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COMMUNITY VOICES: WOMEN’S AND GENDER STUDIESNEWSLETTERIssue #CommCommUNITYVoices:Women’s andGenderStudiesNewsletterSpring/Summer 2018IN THIS ISSUEIt’s been a great year forWomen’s and Gender Studies! Ontop of keeping ourselves busywith community and campusactivism, amazing courses taughtby our wonderful faculty, and ouron-campus programming, we’vehired lots of new faculty membersinto the WGS family who we areall so excited to work with! Thissemester brought us yet anotherspectacular Vagina Monologuesperformance, poignant andengaging activism for SexualAssault Awareness month, and anincredible new art show in ourRachel Cooper Gallery. Inaddition to all of these excitingevents, this year we put on our23rd Annual Women’s and GenderStudies Symposium, which wasfilled with innovative studentwork and a transformative,inspiring keynote speaker.In this newsletter, we’ve not onlygiven you a glimpse of theseevents from the semester, butwe’ve sat down with some of ourrockstar faculty members andalumni to talk about how WGSimpacts their work, and whatadvice they have for current WGSstudents!We hope you’ll join us incelebrating our outstandingstudents, faculty, and alumni whocontinue to make us proud withthe work they do on campus andin their communities!23rd Annual WGS Symposium—Pg 2Vagina Monologues- Pg 3Spring/SummerSexual Assault Awareness Month- Pg. 32018Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Cynthia Huff- Pg 4Alumni Spotlight- Dr. Ana RonceroBellido- Pg 5Semlak Scholarship- Pg. 6Welcome New Faculty!—Pg 7
COMMUNITY VOICES: WOMEN’S AND GENDER STUDIESNEWSLETTER Issue #2Janaya Khan DeliversKeynote AddressThis year’s keynote for our annual Women’s andGender Studies Symposium focused on unityamongst activists on the left. Janaya Khan’stalk, titled “Demanding Social Transformation,Justice, and Equality for All,” was an inspiringand transformative call to work towards findingmore commonalities across identity lines, andto stop “allowing our traumas to determinewhat we care about.” Khan’s message of unityresonated deeply with the packed room ofaudience members in a keynote address thatkept people talking for weeks after the event.Khan (pronouns: they/them/theirs) is aninternational ambassador for the Black LivesMatter movement, and throughout theirkeynote, they offered multiple examples of thevarious compromises that need to happen whenengaging in activist work. Whether it wasworking with the Nation of Islam (which Khanacknowledged held very homophobic views)on anti-racist activism or working with fellowactivists whose views might diverge from one’sown, Khan reminds us that “you can’t always walkin at 100% agreement—sometimes you have tostart at 25% and work up from there.” Khan pushesfor activists to find commonalities where they existand work towards everyone’s liberation.Congratulations, Graduates!At the 23rd Annual Women’s and Gender Studies Symposium, we honored our graduatingWGS Minors and Graduate Certificate students (left), our very first class of Queer StudiesConcentration students (middle), and our first class of Iota Iota Iota (Triota) graduates!Congratulations, everyone!
COMMUNITY VOICES: WOMEN’S AND GENDER STUDIESNEWSLETTER Issue #3Vagina MonologuesRocks the House!Pictured left: members of F.L.A.M.E. (Feminist-Led ActivistMovement to Empower) posing underneath the marquis at theNormal Theatre in Uptown Normal.Audience members at this year’s Vagina Monologues gathered at an exciting new venue for this year’sshow! The historic Normal Theatre hosted F.L.A.M.E.’s annual production, allowing for even morepeople to attend the highly anticipated performances. The new location even allowed for newperformance times—this year’s performances included a late show on Saturday evening, running from10:00 PM to midnight, and a Sunday show!ISU F.L.A.M.E.’s production of Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologues takes place every February, with allproceeds going towards the McLean County’s Neville House and YWCA. This year, the VaginaMonolgues raised 1500 to donate!Each year, F.L.A.M.E. hosts a Vagina Fair before each performance, with booths from campus andcommunity groups providing information and education on gender-related issues, and vendors sellingclassic Vagina Monologues souvenirs such as chocolate vaginas and crocheted uteruses. This year’sevent saw one of the largest turnouts for the performances and fair—Saturday night’s show came closeto selling out!Sexual AssaultAwareness Month EventsApril was a busy month for campus activists whoorganized a number of events in honor of SexualAssault Awareness month! Health Promotion andWellness kicked off the month with Consent Day onthe Quad, and F.L.A.M.E. hosted both a paneldiscussion on sexual assault in the criminal justicesystem and the spring Clothesline Project on thequad!
