Official List of Spring Quarter Events

Beginning this Thursday and over the course of eight weeks, we will be exploring the answer to “What is Feminism?”
and here’s how!

(but first, join the facebook group! that’s the best way to stay updated!)

WEEK THREE, APRIL 16th– Leadership in the Bedroom: a Sexual Communication Workshop
7 PM
Harper Memorial Library Room 103
1116 E. 59th St.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=93576837106&ref=mf

WEEK FOUR, APRIL 23rd: Alternative Menstrual Products Teach-In
7 PM
Harper Memorial Library Room 103
1116 E. 59th St.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=92010115521

WEEK FIVE, APRIL 30th: Women’s-Interest RSO Study Break and Open Mic Night!
8:30 PM
Hutchinson Commons

WEEK SIX, MAY 7th: Feminist Art
7 PM
Location TBA

WEEK SEVEN, MAY 14th: Female Masturbation Workshop
7 PM
Harper Memorial Library Room 140

WEEK EIGHT, MAY 21st: Eating Disorder Discussion and Documentary
7 PM
Location TBD

WEEK NINE, MAY 28th: Self-Defense Workshop
8 PM 
Henry Crown

get juiced! get pumped! get excited! get involved!

please email femmajboard@lists.uchicago.edu with any questions, comments, sexy photos, advice, prose, ideas, anything!

this post will be updated and so will the facebook group,
so stay tuned!

Meeting Minutes 4/7/09

STACEYANN CHIN! Wednesday (tomorrow) night! Meet at 6:00 at 55th and Ellis; we will catch the 55 bus to the red line. Call eliza at 7082097119 if you are late/confused. The show starts at 7:30. Be there. (Here’s a link to info about the event)

Want to participate in a feminist focus group? Wednesdays at 6

Events We Discussed
Molly’s event: Self-Defense Workshop: 7-8 on April 30^th in Ratner

Wally’s event: The Feminist comedian is on a comedy hiatus—Feminist Open Mic Night instead?

New Events!!!!
Eighth Week (May 21): Eating disorder/body image panel?
Point person(s): Lindsay/Jess

Ninth Week (May 28): Teach-in: learn about feminist art, make cool stuff
Point person(s): Audrey/Jess

Really Important Event
Next Tuesday: Molly’s birthday.  Oh yeah.

Next Tuesday’s Meeting
Documentary/discussion about Bisexuality at Hull House
Meet in front 5710 at 5:30.  Documentary starts at 7.
We’ll have a mobile meeting on the bus.

Feminist Moments
Eliza saw a play.  Yay Eliza.

Audrey is writing a feminist BA because she is a BAMF.

Chris read an article about “buying” sex.  He might bring it in.  That would be sweet.

Audrey informed us that you can’t buy sex the way you buy a table.

Future Meetings
will not be lead; they will be facilitated by a rotating cast of characters. Wally will be next meeting’s facilitator. Remember that this meeting is MOBILE and will take place on the bus/train. Bad-ass.

>>here is the google calendar for our events this quarter<<

what is feminism?

so, just a forewarnin… my G, H, apostrophe and backspace keys are sticky… so excuse any typos.

Huge List of Possible Events (from last meeting winter quarter):

• Alternative Menstrual Products Teach-In
• Subversive  Women in Academics History Class Teach-In
• Female Masturbation Workshop
• Self Defense Workshop (Jess says talk to Theta)
• Hands-on Art Making creative awesome feminist art! / feminist art teach-in
• body image something
• feminist parenting
• feminist comedian: Carrie Callahan, carriefromcleveland@gmail.com
• women’s RSO study break
• feminist open mic night
• making t-shirts/sweaters/etc
• sex work something?
• sticker campaign & button maker!
• woodlawn collaborative… feminist book/reading club?

and some more we added tonight:

• sex communication workshop
• anarchafeminism
• feminism & religion

Here’s the definitive business stuff we sorted out:

THIRD WEEK APRIL 16: sex communication workshop– point person TBD
FOURTH WEEK APRIL 23: alternative menstrual products– dana
FIFTH WEEK APRIL 30: self defense– molly
SIXTH WEEK MAY 7: women’s RSO study break & comedian– wally
SEVENTH WEEK MAY 14: masturbation workshop– eliza
EIGHTH WEEK MAY 21: OPEN– discuss at next meeting
NINTH WEEK MAY 28: OPEN

please begin making room reservations now (especially wally). here’s the online way:
https://orcsa-ems10.uchicago.edu/VirtualEMSProfessional/

also, the SEX+++ documentary film series is NOT next week, it’s the 14th. so we’ll go then.
more info: http://groups.google.com/group/sexplusplusplus         ,        http://clarissethorn.wordpress.com/2009/01/15/the-sex-positive-documentary-film-list-finally-here/

let’s get crack-a-lackin’!

-eliza.

“Jane: an Abortion Service” Screening Thursday

Just to make an official, blogular announcement:
(here it is on facebook)

JANE: an Abortion Service

Thursday March 5th
7pm – 9pm
Biological Sciences Learning Center (BSLC)
Room 109
924 E. 57th St.

