| 2003 Events
February 20, 2003, Minnesota Women in Political
Science
Professor Sally J. Kenney, Director of the Center on Women
and Public Policy identified, created a database of, and hosted
a reception of all the women political scientists in the state of
Minnesota. Her aim was to create a network for Minnesota women in
political science to share information and event announcements,
to gauge interest in our women in politics forum to be held in the
spring of 2004, and to produce a media booklet of Minnesota women
in political science. We want to encourage the media to seek women's
voices when looking for political commentary. She met with columnist
Glenda Holste of the Pioneer Press and director of communications
of the UM Law School, Terri Mische, about how to create the publication.
We are currently assembling the book and raising money to print
and distribute it. We hope to hold a training on working with the
media in the future.
March 8 2003, International Women's Day
The Center on Women and Public Policy worked closely with
the University's Program in Human Rights (Barbara Frey) and Minnesota
Advocates for Human Rights (Cheryl Thomas) to put on a one-day conference
at the Law School. Three hundred people attended more than twenty
workshops, despite a heavy snowstorm. Congresswoman Betty McCollum
was the keynote speaker.
April 22, 2003, WREI Fellowship Discussion
Professor Kenny met with several other former congressional
fellows of the Women's Research and Education Institute (WREI) to
provide information to students interested in the fellowship. WREI
operates a congressional fellowship program for graduate students
interested in working on the Hill on women's issues for nine months.
Now that Katie Delmore, former WREI fellow and student of the Center
on Women and Public Policy, is working for Congresswoman McCollum,
she has offered her assistance in raising money for this program.
April 23, 2003, "Electing Women in the
Current Environment: Overcoming Difficult Times, New Rules, and
Old Barriers."
Political pollster Celinda Lake presented a talk on women's
prospects in today's political climate for students, faculty, staff,
and the public. Lake is one of the nation's foremost experts on
electing women candidates and on framing issues to women voters.
Lake and her firm, Lake Snell Perry & Associates, Inc., are
known for cutting edge research on issues including the economy,
health care, the environment and campaign finance reform.
April 28, 2003, "Talking to Strangers:
What Feminists Can Learn from Megan's Law."
The Center on Women and Public Policy Seminar Series "Violence
Against Women: Connecting Scholars and Activists" presented
Rose Corrigan, former sexual assault crisis counselor, volunteer
trainer, safe house staff member, and current Ph.D. student in Political
Science at Rutgers University. Challenging the dominant perception
of law reform as a powerful tool for social change, Corrigan explored
the anti-rape movement's failure to displace the image of the sexual
predator embodied in contemporary sexual predator laws by focusing
on law reform in New Jersey. With funding from the UM Graduate College's
initiative for Interdisciplinary Research, Scholarly and Creative
Activities, we were able to publicize this event widely in the community,
drawing in those who work in the NGO community against sexual assault.
June 6, 2003, Fire in My Soul Reading
On a sunny Friday night in June, more than 200 people packed Cowles
Auditorium to hear Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-District
of Columbia) read from her biography, Fire in My Soul, participate
in discussion, and get copies of her book signed. The Center on
Women and Public Policy, in close collaboration with Sharon Sayles
Belton and the Wilkins Center, worked with the Minnesota Women's
Campaign Fund to host this event.
Summer Institute 2003, Case Studies in Women's
Human Rights
In the summer of 2003, six scholars and activists met together to
study the case method of teaching, read existing cases, undergo
training in case writing, and write and workshop new cases on women's
human rights, funded by the Otto Bremer Foundation. We now have
six new cases on women's human rights available to all free on the
Center and Women and Public Policy's website, for use by organizations,
scholars, and teachers. All of the six developed confidence and
competency as case teachers.
September 12th, 2003, "Said and Done versus
Saying and Doing: Practicing Gender at work." Professor Patricia
Yancey Martin
Patricia Yancey Martin, Professor of Sociology at Florida
State University, addressed students, staff, faculty and community
members at a seminar series co-hosted by the Center on Women and
Public Policy and the Policy Forum. A leading expert on gender in
the workplace, Martin conducted extensive interviews with men and
women in large corporations, including several in Minneapolis and
St. Paul, to study how gender and gender disadvantages are produced
in the workplace through numerous seemingly trivial interactions.