COMMUNITY VOICES: WOMEN’S AND GENDER STUDIESNEWSLETTER Issue #4Faculty Spotlight: Dr. CynthiaHuffDr. Cynthia Huff has been amember of the Englishdepartment and WGSprogram at ISU since 1989,and has taught feministtheories and literaturesthroughout her time here, butdid you know that Dr. Huffwas the first person to holdthe official title of director ofour program? Dr. Huff washired by the College of Artsand Sciences to work in boththe Department of English andto serve as half-time directorfor WGS (which, at the time,was called the Women’sStudies program) afterVirginia Owen, the college’sdean at the time, took part inan assessment of the programand its needs moving forward.Huff’s time with WGS startedoff with just her and anundergraduate assistant,meaning that the day-to-dayoperations of the programrelied on a lot of borrowedresources and extra work thatoften went unpaid.Throughout her time, Huff wasable to move the programoffice from an upstairs roomat a university house to thewhole first floor of a differentuniversity house at 604 MainStreet. She also organized anextensive collection ofprograms on campus. Whenlooking back on her time, Huffremembers Women’s HistoryMonth as being a particularbusy time for WGS.“During Women’s HistoryMonth, we had events oncampus every single day ofthe month—sometimes eventwo events in a day,” Huffrecalled. “We did a lot ofwork to get those eventstogether, and the energycreated by them was—andstill is—palpable.”Huff also brought severalhigh-profile speakers tocampus as a part of her workwith WGS. She wasresponsible for helping tobring speakers like Dr.Angela Davis (who latercame back to ISU in 2015),Sarah Weddington (theattorney representing “JaneRoe” in the historic Roe v.Wade case), and BettyFriedan to campus.In terms of teaching WGSrelated content, Huff saysthat students today arecertainly more receptive tothe material than students inprevious years. Huff recallsparticular challenges withteaching Kate Bornstein’sGender Outlaw—“I hadstudents complain to thedepartment chair about thecourse material, but I wasdefinitely backed up on thatone.” This type of directpushback is not as prevalentin current classes.She attributes this to a rise indiverse students, especiallyfrom internationalbackgrounds, who bring theirlived experiences into theclassroom and help provideother students with a widerrange of perspectives onfeminism and gender-relatedissues. The presence of astrong WGS program oncampus has also helped withthis growing acceptance.The WGS Program has comea long way since its inceptionover thirty years ago, andHuff’s tireless work for theprogram helped build thefoundation for where we aretoday. As Huff looks forwardto retirement, she looks backfondly on the work she hasdone with WGS, especially inbringing in speakers, as someof her favorite memories oncampus.
