DOSA tries to generate political interest in 2008

By Chris Donovan

This semester, students will see many more political events happening at UMass Dartmouth. The Division of Student Affairs (DOSA) has created a programming committee to help bring more to campus. The DOSA Planning Committee is made up of representatives from the Office of Housing and Residential Life, the Peer Health Educators, the SAIL Office, the Fredrick Douglass Unity House and the Women’s Resource Center.

The committee was formed to unify the groups that were already focused on providing this kind of programming. According to the chair of the committee, Juli Parker of the Women’s Resource Center, the goal of the events that the committee organizes are to “be focused on a theme, and this semester is like our first trial run.”

Chris Laib of the SAIL Office, who is also a member of the DOSA Planning Committee said these events are a way to “get information of value to the students, while still being entertaining.”

Byron Hurt, who is a documentary filmmaker, writer, and anti-sexist activist will be doing a presentation entitled “Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes,” which is based on his award winning documentary of the same name. This will occur on Wednesday, February 6, at 7 p.m., in the main auditorium. The event will examine the issues of masculinity, sexism, violence and homophobia in today’s hip-hop culture. Students can get a better idea of what this event will be about by previewing his documentary February 4 through February 10 every hour, on the hour, on channel 77. There will also be a screening at the Fredrick Douglass Unity House on Tuesday, February 5, at noon.

On February 7, Gloria Steinem, a writer and leader of the second wave of the women’s liberation movement, will be moderating a panel focusing on the importance of civic engagement and activism. This event will take place between 2 and 3:30 p.m. in the main auditorium and is open to all students, faculty, staff and the community. She will also be the keynote speaker at a sold out fundraising dinner which will take place later that night.

Comedian and Correspondent for Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, John Oliver will be performing on February 9. He will be doing a stand up act, along with Emmy Award winning co-producer of the Daily Show, Rory Albanese. Their acts will carry a political tone to get students to start thinking about the presidential race which will take place this November.

Parker stated that next week’s events will be “kicking off a series of events which focus on engagement and involvement in citizenship.”

Laib explained that, “We hope to focus on other hot button topics like the environment, war, gay marriage, stem-cell research, the economy, race, abortion and education.”

DOSA will be putting on events this and next semester that will focus on important topics related to this November’s political elections.

Parker said that she “just wants people to come out. These events are big. People may never have a chance to see someone like Gloria Steinem again. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!”

Tickets for John Oliver’s show are currently on sale at both the UMass Pass Office and at FYE in the Dartmouth mall. Ticket prices are $10 for UMass Dartmouth students and $20 for non-students.

Parker reminds, “All the work that the staff is putting in isn’t for us, it’s for you guys, the students.”

Women’s rights leader to visit campus

NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass.— As students, we write papers all the time. Imagine if you had to write a paper on women’s issues and the teacher assigned the topic, asking you to write about the experiences of women who are playboy bunnies. That has to be tough. Naturally, I would go online and try to find some biographies of these scantily clad women. Or maybe—if this was a big percentage of my grade—look some up and maybe get an interview with an ex-bunny.

Or … I could become one.

In 1963, Gloria Steinem did just that. Granted it was for her job at a paper and not for a class, but she applied and was hired at Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Club. She ended up writing an article entitled, “I was a Playboy Bunny” that garnered national attention and focused on the lives of these women, their experiences, and specifically the way they are treated in clubs.

You might be Googling it even before you are done reading this article. Forget Google. You have to meet her!

Steinem will visit UMass Dartmouth on Thursday, February 7 to celebrate three decades of educating and empowering. This is a two-part event designed to initiate the Women’s Studies endowment for student scholarships, as the minor will become a major in this semester. This endowment fund supports students from the Southcoast region. This event will also support the work of the Women’s Resource Center.

Since her Bunny days, Gloria Steinem has become one of the most important female activists in the United States today. Throughout her career, she has been an influential writer and editor, which include her role in founding the hugely successful Ms. Magazine, where she remains as part of the advisory board and founding editors. She was also the founder of the Ms. Foundation for Women, which gives away a ton of money and does great things. She was an articulate advocate and leader in the second wave of the women’s liberation movement during the late Twentieth Century.