In her presentation of her findings, Martin managed to combine sophisticated
theory with skillful and humorous story telling to capture the truth
of our everyday work experience. She encouraged her audience to
reconceptualize their understanding of the act of "gendering"
and how it may occur." Seventy-five people attended.
September 11th, 2003 , "Rape Crisis Centers:
Feminist activists or mainstream collaborators? Mobilizing inside
institutions." Professor Patricia Yancey Martin
Patricia Yancey Martin, Professor of Sociology at Florida State
University, addressed students, staff, faculty, local rape crisis
providers, and healthcare professionals at a seminar series co-sponsored
by the Center on Women and Public Policy and the Policy Forum. Professor
Martin discussed her research on rape crisis centers, where she
studied more than one-hundred and thirty organizations and examined
how rape victims are treated by mainstream organizations as well
as women's organizations. Martin has published extensively on her
research on rape crisis centers, including her book, Rape Work:
Victims, Gender & Emotions in Local Organizations, which is
under contract with Routledge. More than 50 people attended. Funding
was provided by the UM Graduate College's initiative for Interdisciplinary
Research, Scholarly and Creative Activities.
September 23rd, 2003, Pizza Lunch
The Center on Women and Public Policy welcomed both first and second
year Women and Public Policy students back for the fall semester,
and others at the Humphrey School who were interested to learn
more about the Center's research projects, advocacy initiatives,
and upcoming events. Attendees shared ideas of new Center initiatives
for the upcoming year, such as a Center on Women and Public Policy
sponsored film series and discussion group.
October 8-11, National Association of Women
Judges
In 2002, Professor Sally J. Kenney, Director of the Center
on Women and Public Policy spoke at the National Association of
Women Judges annual meeting, having participated in some planning
meetings for the annual conference held in Minneapolis. As a result,
she was asked to join the Judicial-Academic Network headed by Professor
Elizabeth Schneider. They worked with the NAWJ to hold a training
session at the 2003 conference in D.C. on Feminist Economics.
October 22, Trafficking Conference
The Center on Women adn Public Policy worked with a group
convened by St. Catherine's College in collaboration with the Center
for Women's Policy Alternatives to organize a conference on Trafficking
in Women in Minnesota. The conference attracted over 200 attendees
and a network of interested individuals and groups has been launched.
November 6-8, APPAM
Professor Sally J. Kenney, Director of the Center on Women
and Public Policy spearheaded the gender section within APPAM and
for several years have organized the gender panels as a member of
the program committee. The Center has done a lot to promote these
panels in the wider feminist community through mailings and e-mail
and we even held some preliminary meetings about starting a journal
on women and public policy and combining the IWPR meeting with the
APPAM meeting.
December 4, 2003: Feminist Internship Session
Approximately twenty-five Humphrey students joined in a discussion
with colleagues about international feminist internships at a brownbag
lunch. Second-year students shared their internship experiences
working for organizations like UNIFEM, The Center on Women Policy
Studies, and Planned Parenthood. First-year students learned about
funding, placement, deadlines, and how to pursue matching their
interests with the work of groups abroad. For more information about
feminist internships please visit out website at: http://www.hhh.umn.edu/centers/wpp/ifi/
Women Legislators Retreat, January 2004
Although the retreat was held in 2004, much of the work to
plan it was done in 2003. Cindy Orbovich and Professor Sally J.
Kenney raised the money, convened the planning committee, and organized
the conference. The Third Annual Minnesota Women Legislators Retreat,
co-sponsored with the Center for the Study of Politics and the Policy
Forum and in partnership with the Women's Foundation of Minnesota,
was held on January 21, 2004 at the McNamara Alumni Center. This
gathering of Minnesota women legislators focused on civil discourse
and conflict management and was attended by 19 women legislators
(13 Representatives and 6 Senators).
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