Campaigns, Events, and Actions Vagina Monologues 2002                    This year we had two wonderful performances and raised over $2,000 with 100% of the money going to good causes. The major benefactor was the Women's Resource Center here in Norman and the other two beneficiaries were the Women's Outreach Center on campus and SWSS.Additionally, we sent $400 to aid the women and children of Afghanistan. To learn more about the women's resource center- womens' resource center info Self-Defense Workshop                   [early September 2001] [photos here] From the Vagina Monologue money, SWSS invited the entire campus to participate in the kickboxing lessons. We educated the campus on safety and promoted the local programs that help end violence against women Womens' Guerilla History Project                   [March 2001] [click for photo] We passed out fliers that celebrated accomplished women and other facts pertaining to womens' history. We had fun! Leslie Feinberg & Gender Awareness Week [8 March 2001]                   Leslie Feinberg spoke about gender issues to a packed room in the Union. Following the speech we held a co-sponsored reception with GLBTF. Photos here, V-Day: The Vagina Monologues [13 February 2001]                   [click for photos] This year's performance of Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues was even bigger and better than last year's. We performed the play to a full house in Meacham Auditorium and raised over $1000 for Advocates for Sexual Assault Awareness and SWSS to use for programs to prevent violence against women. Photos here National Young Women's Day of Action                   [25 October 2000] [click for photo] From our booth in the Union, we distributed stickers, buttons, condoms and dental dams, as well as information about emergency contraception, abortion myths vs. facts, and anti-choice terrorism. We also collected 264 signatures on our petition to get Goddard Health Center to start providing emergency contraception to students, and had over 60 people sign cards of appreciation which were mailed to five nearby women's clinics. Photos: [1] [2] Love Your Body Day                   [20 September 2000] In addition to handing out information about body image and the media, SWSS sponsored a free bellydancing lesson for Love Your Body Day, open to all OU students, faculty, and staff. Around thirty women attended the lesson, taught by local instructor Zenuba, designed to promote positive body image. Photos: [1] [2] Faculty Night                   [17 April 2000] [click for photo] We invited several members of the Women's Studies faculty to speak with SWSS about the program, courses they'll be teaching next semester, and programming we're planning for the fall. Thanks to Dr. Julia Ehrhardt, Dr. Corrine Pernet, Dr. Lesley Rankin-Hill, Dr. Betty Robbins, and Dr. Martha Skeeters for attending! 2nd Annual SWSS Camping Trip                   [15 April 2000] [click for photo] We camped overnight at Red Rock Canyon. Some friends from GLBA stopped by for a picnic Saturday evening, but left as soon as it started to rain. Pfft. Photos: [1] [2] [3] [4] Pay Inequity Bake Sale                   [7 April 2000] An American woman with a bachelor's degree, on average, earns just less than an American man with only a high school diploma. Oklahoma has the worst gender-based wage gap of all 50 states. SWSS held a bake sale on the South Oval, charging $1 for men and $0.75 for women, to demonstrate the injustice of pay inequity. International Women's Day                   [8 March 2000] SWSS had a table in Dale Hall for International Women's Day. We displayed the posters we made for the Women's Guerilla History Project, and collected signatures on a letter to the University requesting OU's participation in the Afghan Women's Scholarship Program. Susan Faludi                   [2 March 2000] SWSS brought the Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist for a speech and discussion with OU students, and a roundtable discussion with faculty. Faludi is best known as the author of Backlash: the Undeclared War Against American Women, and, more recently, Stiffed: Women's Guerilla History Project                   [March 2000] March is Women's History Month, and in the year 2000, SWSS celebrated by having our members make homemade posters of their favorite historical women. We made twenty fun and educational posters which we hung around campus. V-Day: The Vagina Monologues                   [10 February 2000] SWSS performed The Vagina Monologues in Meacham Auditorium to an audience of over 400. We collected over $600 in donations to benefit OU Advocates for Sexual Assault Awareness and the Norman Women's Resource Center. Both the passionate performances and the overwhelming support of the audience made this year's play an outstanding success. Photos: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Coffee at Jeannie's                   [21 November 1999] Swsster Jeannie Khouri hosted a coffee and discussion at her house. About ten members were in attendance, and we ordered pizza and had some great conversation. National Young Women's Day of Action                   [21 October 1999] SWSS participated in National Young Women's Day of Action with a table in the Student Union. Large signs were made in different colors for different women's issues, including sexual harassment, domestic violence, sexual assault, poverty, job discrimination, sexuality, depression, eating disorders, hate crimes, and drug addiction. Students, faculty, and OU employees who came by the table were invited to draw figures on the signs to represent each person they know touched by these issues. The result is a personal and tangible visual display as an alternative to statistics to show that feminist concerns are very real issues that affect us all. Love Your Body Day                   [22 September 1999] Sponsored by NOW, Love Your Body Day is a day to speak out against ads and images of women that are offensive, harmful, dangerous, and disrespectful. SWSS had a table in the Student Union where we distributed fact sheets about destructive advertising practices, a "15 ways to love your body" guide, and handmade stickers promoting positive body image. Rebecca Walker                   [31 March 1999] [click for photo] Rebecca Walker spoke on "Being Real: Young Men and Women Changing the Face of Feminism". SWSS and Speaker's Bureau sponsored the event, which was held in a packed Dale Hall auditorium. We handed out information about the OU Women's Studies program and circulated a petition to stop gender apartheid in Afghanistan. Photos: [1] [2] [3] [4] V-Day 1999: The Vagina Monologues                   [12-14 February 1999] [see the program] On Friday, February 12th, 1999, SWSS distributed literature about sexual assault and domestic violence, along with hotline numbers and suggestions for ending abuse.       On Sunday, February 14th, we held a performance of Eve Ensler's award-winning play, The Vagina Monologues. Photos: [1] [2] [3] [4] National Young Women's Day of Action                   [23 October 1999] SWSS created and decorated a set of gravestones, displayed in the south oval, in memory of those who have died from illegal abortions and anti-choice violence. To raise awareness of abortion issues, we created this display and held a screening of the film If These Walls Could Talk. NOW's Love Your Body Day                   [25 September 1998] [click for photo] Speak out against harmful images of women in advertising and the media! SWSS had a table in the south oval to raise awareness of the negative body images imposed on women by the media. We collected over 200 signatures for NOW's (National Organization for Women) petition to advertisers. See a Flower, Give an Hour                   [1 May 1998] [click for photo] Whenever you see a flower, let it be a reminder to volunteer an hour of your time at a local community service organization. SWSS gave away flowers in the South Oval, accompanied by a list of places to volunteer your time. 1st Annual SWSS Camping Trip: Robber's Cave, OK                   [18-19 April 1998] [click for photo] We camped overnight at Robber's Cave, with one six-person tent for ten SWSS members. Photos: [1] [2] V-Day: The Day Violence Against Women Ends                   [13 February 1998] [click for photo] SWSS distributed personal safety whistles and cards printed with facts about sexual assault and domestic violence. Over 500 whistles were handed out before noon.