End of Year Reflection

Dear readers,

What an incredible year it has been for us in the Lieben Center for Women. For those of you who don’t know, this year alone we re-examined and changed our mission and vision statements while also creating 6 objectives used to ground our programming and our work out of the Lieben Center. We’ve also spent a lot of time focusing on making the L.C. more student-focused and student-run. The student staff group expanded from one student coordinator last year to 5 student staff members, including 3 interns. The work of these students has been incredible, and we’re growing.

But looking at the blog posts throughout the semester – from incredible students, staff and faculty across campus, I can’t help but see how much more we could be and should be doing at Creighton. And in focusing on students, go back and read about their passions. They are inspiring and have each shaped campus in their own ways and through their own purposes.

From Jordan who provides a strong argument for not just what feminists are, but clarifying what feminists aren’t. To Liz who frames the importance of having dialogue and being willing and honest with yourself about talking about things that need to be talked about and not to shy away from it.

Anne shared about the importance of positivity and the role that has played in helping her live life and Audri talks about the importance of finding her real roots and “undoing the mechanization of life”.

Sabrina spoke of the passion to express that life is more than just what goes on your resume, but the other experiences in our life that are just as important, if not more, in taking pride in. And Jess described the importance of the true experience of reading a real, tangible, paper book and the way the experience can shape you.

Jocelyn reflected how her service trip reminders her of the importance of living in solidarity with those who suffer. Elizabeth articulated the importance of the relationships she’s built here at Creighton and how much they have shaped her time at Creighton.

Lauren wrote of her passion for the Susan G. Komen Race for a Cure and sharing the importance and symbol of each step she takes for those who died and the hope for those in the future. And Megan shared the importance of not dwelling on fear but embracing them for never knowing what will come of those experiences.

These are only a part of the story of 10 incredible women out of the hundreds on our campus who have been shaped by Creighton and have incredible stories and wisdom to share because of it. Just think of what would happen if we took the time to ask each other about our stories, about what gives us a sense of purpose, about how we’ve grown.

As the year closes, I encourage you to step into these stories and step into your own. Reflect on your growth and your sense of direction and ask others to share with you their journeys. You will never be disappointed by hearing the strength, accomplishments, and capacity for each of us to do incredible things in our life, no batter big or small. It all starts with just asking.

Kindly,

Lori Durako
Director, Lieben Center for Women
Deglman Hall Resident Director

Creighton University: Animal Farm

Do people call you a femi-nazi? Do folks tell you that you are always “pulling the ____ card”? Have you ever felt that your opinion on a particular topic is not valued, or is looked down upon?

This stifling environment is too often common in collegiate classrooms.

I, personally, have experienced and endured intellectually stagnant environments such as these many times throughout my educational career. Too often I found myself reluctant and hesitant to speak up and out about topics pertaining to gender and especially race. Not to mention the many many times I have been called upon to speak on behalf of the entire Black race, male and female. Now, this is not a new phenomenon in my life nor in the lives of other Black college students at a predominately White institution (PWI). As a product of PWI formal education, I have almost always been the only, or one of a few Black students in the classroom.

As the years have passed on and the school grades ascended, the environment only magnified. I thought and truly believed that the situation would change (for the better) upon entering college. I believed that students would be more informed…or would have at least been around more than a handful of Black students in an intellectual setting before. But, unfortunately, I find that the problem still exists, at least here on Creighton’s campus. Not just in the classroom setting and not just in “issue” classes (i.e. sociology, psychology, politics, Theology even).  This weight is bore all the time.

Call it the “Zoo Phenomenon” if you will. *Sarcastically* Am I just so intriguing? A real life Black female who 1) is not a single mother 2) was raised in a 2-parent household and 3) is attending Creighton on a merit (not athletic….not need-based) scholarship. Wow. We do exist. Now, I do not want to diminish the accomplishments of my peers who may be coming from the aforementioned background. However, being a Black student at Creighton does not allow for assumptions. The “Zoo Phenomenon” is the idea that a person is intrigued by a sole characteristic (physical or other) of another. Like the liger at the zoo. And based on that intrigue, the person asks questions, conducts discussion, etc with the “other”. Notice that this exchange is based on intrigue and not interest. The “Zoo Phenomenon” exposes people’s intrigue rather than genuine interest in another person’s character.

In writing this, it is imperative that my message is clear. I do not wish to stop people from asking questions that they have had and have just been to afraid, frankly, to ask. It is college after all. This is the time to expand. I am wishing, however, that you never feel reduced to silence because of ignorance. If you want to talk about issues that you are passionate about that may not be the mainstream, talk about them.

