other women look-

ing at the banners. They were comparing notes about which of the women

they recognized, and Tina commented on how those women had made it

(continued, last page)

Fairfield County WomensCenter at

Norwalk Community

College188 Richards Ave

Norwalk, CT 06854

203-857-6941

Hours: MTh: 10 6Email: [email protected]

Funded by the NCC

Foundation

Organization

TABLEOF CONTENTS

April 25, 2010Volume 2, Issue 5

Editor: Laurel S. Peterson

Women in Non-Trad Careers 2

Dr. Bs Report 2

Chelsea Rising 3

Dear Artemis 3

Womens Right to Vote 4

Tina Langley, cont. 4

Julia Ward Howe/Mothers DayProclamation 5

Academic Festival Shots 6

EPortfolio 6


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WOMEN IN NON-TRADITIONAL CAREERSWEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, CULINARY ARTS

The room was filled to overflowing! Check it out. (Above, Prof.

Gary Mecozzi with a room full of attendees; below, the panelsists:

engineer Carole Bilson , police officer Heather Franc, and Bonnie

Hagen, LEED/Green Technology.

In a related note, Last month Congressman Jared Polis

of Colorado and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut

introduced H.R. 4830, the Women and Workforce Investment

for Nontraditional Jobs (Women WIN Jobs) Act, which has the

support of NASDCTEc. This bill would help place women in

high wage, high demand jobs through education and training ser-

vices.

More specifically, funds could be used for such activities

as recruiting low-income women for careers in nontraditional oc-

cupations; providing comprehensive career guidance and counsel-

ing; assisting low-income women in accessing programs leading to

a degree, industry recognized certificate or credential, and appren-

ticeship programs; and coordinating with public secondary educa-tion institutions to improve the transition of participants into an

institution of higher education, a program of study or a registered

apprenticeship program. The bill would also convene a national

commission to examine and make recommendations for improv-

ing the status of women in high-demand, high-wage nontraditional

occupations. The commission would include representatives from

business and industry, education, and state workforce and eco-

nomic development agencies.

2009-2010 Directors ReportFrom Dr. Bernice Marie-Daly

(Dr. B)

Im happy to say that more and more students ar

connecting with the Womens Center! For example, the

Artemis Column on the next page is written for studentsstudents, and students instantly bought all the earrings at

our EAR-resistible earring sale held during the campus-

wide Stress Free Zone before finals last semester. Our

chair massage was also a huge success. Students come t

talk privately about their financial concerns every Wedn

day afternoon and contribute periodically to donation

drives for Malta House and the Domestic Violence Cris

Center. As well, Students frequently come to FCWC lo

ing for referral information for personal issues and socia

services to agencies throughout Fairfield County.

Other students created service learning projects,applying what they were learning in the classroom to rea

life situations, while more than 110 students decorated t-

shirts in support of those who have experienced abuse a

the co-sponsored Airing Your Dirty Laundry event last

month.

The Fairfield County Womens Center also of-

fered programming for the community at large this year,

hosting the Connecticut Womens Hall of Fame Exhibit

participating in the Academic Festival and twice co-

sponsoring the internationally acclaimed film, Pray the

Devil Back to Hell.

Finally, Im excited to tell you that over two hun-

dred students attended our Classroom Connection Pro-

grams and over 1,000 students participated in an FCWC

event this year. The FCWC Newsletter and ePortolio

(http://norwalk.digication.com/bmarie-daly/home//) are

great ways to stay in touch. In September were going to

-establish the FCWC Club, have some fun, and create in

novative, engaging campus-wide projects and a blog or tw

Maybe youd like to join us! Take a moment to stop by

the Center (W-116) and let me know whats on your min

Youre always welcome.

Dr. B"The full and complete develop-

ment of the world and the cause

of peace requires the maximum

participation of women as well

as men in all fields." -- UN Dec-

laration on Elimination of Dis-

crimination Against Women.
http://norwalk.digication.com/bmarie-daly/home/http://norwalk.digication.com/bmarie-daly/home/


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CHECK OUT CHELSEARISING.COM: A STUDENT BLOGDear Dr. [Marie-] Daly:

I am a student in Dr. Miltons Gender Roles in the Everyday Worldcourse. Thank you for coming in

and explaining the Womens Center awhile back!

For the service [learning] project, I have a created a blog, focusing on the goal to raise awareness of gen-

der issues, roles, and inspire readers, allowing them to recognize the importance of their voice. The intent is to

act as The Second Simone (de Beauvoir), dethroning myths that prevent progress of civil rights.

Ive included my own photography, as well as widgets for resources (articles, books, movies, etc.) to help

readers further any interest in gender studies.

It was suggested for me to contact you, perhaps a link to the blog could be featured in the FCWC news-

letter: www.chelsearising.comIm open to suggestions and thoughts!