COMMUNITY VOICES: WOMEN’S AND GENDER STUDIESNEWSLETTER Issue #Alumni Spotlight: Dr. AnaRoncero-BellidoDr. Ana Roncero Bellidograduated with her Ph.D inEnglish and a GraduateCertificate in Women’s andGender Studies in 2017. Aftergraduation, she was hired asan Assistant Professor ofEnglish at Gonzaga Universityin Spokane, Washington. AtGonzaga, Roncero-Bellidocontinues to incorporate WGScontent and values in herwork. In this feature, she tellsus a little more about the workshe’s doing, and how WGShelped to shape her researchinterests.As a Ph.D student at ISU,Roncero-Bellido taughtseveral courses in LatinxLiteratures and Cultures,Latina and ChicanaFeminisms, and multiculturalautobiography, and hascontinued this work atGonzaga. In her multiculturalautobiography class, RonceroBellido Skyped in fellow ISUalum Lasantha Rodrigo to talkwith her students about hismemoir, Fireflies in the Dark.Roncero-Bellido says that“teaching these classes atGonzaga with a Jesuit missionin mind has allowed me tocontinue developing [her]feminist pedagogy.”Roncero-Bellido says that themost enjoyable part of herwork has been mentoringunderrepresented students.“Students hosted the‘Diversity Monologues’ and Ihelped students to write theirmonologues and practicetheir performance. It’s been avery great experience to beable to work with studentsand continue the mentorshipI had at ISU—now acting as amentor,” Roncer-Bellidostates.Roncero-Bellido has alsomade waves as a member ofGonzaga’s Women’s andGender Studies program: “asa member of Women’s andGender Studies, I helped todevelop ideas to create anEthnic Studies minor and weeven hosted a symposium tohear from students so wecould develop this further. Itwas a really great experienceto work on that and createmore connections withstudents and see how myinterdisciplinary workmanifested through thesymposium.”The WGS Programcongratulates Dr. AnaRoncero-Bellido on hersuccessful first year atGonzaga, and wishes her allthe best in her future!5
COMMUNITY VOICES: WOMEN’S AND GENDER STUDIESNEWSLETTER Issue #6Anne M. Semlak Memorial ScholarshipKeeps Professor’s Daughter’s Legacy AliveTo say that Bill Semlak created alegacy at Illinois State is anunderstatement. He has motivatedand impacted students for decadesas a professor in the School ofCommunications, a local Rotarian,and a philanthropist.In 2008, he established the AnneM. Semlak Memorial Scholarshipin the Women’s and GenderStudies (WGS) program in memoryof his daughter. Anne shared herfather’s generous spirit andpositive outlook. She touchedmany lives before fighting cancer,which took her in May of 2008. Hernamed scholarship is awardedeach year to an undergraduate orgraduate student who is mostactive in the Women’s and GenderStudies program.Anne graduated from ISU in 2001with a bachelor’s degree in politicalscience. She earned a minor inPeace Studies and what was thencalled Women’s Studies. She wasextremely active in the both theWomen’s Studies program and inThe Women’s Coalition—aRegistered Student Organization.Among her accomplishments wascompletion of a WGS internshipwith the Minneapolis DomesticAbuse Project in the summer of2000. The following year shereceived the Women’s Studiesachievement award for heraccomplishments.Anne moved to Colorado with herhusband, Mark Laken, where shecontinued to do social justicework. She coordinated restorativejustice projects for Partners ofWeld County in Colorado. Theorganization provided juvenileoffenders an alternative to thecourt system through mediation.She later worked as a youthprogram coordinator for FoothillsUnitarian Church middle schooland high school students in FortCollins, Colorado.Anne’s heart-felt desire to makethe world a more just place trulydefined her life. Her spirit andgood works live on in those whohad the good fortune to know her,and in scholarship recipients whowalk in her footsteps.Her ability to lift up others throughher work lives on through theindividuals she mentored. Thesame can be said of her father, ashe invested himself in ISUstudents for 26 years. Bill came toIllinois State in 1974 as director ofthe Forensics Team, after earninghis doctorate in politicalcommunications at the Universityof Minnesota.Within two years, he moved theprogram into the nationalspotlight, where it has stayed. Heenjoyed teaching students how tocommunicate respectfully withone another and to debate theirideas. Of all his accomplishments,he identifies the ForensicsProgram as the highlight of his ISUcareer.Bill also served as director of theHonor’s Program. He later led aschair of the Department ofInformation Sciences,restructuring it as theDepartment of Communication.A world traveler, he enjoyedhelping students learn tonavigate their way throughFrance.He taught a study abroadprogram in Grenoble, relocatingthere with his now deceased wife,Elizabeth; Anne; and her threesiblings. When he returned tocampus, he taught large lecturecommunication courses andcompleted his career as directorof International Studies.Semlak and his wife, JoaniMoore, reside in Mackinaw andremain actively involved at ISU.He is a member of the College ofArts and Sciences Hall of Fame.He also returned to campus toteach a couple of courses beforefinally retiring for good.“You know it’s time to go whenyour students tell you theirgrandmother had you for class,”said Semlak, who endsconversations with “Go for it!” Hissignature phrase exemplifies hishope for each recipient of theSemlak scholarship, which isdesigned to empower students asthey pursue their goals.Scholarship support is a main focus of Redbirds Rising: The Campaign for Illinois State. The 150 million initiative will lift the Universityfor decades to come. Your help is needed to make sure Redbirds continue to soar. Join the more than 44,000 ISU donors and make a giftby calling (309) 438-8184 or by visiting RedbirdsRising.IllinoisState.edu.
