The sociology department hosted Women’s Week to help educate students about the importance of equality said Rudia Williams, Sociology Department secretary.
“It’s important for students to understand diversity in all aspects and gender is one of them,” Williams said.
Williams, who has been involved with Women’s Week in years past, said the week was not just for women, but was open to the entire community.
According to the Women’s Week Web site, the goal of the presentations is to enrich and inform students, faculty and the community by presenting forums for discussion and presentations about the accomplishments of women past and present.
They want to create awareness of women’s opportunities and needs as they relate to women in a global society.
Women’s Week also functions as a one credit class for both lower and upper division credit.
“We are trying to get a certificate for Women’s Week through the University to get it to count for more credits,” Williams said.
She said the Sociology Department has been having the Women’s Week for about four years.
Presentations are divided into six categories: envision, educate, empowerment, enlighten.
Holly Brooks, a sophomore English major from Cottonwood, Ariz. and member of the Feminist Education Motivation Society, gave a presentation Tuesday called “The Evolution of Feminism.”
“FEMS is about educating people about the feminist movie and dispelling the ideas that people have about feminists,” Brooks said.
The presentation was a video of SUU students being interviewed and a discussion of opinions expressed in the clips.
SUU students were asked questions about their thoughts on the the feminism movement and its effects on society. Students were encouraged to share their opinions.
“It’s about finding balance in the opinions,” Brooks said. “FEMS isn’t some bra burning group of men-hating women. We are about creating a sexual awareness and making is to so people form better opinions.”
Caitlyn Kennedy, Center for Women & Families director, did a presentation called the “Gender of Toys.”
“It’s really fascinating to find out where the idea of Barbie and GI Joe came from,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy said she felt Women’s Week is important to SUU students because it gives them an opportunity to talk about important gender issues.
“There are so many things that happen through the course of a woman’s life that just get pushed away,” Kennedy said. “This week gives these things a chance to be recognized.”
The keynote speaker of the week was Mary Romero, professor of justice studies and social inquiry at Arizona State University.
Romero will speak Friday afternoon from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Sharwan Smith Center, room 161D.
A schedule of the remaining events this week and biographies of the presenters can be found at suu.edu/womensweek.
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