Best wishes, Chelsea

Dear Artemis:Whenever I go out with my friends at night, I

never attract nice guys. I always get hit on by guys

who are playerswho dont respect me, and try to

get me to go home with them! I want to look sexy,

but I also dont want creeps to be hitting on me.

Why cant I just find a nice guy the way Im dress-

ing now?

-TRYING TO FIND A BALANCE

Dear Trying:Your situation is extremely common; Most

women, if not all, constantly find themselves puz-

zled in front of the mirror over the balance in

DEAR ARTEMIS: An Advice Column

Written for Students by Studentstheir wardrobe. Undesirable behavior from men as a resultof a womans clothing choices dates far back in history.

Long ago, the only women who wore more promiscuous

clothing were prostitutes. In Simone De Beauvoirs, book,

The Second Sex, she writes that these women would wear

high heels, clinging clothes, heavy make up, and strong

scents to make their services known to potential customers.

Although you are most certainly not a streetwalker, history

still unconsciously associates skimpier clothing with negative

sexual stereotypes. I do understand that you still want to be

sexy and not dowdy, though. If you would like a suggestionfor a happy medium, I recommend mixing sexy pieces

with more covered up ones. For example, if you wear a

short dress, make sure it is not too tight and does not

show too much cleavage, or wear a sexy top with looser

pants. However, you dont need to dress overtly sexy to get a

guy, because youre wonderful the way you are: A good guy

will care about who you are on the inside, and not be fo-

cused on what you wear!

Dear Artemis:I have been in relationships with many guys, but they neverlast. The guy slowly becomes distant and eventually breaks

up with me. I dont understand why: Im sweet, Im caring, I

do a lot of nice things for them, and Im very willing to

spend all my time with them. I think Im the perfect girl-

friend; Why dont the guys Im dating see the same thing?

-PERFECT GIRLFRIEND

(continued, p. 4)


4/6

Remembering the Long Road to Women's Suffrage

It is easy to get cynical or discouraged about the slow progress on issues like health care, educa-

tion or economics. But a historic health care law eventually passed. Even more contentious has been

the long struggle for women's rights. This year is the 90th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the

U.S. Constitution giving women the right to vote. That simple step took 72 years from the day that

Elizabeth Cady Stanton stood before the first women's convention in Seneca Falls in 1848 and shocked

many people by suggesting that women should have that right.

At the Seneca Falls gathering, Mrs. Stanton, speaking publicly for the first time, read her Decla-

ration and Resolutions supporting basic women's rights. All were adopted unanimously except the final

one calling for women's right to vote. Many thought it was too extreme and would endanger the success

of achieving other rights. Editors writing of the convention used terms such as "the most shocking and

unnatural incident ever recorded in the history of womankind" and attacked women's rights as a

"monstrous injury to all mankind" that would "demoralize and degrade" women. Women's rights would

end in the destruction of home and family, some argued. In the 1850s, Cady was joined by Susan B.

Anthony, a Quaker, one of the few religious groups that supported women's rights.

Cady and Anthony effectively shared leadership of the women's movement for decades and

complemented each other's skills. Their immediate goal was to persuade the New York State Legisla-

ture to extend the Married Women's Property Act of 1848 so that a woman would have the right to

keep her own earnings, to use or invest them in her own name, and to bargain, sell, and carry on any

trade or perform any services on her own account. They argued that a woman should be able to enter

into contracts, sue and have joint guardianship over her children. As a widow, she should have the

same property rights as the husband would have at her death.

Compiled by Tina Langley from http://womenshistory.about.com/od/suffrage1848/a/seneca_falls.htm.

DEAR ARTEMIS (cont. from page 3)

Dear Perfect:Although you may be the perfect girlfriend, and a man no

doubt loves an affectionate woman, he also desires a woman

who has a world outside of the relationship. A woman that

gives herself blindly to a man loses the dimension of free-

dom that at first made her fascinating. Over time, the man

becomes bored, because in the words of Simone De Beau-

voir, she is nothing more but his slave. A guy wants his

girlfriend to be absolutely his, yet a stranger. He wants her to

conform exactly to his dream and to be different from any-

thing he can imagine. This sounds complicated, but this basically means that, although its great thatyou are so devoted to your partners, its important to have your own world, not just an interconnected

existence with whomever you are dating. Guys love a woman who is devoted to them, but usually only

find a strong lasting attraction with a woman who has some independence. If you have a special hobby,

devote time to that sometimes, make time for other people you care about, and so on. Its wonderful

that you are such a giving person, but its important to also make time for you!
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/suffrage1848/a/seneca_falls.htmhttp://womenshistory.about.com/od/suffrage1848/a/seneca_falls.htmhttp://womenshistory.about.com/od/suffrage1848/a/seneca_falls.htm


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Julia Ward Howewas born in New York City in 1819 and died in Portsmouth,

Rhode Island, in 1910. Howe was an intelligent and inquisitive

child. She educated herself and became a formidable intellect in

a time when women were very limited in their educational en-

deavors. She benefited from the excellent library her brother

shipped from Europe during his travels. Without her fathers

knowledge she became acquainted with writers such as Balzac

and Sand. Howe was torn between her love for her father and

her ambitions as a writer, a thinker and an individual. She was

as fun loving as she was serious. As a wealthy heiress, social con-

tact (though limited by her father) connected her with some of

the leading minds of the time. It was her brother Sam who ex-

posed her to people like Longfellow, Dickens, Charles Sumner

and Margaret Fuller.