If you want to talk about sex and gender, talk about them.

If you want to talk about race, talk about it.

If you want to talk about LGBTQI issues, talk about them.

If you want to talk about farming and environmental issues, talk about them, too!

(In the right place and time, of course).

For if you don’t talk about it…WHO WILL? You have something to offer. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Kindly,

Elizabeth Lassiter

Junior, Sociology- Criminal Policy Track

Fear of Feminism

The topic that has caught my interest the most while taking Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies this semester is the fear of feminism that exists in our society. It has been proven through my own personal experience and the experiences of most of my classmates that people are afraid to label themselves as feminists. It is interesting to me to look at why this is. Why should people be afraid of feminism? 

Feminism is the belief that all women and men are of inherently equal worth and should be treated accordingly in political, economic, social, and educational settings. That is it. It is that straightforward. However, through conversations that two of my classmates and I had with students all over campus, we learned that there are a multitude of myths applied to the word “feminist”. The four most common misconceptions about feminism among Creighton students are that all feminists are lesbians, all feminists hate men, feminism goes against traditional family values, and feminism is an outdated issue.

The idea that all feminists are lesbians is wrong in very fundamental ways. The first is that it implies that all feminists are female. Women and men of all ages and social positions support feminism. In fact, 58% of men claim to be feminists (when given the proper definition). An issue I personally have with this myth is the insinuation that being a lesbian is something to be ashamed of. This issue could be an entirely different blog post. 

Then there are the people who believe that feminists are man-haters. Many times this stemmed from people thinking that feminists wanted women to run the world and men to be of lower status than women. It is in the core belief of feminism that women and men are equal. This does not allude in any way to a belief that women are better than men.

Many of the students that we interviewed felt that feminists looked down on women who held traditional roles such as stay-at-home mothers or housekeepers. The best way that I have found to debunk this myth is to talk about what feminists do not believe. Feminists do not believe that women shouldn’t be in traditional roles. They also do not believe that women should be limited to only those options. Essentially, this idea of feminism is false because feminists believe that women should have equal opportunity to men to pursue a career outside the home not that women are required to pursue careers outside the home. 

Finally, my favorite misconception about feminism: feminism is an old issue that has been completely solved and need not be talked about anymore. There are many ways of disproving this view but I will focus on only a few. There are still issues of sexism in the workplace. As recently as two years ago it was reported that women still earn on average 77 cents to every dollar that a man earns. In politics and media women are treated unfairly. They are often cast as weaker and less trustworthy and even in serious positions of power their bodies are commented on and made the focus of discussion in ways that men’s bodies are not. 

Fear of change and lack of knowledge on the basic meaning of the word are the two most common reasons that people are afraid of feminism. I believe that the only thing we can do about this is educate. It is important for people to understand feminism so they are more willing to stand with it. Having a word to unify a movement may seem trivial but in the long run I think it will make a difference. If there is a label each person can be proud of and use together maybe people will realize just how many feminists are out there and will be forced to think about why that is and what they could do to make things better. 


Kindly,

Milana Jordan
Junior, Journalism

The Sounds at the Center

Being Catholic and being feminist both constitute my identity.  You might assume there’s a scuffle at the core of my existence.  Rather than hostility, I experience a fruitful tension in how both reveal what it means to be human.

Born into a Catholic family, I grew up in a parish like many in the Chicago area, where the “publics” (kids who went to public schools) were aliens, seen at a distance.  Rosary was celebrated weekly on our block, and daily Mass before school was common.  Not by chance, our Catholic territory did open onto the wider world of solidarity with strangers, civil rights, lay ministry, and the works of charity.  In the mail came the cheap Catholic Worker newspaper and the glossy Maryknoll magazine with pictures of missionaries. Joining them in Africa someday was an early dream.  With the Vatican Council came encouragement to read the signs of the times and carry our faith into the whole of life.  Being Catholic is less cultish than many suspect.  Later, being Catholic meant countless connections to history, both great and infamous.  God was not a substance or principle but a personal being in whose image we are made.  If God seems distant, there are the saints testifying to our motley human beauty.  There are the labor organizers marching under the cross and the union banner.  Being holy takes many forms, but this religion does not abandon thinking to mere obedience for long.  God is truth and embracing this world is central to following Jesus.

I am fortunate to be born in this era.  For all of history, being female meant becoming a woman, what Simone deBeauvoir calls the “second sex,” one whose possibilities are sharply curtailed by sex and gender.  One of history’s great upheavals unfolds as women move into higher education, politics, the professions, public life, and arts in droves.  “It’s a girl” does not have the ring of destiny in many places that it once held.  Passengers on planes are still startled when the pilot speaks as a woman but in some of the most traditional nations on earth women have become leaders.  When the thick fabric and forces of history are on the move, there’s no going back, no matter how good the old days seem to some.  “All that is solid melts into air,” said Marx of capitalism’s power to dissolve and remake the social order.  With rapid change comes the struggle to maintain a humane existence as making money, ecological crisis, and “career comes first” constrict our horizon.