COMMUNITY VOICES: WOMEN’S AND GENDER STUDIESNEWSLETTER Issue #Welcome New WGS Faculty!Dr. Tanya Diaz-Kozlowski, WGS Assistant Director and Academic AdviserDr. Tanya Diaz-Kozlowski is a professor, mentor, advisor, and writer. She earned her PhD. inEducation Policy, Organization and Leadership with a minor in Gender & Women's Studies andLatino/a Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in 2015. Professor D-Kcurrently works as a Professor and the Assistant Director of the Women's and Gender StudiesProgram at Illinois State University. Professor D-K's pedagogical approach creates a classroomenvironment that pushes students to use inquiry, dialogue, reflection, and action to thinkclearly, to speak and write persuasively and eloquently, and to evaluate critically both their ownand others' ideas. She is in the thick of transitioning to a new position that requires balancingteaching and advising alongside finishing two articles for publication. One article focuses onthe necessity of incorporating intersectionality as a theory of power within the introductoryWGS courses and the second stresses that dismantling heteronormativity in K-12 Schools mustinclude dismantling racialized hegemonic gender and sexual norms that are embedded inschool climates. The other article outlines the importance of incorporating intersectionality asa theory of power not difference in introductory Gender & Women's Studies courses. Duringthe 2018-2019 academic year Professor Diaz-Kozlowski is teaching a range of courses inGender & Women Studies that are also cross listed with Latino/s Studies entitled: Gender, Sex,and Power, Chicana Feminist Thought, and Feminist Theories and Methodologies. Professor DK teaches con ganas y sinverguenza. La maestra luchando tambien ensenando. Professor D-Klives in Bloomington, IL and spends her free time reading fiction and non-fiction, paintingpottery, traveling, working out, relaxing as much as possible, trying out new bourbons or beer,making memories with close friends, and walking her dog Francisco Tyson everywhere.Dr. Jason Whitesel, WGS/SOA Assistant ProfessorDr. Whitesel consults and teaches on intersecting oppressions, men andmasculinities, body/embodiment, fat studies, social constructions ofdeviance, and sexuality and queer studies. He is the author of Fate Gay Men:Girth, Mirth, and the Politics of Stigma (2014).Dr. Lisa Ortiz, WGS Instructional Assistant ProfessorLisa Ortiz pursued doctoral training in the Department of Education Policy,Organization & Leadership with minors in Latina/o and Gender & Women’sStudies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Previously, she livedin Puerto Rico where she pursued a M.A. in English Education and a B.A. inBusiness Administration. Lisa is an interdisciplinary scholar whose interests aregrounded at the intersection of (im)migration, media, education, gender, andLatina/x/o studies. Her current research specifically examines rural-to-ruralmigration among Puerto Rican intergenerational families. She strives to exposestructural inequities while encouraging herself and others to critically reexaminewhat we assign value and worth to; in part by creating access and representationin higher education, especially for vulnerable populations.7
This year, the Vagina Monolgues raised 1500 to donate! Each year, F.L.A.M.E. hosts a Vagina Fair before each performance, with booths from campus and community groups providing information and education on gender-related issues, and vendors selling classic Vagina Monologues souvenirs such