Howe became very involved in the reform movement

and supported issues like abolition, women's rights, prison re-

form and education. She developed close friendships withmembers of the Boston intellectual elite -- William Ellery Chan-

ning, Thomas Wentworth Higginson, and Theodore Parker.

While she was prevented from attending to some of the work

she wished to engage in, she managed to free herself from her

husbands demands and secure her own interests. She was flu-

ent in seven languages and a serious scholar of philosophy.

When her poem, the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," was pub-

lished in 1861, it brought her instant celebrity, and the song

would make her one of the most famous women in 19th century

America.

Howe continued her study and work for reform.

Womens Suffrage was the cause she was most involved in and

she began to be known for her strong and outspoken views. Her

fame brought her even more autonomy, and her ambitions were

beginning to be realized. After the death of her husband 1876,

she established a career for herself as a preacher, a reformer, a

writer and a poet. Howe traveled the world promoting Women's

Rights, Peace, Prison and Education Reform as a preacher, lec-

turer and dignitary. She was seen as a bridge between Society

and Reform and used her celebrity and social status to further

her ideology.

Among her many contributions to American society is

her famous "Battle Hymn of the Republic," which has become a

national anthem of sorts. She was also co-editor and writer for

The Woman's Journal, which lobbied for suffrage and human

rights. She was instrumental in creating Mother's Day, which she

envisioned as a day of solemn council where women from allover the world could meet to discuss the means whereby to

achieve world peace. They would also convene as mothers,

keeping in mind the duty of protecting their children. She be-

came the first woman elected to the Society of Arts and Letters.

Compiled by Tina Langley from http://www.juliawardhowe.org/

bio.htm

Mothers Day ProclamationBy Julia Ward Howe

(1819-1910)

Arise then...women of this day!Arise, all women who have hearts!Whether your baptism be of water or of tears!Say firmly:We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies,Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage,For caresses and applause.Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearnAll that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and pa-tience.We, the women of one country,Will be too tender of those of another countryTo allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.From the voice of a devastated Earth a voice goes up withOur own. It says: Disarm! Disarm!The sword of murder is not the balance of justice.Blood does not wipe our dishonor,Nor violence indicate possession.As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvilAt the summons of war,Let women now leave all that may be left of homeFor a great and earnest day of counsel.Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate thedead.Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the meansWhereby the great human family can live in peaceEach bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,But of GodIn the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly askThat a general congress of women without limit of nationality,May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenientAnd the earliest period consistent with its objects,To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,The amicable settlement of international questions,The great and general interests of peace.

THIS SEMESTERS FINAL

CLASSROOM CONNECTIONAPRIL 22, 9:3010:30

Forum, East Campus

Janet Genoveses Nursing Class is hosting Susan

Delaney, speaking about Domestic Violence.

JOIN US!


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ACADEMIC FESTIVAL SHOTS!On the left , Matthew Shepherd: Twelve Years Later, and on the right, Women in Politics with Patricia

Russo of our own advisory board! Thanks everyone!

HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!!SEE YOU BACK HERE IN THE FALL!

Comments? Ideas? Write to the FCWC director at [email protected] or editor Laurel Peterson at

[email protected]. Your comments and questions are welcome.

Printed on recycled paper.

Tina Langley, continued

possible for women now to have education. Bernice Marie-Daly, the Center director, overheard her and com-manded her to Write that down! so she could post it on the centers eportfolio (See below!). Dr. B and Tina

got talking, and Tina was impressed by the mission and outreach of the Center. She knew she wouldnt be tak-

ing classes in the spring, and after debating between working or volunteering, decided to give her valuable time to

the Center.

For fun, Tina rides a Harley Road King motorcycle, sews, and goes to concerts of all kinds. She also oc-

casionally bakes for the church, although she cautions her church friends not to ask her to bake when shes

studying, as shes been known to forget ingredients, and bake a pancake instead of a cake! Shes looking forward

to finishing her degree and is already planning a trip to the Caribbean or Hawaii to celebrate. Drop into the

Center and have a chat with Tina: Talking to the people who come into the Center is the part of the job she en-

joys the most!

EPORTFOLIO: COME JOIN US!

This is where Tina Langley posted her commentscheck them out:The FCWC is building its own eportfolio! Its a place to dialogue about womens

issues, post your own womens center-related comments and documents, and check

out the projects and happenings at the center. Come see what were doing at

www.norwalk.digication.com/bmarie-daly/home. Send your comments [email protected] and well upload your comments to the site.

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