How can intelligent, modern women stay with the Catholic Church?  This question bites when Church leaders gather and the exclusion of women is striking.  Ordinary people have no trouble finding Jesus embodied in women’s lives.  The Catholic imagination, even among its leaders, has not failed for long.  The incarnate God is always out there ahead of our dogmatic pronouncements, a horizon that never deserts us entirely and one we cannot surpass.  Being Catholic and feminist belong together when I ask what is true and what do I love.

Kindly,

Dr. Jeanne Schuler
Associate Philosophy Professor

The Power of Positivity

I am amazed how positivity can affect a person.

When working in elementary schools with students, it is obvious how a smile can affect their day. Positive feedback, even for doing a small task correctly, can be the affirmation that a child needs to stay motivated and achieve within the classroom. Having positive reinforcements throughout the day for children who are on task and meeting expectations can be a great way to keep them engaged in the classroom and working harder to receive more positive feedback. Providing a child the opportunity to make a decision, no matter how small, can change a bad day to a good day.

It is an interesting transition that I have every time I go to an elementary school in the morning and then return to the college campus for the rest of the day. The positivity that the classroom thrives on is not seen in the college atmosphere as much as it should.

There was one day when I was working in a kindergarten classroom and I could tell one of the little boys was just not very happy that day. And so, I pulled this boy aside and asked him to help me with a favor – I had him pick out the book that I would read to the class. He chose a Dr. Seuss book and he had a smile on his face for the rest of the day. He came up to me before I read the book and he told me that he did not tell anyone what book he chose because it was our secret. This was such a small decision, but it changed that student’s whole day.

One day I returned to Creighton after spending the morning at an elementary school and I smiled at every person that I saw, whether I knew them or not, because that is what I do that when I am in elementary schools. The reaction that I received from the majority of people was positive. I did not go out of my way to do this action. Rather, if I made eye contact with someone, anyone, I gave them a smile. And I felt more positive at the end of the day because of the positive feedback that I received from strangers throughout the day.

I love smiling at a child and watching them smile back at me. And I am intrigued when I smile at adults and see more hesitation before they show their pearly whites. I am not quite sure what changed from childhood to adulthood, but for most adults, they do not share the happiness and positivity that they have.  But on any day that I connect with anyone, stranger or friend, I find that my overall mood increases. Sharing my positivity and my joy of being alive with the world just adds to my positivity and joy. It is simple and easy and yet, it can change my overall mood dramatically. 

Kindly,

Anne Daly

Junior, Elementary Education with an Endorsement in Special Education

Inspire... Influence... Innovate

On Friday, March 16, 2012 I had the privilege of attending the 3^rd annual Women’s Summit sponsored by the Committee on the Status of Women. The Summit has quickly become a special annual event for me and many others at Creighton. This year’s Summit charged its participants to Inspire, Influence and Innovate. As I reflect on these powerful words, I am reminded of where I find my inspiration, and have chosen to dedicate this post to those who inspire me.

As a partner/spouse, a mother, and a professional committed to students and to learning, I often find my days to be more hectic and full than I had planned on them being. My days begin well before sunrise and often go well into the evening, but I thrive on the people that surround me every day at Creighton.  And I have found that it is when I pause for a moment and make the time to be present with the people that surround me every day, I find my inspiration.

Arriving at Creighton in 1997, I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I would be here 15 years later. But I have to admit that I am smitten by Creighton. We are blessed to have a rich tradition that was inspired by the Creightons, specifically the Wareham sisters, Mary Lucretia and Sarah Emily. We all are the daily benefactors of their generosity. Inspired by a vision and blessed with the means, these sisters were instruments of the founding of Creighton University, CUMC and St. John's Church. Throughout the past 130 plus year, the idea of Creighton has flourished and served many.

Doubly blessed, Creighton was started in 1878 by the Jesuits at the request of Bishop James O’Connor. The Jesuits brought with them a rich tradition and values that still guide our community today. As members of the Creighton community, we are inspired by the Ignatian tradition, and have many reminders of how we are all called to share our gifts and talents for the Greater Glory of God.

My inspiration comes from the people in the Creighton community that share freely of their gifts and talents every single day, and most often without even knowing how much they lift my spirits. That being said, there are a few special women that I want to salute in this post because they are the people that make Creighton special to me.

