York

Penn State York celebrates Women's History Month with a variety of events

A variety of campus and local organizations participated in the 2014 Women's Fair:  Beauty, Brains, and Body last year at Penn State York.  The event is set for Tuesday, March 31 from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the Joe and Rosie Ruhl Student Community Center.  The fair is free and open to the public. Credit: Barbara Dennis / Penn StateCreative Commons

Penn State York’s celebration of Women’s History Month gets started with a lunch and learn panel discussion on women’s health and fitness on Tuesday, March 17, at noon in the Community Room of the Joe and Rosie Ruhl Student Community Center. Throughout the month of March, a variety of programs are planned with the culminating event, "A Women’s Fair:  Beauty, Brains, and Body," set for 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m Tuesday, March 31.  All events are free and open to the public.

“Women's History Month offers an opportunity for the Penn State York Diversity Committee to achieve our goal in educating our campus community and visitors,” said Kristin Cole, assistant professor of English at Penn State York and chair of the campus diversity committee.

“We have so much to celebrate about women, whether they are our mothers, teachers or doctors, but we must also confront ongoing problems such as sexual violence and date rape,” she said. “Women's History Month provides us a platform to accomplish all of that and more.”

Cole, along with Cynthia Jones, administrative support assistant in student affairs, and Jessica Petrie, financial aid coordinator, are the cochairs of the Women’s History Month committee on campus.

The first panel discussion of the month, on March 17, focuses on fitness and health choices that women of all ages might consider. Topics from personal training and sports to dancing and nutrition will be shared by a panel of local experts, including Amy Burgess, volleyball coach at Penn State York; Kerry Magni, instructor in kinesiology at the York campus; Mindy Quesenberry, owner of My Fitness Quest; Randi Stauffer, York Social Dance Studio; and Terri Van Slyke, women’s basketball coach and an admissions counselor at the York campus.Crime prevention and community safety geared toward women is the focus of "Get Smart, Be Safe: Handling Violence against Women," a lunch and learn panel on Thursday, March 19, at noon in the Community Room of the Joe and Rosie Ruhl Student Community Center. Topics for discussion include local crime statistics and the perception versus the reality of these statistics, safety on campus, date rape and self-defense for women. Michelle Cooper, a medical advocate with Access York Victim Assistance Center YWCA York and a recent Penn State York graduate, is one of the panelists who will share information about her role at Access York and responding to domestic violence and sexual assault incidents. Other panelists include Bill Vangreen, safety and security chief at Penn State York, and Alicia Graybill, police officer with the Spring Garden Township Police Department.On Tuesday, March 24, “What’s My Line?” will come to the Lee R. Glatfelter Library at noon, and feature a select group of Penn State York women with interesting and circuitous career paths. This lunch and learn event is part of Women’s History Month and is also sponsored by Advising and Career Development office, and ConnectED, a program in which first-year students earn points for participating in campus activities and making connections to others on campus. All attendees at this event have the opportunity to win prizes, hear some interesting stories and make connections.

Later in the week, a lunch and learn panel will focus on the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, ally (LGBTQIA) community and the issues faced by members of this group. Panelists will answer questions and highlight the various triumphs and concerns of this community at a very interesting point in history. This event is set for March 26 at noon in the Community Room on campus.The final event in celebration of Women’s History Month is the third annual Women’s Fair, "Beauty, Brains and Body," set for 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, in the Community Room and hallways of the Joe and Rosie Ruhl Student Community Center.

Highlights of the fair include a student makeover by York’s Dress for Success, a poetry reading by Carla Christopher-Waid, York city poet laureate emerita; and a yoga demonstration by Kerry Magni, a kinesiology faculty member who teaches yoga and other courses at York campus.

The fair will bring together a variety of community and campus organizations, including Access York/Victim’s Assistance Center, the American Association of University Women (AAUW), Community Progress Council of York, York Dress for Success, LifeChanges Boutique, the National Organization for Women (NOW), Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), Planned Parenthood, Spring Garden Police Department, and the York Social Dance Studio. Information tables stocked with a variety of materials about Penn State York programs will also be available, and representatives will be on hand to answer questions.

A PowerPoint presentation, featuring a history of women at Penn State (including the York campus), created by Deborah Eicher-Catt, professor of communication arts and sciences at the York campus, will also be shown at the fair. 

Last Updated March 13, 2015