Topic: College of Sciences and Humanities

March 17, 2009

Ball State University will offer a variety of lectures, discussions, music and art celebrating the achievements and experiences of women during Women's Week March 23-28.

At 7 p.m. on March 23 in Emens Auditorium, the internationally recognized Core Ensemble will perform "Tres Vidas". The group includes members Tahirah Whittington, cello, Hugh Hinton, piano and Michael Parola, percussion and feature actress Georgina Corbo.

"Tres Vidas" celebrates the life, times and work of three significant Latin and South American Women — painter Frida Kahlo of Mexico, peasant activist Rufina Amaya of El Salvador and poet Alfonsina Storni of Argentina.

The script offers powerful portrayals of each woman and includes traditional Mexican folk songs as well as Argentinean popular and tango songs made famous by Mercedes Sosa and Carlos Gardel.

The Core Ensemble has toured nationally and internationally in England, Russia, Ukraine, Australia and the British Virgin Islands. It has won several awards including the 2000 Eugene McDermott Award for Excellence in the Arts awarded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Women's Week activities are free and open to the public and have been organized by the women's studies program in connection with National Women's History Month.

A complete list of the week events and presenters include:

March 23

  • "What is Fibromyalgia and what can be done about it?" — Panel discussion made up of Patricia Atherton, Laurel Fisher, Natalie Havice and Najma Javed and moderated by Julee Rosser. Panel is co-coordinated with disabled student development. The discussion will take place at noon in the Fine Arts Building, room 217.
  • Women's Week 2009 Proclamation Reception, Emens Auditorium, 5:30 p.m. The Core Ensemble will perform "Tres Vidas" at 7 p.m.

March 24

  • Diva of Debris — Lisa Laflin will discuss basic steps toward being green using the three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Session begins at 9:30 a.m. in Bracken Library room 225.
  • Jane Jacobs: A woman on a mission, her life, works, and impact —Vera Adams and Rabita Rajkarnikar discuss the life of an urban writer and activist, Jane Jacobs, who championed new, community-based approaches to planning. The discussion will be at noon in the architecture building room 100.
  • Lesbian Studies: What do we know? Where are we going? — Panel discussion on issues in lesbian studies, moderated by Carmen Siering. Discussion begins at 2 p.m. in the Fine Arts Building, room 217.
  • State of Assault — Discussion of the results of an immersive project with Ball State students, the Virginia Ball Center for Creative Inquiry and Dr. John McKillip. The 4 p.m. session in the David Letterman Building, room 125 will address the evolving needs and future trends in sexual assault case management.
  • Remembering Oscar Romero and the Mothers of the Disappeared — Marguerite Rivage-Seul, associate professor of women's studies and director of women's studies department at Berea College will present her essay in homage to Oscar Romero, connecting his life to the Mothers of the Disappeared and Demeter and Persephone. The presentation is at 6:30 p.m. in Ball Building, room 101.


March 25

  • The Empowerment of Women: A Conversation with Indiana Women of Achievement — Presented by the College of Sciences and Humanities Task Force on the Status of Women. The panel will be made up of Terry Whitt Bailey, Betty Cockrum, Molly Flodder and Patricia Schaefer and moderated by Mary Dollison. The discussion will take place at 1 p.m. in the L.A. Pittenger Student Center Forum room.
  • Iron Jawed Angels— A film that shows how activists Alice Paul and Lucy Burns broke from the mainstream women's rights movement and created a more radical wing. It will be shown at 7 p.m. in Pruis Hall.

March 26

  • Third Annual African Diaspora Research Conference: Sisters, Girls and Women: Gender Solidarity and Struggle — A one-day conference that explores issues related to the roots and global dispersion of ethnically African people. The conference is from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Bracken Library, room 225.
  • Nina B. Marshall Art Exhibit: Understanding Cultural Domain — A display of women's artwork. The exhibit opens at 4 p.m. in the Atrium Gallery.

March 27

  • Males Doing Feminist Work — Panel discussion that will include Abel Alves, David Concepcion, Mark Malaby, Joseph Merchal and Tal Peretz and will be moderated by Adam McLachlan. The panel begins at noon in the Fine Arts Building, room 217.

March 28

  • "Sonnets for My Sistahs," — a two-part play that features comedy, drama, song and dance of relationships in the new millennium. Written by Indianapolis resident Vernon Williams and many of the cast members are BSU Alumni. The play begins at 2 p.m. in Pruis Hall.

For more information, visit www.bsu.edu/womensstudies or contact the women's studies program at (765) 285-5451.

By Ashley Keebler