After graduating from Smith College, Steinem went to India, where she participated in nonviolent protests against government policy. Upon her return to the United States in 1960, she worked as a writer and journalist in New York City, where she eventually published her Playboy Bunny article. After this, her writing became more politically charged and her strong feminist values began to emerge. In 1971, along with Betty Friedan, Bella Azbug and Shirley Chisholm, she founded the National Women’s Political Caucus and by December 1971 the first issue of Ms. Magazine appeared as an insert in an issue of “New York.”

In the late nineteen seventies and eighties, most of her work was with political organizations and her role in the women’s liberation movement continued to grow. She helped found the Coalition of Labor Union Women, Voters for Choice and Women Against Pornography. Her publications include “Moving beyond Words” (1994) and “Revolution from within: Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions” (1983). She also wrote a book about Marilyn Monroe called “Norma Jean” (1997).

A panel discussion, moderated by Ms. Steinem will be held in the Main Auditorium from 2 to 3:30 p.m. as the first major part of her visit, which will be geared toward students. The panel will be composed of four alumni of the UMass Dartmouth Women’s Resource Center and Women’s Studies department. These alums will address the importance of civic engagement and activism and how their experiences working at the Women’s Resource Center and taking women’s studies classes prepared them for their lives today. It is open to all students, faculty, staff and the community and because it is free, everyone is encouraged to attend this great opportunity.

Ms. Steinem will also be the keynote speaker for a fundraising dinner that evening.

This afternoon talk is sponsored by the Student Senate Lecture Series, the Division of Student Affairs Programming Committee, the Women’s Resource Center and the Women’s Studies Program, while the evening event is sponsored by the Office of the Chancellor, the Women’s Studies Program, the Women’s Resource Center, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Division of Student Affairs and the Departments of English, History, Portuguese, and Sociology/Crime and Justice Studies.

For more information, including information on tickets, contact Dr. Juli Parker at jparker@umassd.edu or Dr. Jen Riley at jen.riley@umassd.edu.

HOUSING

Changes on the way

By Stephanie Luz

Whether it’s ripping up rugs, putting down tile, or bringing back the common rooms, great changes are springing up all over campus.

First year resident halls (Roberts, Chestnut, Maple Ridge, and Elmwood) are currently the target of some of these improvements. Summer renovations include ripping up old carpets currently covering the floors of all hallways and rooms. New tile will be installed in place of the carpet. The Office of Housing and Residential Life (OHRL) staff including Victor Culatta, Director of Housing and Residential Life, Shelly Scott, Associate Director of Residential Life, and other Housing staff members hope that these changes will improve aesthetics and reduce allergens such as mold and dust. In addition, the walls will be given a new coat of paint.

Common rooms are also making a comeback. There are plans to create thirteen new multipurpose spaces in the first-year student residential halls. After the original common rooms were converted into living spaces to accommodate three residents, many students were lacking space to study or get together.

“Despite our objections two years ago, administrators chose to eliminate the common space in the first year halls. After walking into that mess, a genuine advocate for student interests has worked to reconcile the blunders of the Housing Department. As residents, we are more than fortunate to have Shelly Scott on campus,” said Evergreen resident Bryan O’Brien.

Resident Assistant (RA) staffs are changing. One of these major improvements includes the removal of some RAs from the Woodland Community and the addition of more RAs to the first-year halls. There will be a total of 14 RAs in the first year halls while the Woodland apartments will have a total of eight RAs as opposed to the 12 RAs this year. The OHRL staff has expressed that first year students generally require more assistance than third and fourth year students.

RAs will also be compensated for late night desk duties. Desk Attendants (DAs) are students paid to sit at desk and check-in guests and perform other tasks. For many years, RAs were required to sit at desk without pay if a DA did not make their 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. shift. This semester, RAs will be offered the same amount of money as DAs.

DAs are also feeling the changes. Desk attendants’ hours have been reduced to 7:30 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. Previously, DAs worked as early as 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.