This week Ball State is celebrating the 30th annual Women’s Week. The Department of Women and Gender studies organizes the event. Ashleigh Bingham, a Ball State graduate student and doctoral assistant to the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, says there is still a need for it.
“While time and societal shifts have lessened the influence of gender in some aspects, our identities still greatly affect our lived experiences,” said Bingham. “The wage gap, sexual assault, beauty standards, hiring practices, and sexual harassment are all areas in which we as a society can still improve.”
“Women’s Week is now over 30 years old and has taken on many themes,” Bingham said. “We generally show quite a few documentaries, invite speakers, include concerts, and host performances of The Vagina Monologues. For the past couple of years, the belly dance club has also joined us in our celebrations.”
This year, the Women’s and Gender Studies program also organized the first Ball State University Slut Walk, which is sponsored by Feminists for Action.
Bingham says Women’s Week is a week devoted entirely to gender issues. She believes it’s important to the Ball State community because it creates places for students to engage in tough, necessary discussions about discrimination, privilege and equality in society. The overarching goal of Women’s Week is to not only put a spotlight on gender issues and encourage student to join in conversations & activities. It is also about celebrating the progress and work being done to make society a better place for everyone.
On Wednesday, festivities will included a Indiana women of Achievement Panel at 1 p.m. in the Student Center Forum Room, Stars to Steer By “Careers of Compassion at 5 p.m. in Whitinger Business Building room 300 and Vagina Monologues at 8 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom. On Thursday, Amplified: A Conversation with Women in American Film Sound will start at 6 p.m. in Letterman 121 and “Slam The Patriarchy” Open Mic Event will start at 8 p.m. in the Student Center Tally.
On Friday, the Slut Walk starts at 3:00 p.m. on the university green and “Pitch Perfect 3” will be down at 9 p.m. in Prius Hall. On Saturday, a Belly Dance Club Workshop will be held at 9 a.m. in the Rec Center. A Belly Dance Club performance starts at 3:30 p.m. in Prius Hall and a final Vagina Monologue will start at 7 p.m. at the Cornerstone Center for the Arts Heritage Room.
Women’s week was started by a Women’s Studies committee in 1984 after a film festival and to celebrate the first gender class held at Ball State in 1972.
Women’s week will run from March 19 through March 24. For more information, contact Ashleigh Bingham, M.A. at anbignham@bsu.edu or Lisa Pellerin at lpellerin@bsu.edu, or follow the Women’s and Gender Studies program on Facebook at Facebook.com/BSUWGS.
The content on this page was produced by students for class assignments under the guidance of their department faculty members.
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