Almost every morning when I arrive at the Harper Center, I have the distinct pleasure of being greeted by Doris. Her gentle spirit and warm heart are easily felt by all who take a moment to greet her as she works to keep the Harper Center clean and inviting for all who enter. She knows me and cares about me. Always making sure I’m taking care of myself. Another person that goes above and beyond to care for others in our community is Erica. She works many hours with Sodexo while raising a beautiful family. Erica shares her hope for the future with me while opening doors of opportunity for her children by teaching them the value of an education. My interactions with these two beautiful women remind me of humanity and give me hope for the future.

There is trio of women that mean the world to me. They are my calm in the storm and often serve as the cornerstone to a fast-pace, dynamic work environment. Sarah, Joan and Cheryl, operate in a stealth-like mode, quick to swoop in to save the day and then they quietly go about their day without the expectation of thanks or recognition. They exemplify the true spirit of Creighton by their words and by their actions. Their mission is to serve others and they do it very well.

Finally, there is another trio of women that I am privileged to know. Michele, Desiree and Allison were the masterminds of this year’s Women’s Summit and amazing leaders with a vision to improve the status of women at Creighton. I am inspired to be more because of these amazing ladies. Their labor of love for the Creighton community was the 3^rd annual Women’s Summit, Inspire, Influence, and Innovate. Resulting from their vision, hard work and dedication, these women demonstrate the Jesuit value of contemplatives in action and their thoughtful vision is challenging the Creighton University community to be the best it can be.

Kindly,

Dr. Tanya Winegard

Associate Vice President for Student Life

Birth of an Advocate

In 2008, my husband and I received the exciting news that we would soon be parents.  Interspersed with our excitement was a maze of informing the appropriate people, filling out FMLA, disability, and benefits paperwork, training coworkers and redistributing work.  I remember specifically musing during that time, ‘I’ve never had six weeks off before, what do you do with that time?’.  Following a difficult birth resulting in an emergency c-section, I soon learned. While healing from surgery, I was awake every 2-3 hours for feeding, changing and becoming acquainted with our new little one. I had the opportunity to see his first smile, coos, learn his cries for hunger, changing and boredom, and his preferences for play and interaction, which were fundamental in establishing our bond and a pattern in our lives.  Ironically, after six weeks I was still healing and wondered how some return to work that quickly.  Nevertheless, at 8 weeks my doctor signed my ‘Fit for Duty’ paperwork and I returned to work.

While discussing my story with others, I quickly realized how lucky I was to receive that time off.  With no parental leave policy in place at Creighton, stories were prevalent of the difficult situation new parents face.  Often, faculty members return to work days or weeks after childbirth to fulfill teaching or other obligations. Staff members and students are not immune either.  For example, a staff member depleted her leave while on bed rest and had to return to work early while her daughter was still in critical condition in the neonatal intensive care unit.  Another staff member had two children too close together and hadn’t had time to accrue sick or vacation time to cover her leave.  Notably, job security isn’t the only risk, if an employee doesn’t have accrued vacation or sick leave, or for whatever reason do not have short-term disability coverage, the employee may have to take an unpaid leave. Likewise, a graduate student had to be back after three days, because ‘student workers’ do not qualify for FMLA and there is no guarantee the position or stipend will be held. Complicating this situation, daycare centers will not accept infants prior to 6-8 weeks, so the new parent must have a stable support system in order to achieve this early return.  Furthermore, whether or not travel to another country is involved, adoptive parents are only able to use vacation to cover their leave, diminishing their ability to bond with their child.   Unfortunately, these are merely examples of a systemic problem.  While reflecting on these experiences in relation to the Creighton University mission and how it recognizes “the importance of family life” and the core Jesuit value of Cura Personalis, I struggled with how we live out these principals.  In accordance with our mission, I believe we can do better!

As a result, I have had the distinct privilege of working with a group of amazing and talented individuals on the Committee on the Status of Women as we crafted a proposal requesting paid parental leave for Creighton benefits eligible faculty and staff, which will be presented to the cabinet soon.  I believe this plan better adheres to our core values and will be strategic in recruitment and retention of talented faculty and staff. In addition, members of our committee have put together a checklist for leave that Human Resources can provide to expectant parents to dispel the mystery associated with appropriate forms and deadlines regarding parental leave.  Together, I hope these steps are effective in alleviating some of the stress associated with becoming a new parent. 

When aspiring to improve your world, one doesn’t always need to look far.  What is your passion? How do you strive to impact your world?  What can you do to be an agent of change?

Kindly,

Marsha Pierce

Graduate Student, Biomedical Sciences