Women's Center opens; conference `a success'
The 1996 Rice Women's Conference was held last weekend. Maryana Iskander, a conference organizer, called the conference a success. She said interest was so high that registration had to be stopped at 200 people.
Students, faculty and alumni were all represented by large numbers of participants.
Martha Smith, class of 1966, had approached Rice with the idea of having a women's conference because she "wanted to see more dialogue between alumni and students." Students and alumni consistently voiced their appreciation of the opportunity to share their ideas at the conference.
The first of the weekend's activities was the grand opening of the Rice Women's Resource Center in the Kelley Lounge in the Student Center. Conference participants, as well as other members of the Rice community, attended the opening and donated books to the center.
The Women's Center celebrated its opening by honoring 16 "Outstanding Rice Women." Undergraduate recipients were Sara Carlstead, Melissa Chaika, Stella Flores, Maryana Iskander, Jennifer King, Jennifer Mraw and Caroline Schaeffer.
Graduate students Brenda Melvin, Gwyneth Butera and Shawn Simmons and alumna Linda Torczon also received awards.
Faculty and staff honorees were Helena Michie, Hally Poindexter, Linda Driskill, Connie Burke and Linda Sylvan.
Women's Center Director Mona Hicks said she was "really happy" with the opening, which was well attended.
Opening remarks for the women's conference Friday night were given by conference organizers and other guests. History Professor Katherine Drew spoke of the 1963 conference, which she participated in as the only tenured female professor at Rice.
The 1963 conference was planned and sponsored by the women of Jones College who "wanted to make their presence felt on campus," said Drew.
President Malcolm Gillis urged conference participants to consider the international conditions of women. He noted that women have traditionally been leaders in many Native American tribes and pointed to several examples of cultural and economic control by women in countries as diverse as Sumatra and Ghana.
Gillis went on to say that reproductive decisions are "the number- one gender issue in poor countries" and that these decisions are largely determined by the economic situation, labor force participation and education of women.
Conference participants took part in several discussion groups on topics ranging from politics to family to women in the workplace.
Saturday's events included lectures by Rice faculty on women's issues in the academic world. English Professor Helena Michie discussed current debates about the place of feminism and gender issues in academia.
Musicology Professor Marcia Citron, Sociology Associate Professor Elizabeth Long, History Assistant Professor Carol Quillen and University of California at Los Angeles History Associate Professor Sharon Traweek lectured on the changes women's studies have made in their respective academic fields.
Three Rice students presented studies on the portrayals of women in film.
Afternoon panel discussions were presented and moderated by Rice students, faculty and alumni. Topics included managing family and career, the interplay of gender and race in society, women and technology and activism.
Hanszen College senior Glenn Levy attended a panel on reproductive technologies. "The viewpoints were so diverse," he said. "It was worthwhile to hear four different speakers" on the topic.
Speaking at the activism session, Linda May, executive director of the Houston Women's Foundation, said "The women's movement is in fact a global movement." She described the women and concerns she encountered as a participant in the Beijing women's conference last year.
May and the other panelists encouraged women to become involved, particularly in politics, to ensure that their views are represented.
Conference participants were interviewed for the ongoing "Eighty Years of Women at Rice" oral history project. English Professor Linda Driskill organized the project, which will be studied and compiled by students. She said, "I hope that we will be able to capture the history of Rice women."
Women composers, musicians, dancers and actresses presented "A Celebration of Rice Women in the Arts" Saturday evening.
Judicial Affairs Officer Patty Bass addressed the participants at the Sunday morning conclusion. She summarized many of the questions that had been discussed over the weekend, including women's presentations of themselves, career choices and the advance of technology with its consequent effects on women's lives.
Bass encouraged women to take advantage of their increased number of choices in life.
"We can move beyond the role of domesticity, but we need to take responsibility for our choices," Bass said.
Conference participants overall seemed very happy with the weekend. Jean Cornelius, class of 1954, said, "The people and the intergenerational conversations have been the outstanding things about this conference."
This item appeared in the News section of the February 16, 1996 issue.
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