One month ago (Jan. 22nd) was the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade!

Come celebrate on Thursday March 5th with the Feminist Majority and Medical Students for Choice!

We will be screening of the 1995 documentary about JANE, a woman-run underground abortion service that began with one University of Chicago student and ended up providing more than 12,000 safe abortions in and around Hyde Park in the years before Roe v. Wade.

Basic Gist:
“An undergraduate student at the University of Chicago, Heather Booth, founded JANE in the 1960s. Booth’s friend called her one day, explaining that his sister was pregnant and scared. Booth “made a few phone calls,” and found a doctor who would perform an abortion. That single referral escalated soon after, and Booth found herself overwhelmed but determined to help. JANE was then created.”

Read more at http://www.fwhc.org/jane.htm

if you have any questions please email smelly@uchicago.edu!

cool…
see you all there!

-eliza.

meeting notes 2/24

Hey boos,

We had a meeting tonight. It was nice. Absent members were sorely missed.

Here’s what we talked about!

1. On this Thursday (the 26th), 5710 is having its 1 Year Anniversary Celebration! We are tabling at 4:30, Molly is performing a poem at 5:30, and from 6 to 10 we will have an assigned room in the building in which to host an activity. What activity you ask?
   Why, what else but SMASHING THE PATRIARCHY??!!! that’s right– props to Wally for this brilliant idea of getting a pinata, putting notes all over it of what we hate about the patriarchy, and then smashing it to bits and eating delicious happiness candy afterwards.
   -Ali will be getting devices: hammer, bat, stick, etc.
   -Jenny will get candy: empowerMINTS, hershey kisses, jolly ranchers (no warheads)
   –eliza will get/make a pinata (or 2) and post-it notes and pens.
   -We arrived to the conclusion that Wally is the embodiment of the patriarchy
   
   
2. We decided against doing any formal celebration of International Women’s Day, so we’re doing the JANE documentary next week! 9th week Thursday the 5th at 7pm. Contact Medical Students for Choice about co-sponsoring and speaking at the event. We are requesting Harper 103 and a few rooms at 5710.
3. IMPORTANT!!: Next week we will meet in RC001 instead of 5710! We will be excavating and organizing and reading all the random awesome stuff inside the Femmaj locker! We will of course be sharing feminist moments and talking about the film screening. Be there or be square!

4. Register for the National Young Women’s Leadership Conference if you want to go.
   
5. The Que(e)ry zine party is this Friday!!! Get pumped!! This zine’s topic is sex, very broadly defined. Feminists have TONS to say about sex! What do you think? A big beautiful email got sent out to the listhost, but if you missed that and want more information email alison.feenstra@gmail.com. Bottom line: Friday 2/27, 5pm to 10pm, 5710 Woodlawn. See you there!
   Also, the zine is seeking anonymous submissions of photos of your (for lack of a better word) genitalia. Briefly, here’s how: 1. go to picvalley.net. 2. upload your picture from your computer or from some other place on the web. 3. for “your email” enter “junkshots@uchicago.edu” 4. for “friend’s email 1” enter “junkshots@uchicago.edu”
   5. push send. 6. your photo will be submitted anonymously and published anonymously in the zine (not full page or compare-and-contrast…this is an effort to confront the shame we feel about our bodies). any questions send to junkshots@uchicago.edu

WOW that was a hefty plate of minutes.

summary: 1) smashing the patriarchy thursday the 26th. 2) Jane documentary next thursday the 5th. 3) meeting in RC001 next week. 4) come to the zine making party from 5pm to 10pm at 5710 this friday the 27th. 5) send pictures of your genitalia to junkshots@uchicago.edu

Jane wrap-up

Thanks to all of you who helped make our recent screening of Jane: An Abortion Service such a success! Whether you made it or not, please take a minute to fill out this brief (no really, it’s brief– just 3 questions!) survey to help us gauge the effectiveness of our advertising and the structure of our events.

Click here to take the survey!

RSO Fair propaganda

Hey all,

Just found these in my inbox and remembered I wanted them on the blog.

Some quartersheets (actually they’re sixthsheets but anyway) advertising the first group meeting with silly cute flexing femme.
Join the Feminist Majority PDF
Join the Feminist Majority! .doc

Some half sheets listing some of our activities and planned readings.

Femmaj Activities .doc
Femmaj Activities PDF
Erin

Jane flier

Here’s the flier Erin threw together to advertise for Jane in 2008.

Jane Flier PDF

Jane Flier .doc

Women in Academia sample questions

What changes, if any, have you seen in the experience of women undergraduates and graduate students since you were in school? Did these changes come as a surprise to you?

How has the feminist movement affected your experiences in an academic setting?

What is the effect, if any, of gender on trying to obtain grants or do research?

What do you think about the way that being a female academic differs from field to field? For example, science or math versus philosophy or literature.

How do you feel about the oft-mentioned conflict of family vs. career in academic settings?

(suggested by Lauren)