Service Learning Blog 2

1.       Activism:

This week Chelsea and I gave a presentation for the Pan Council. Pan meetings have delegates from every sorority and many fraternities on campus, that come to get information on what is going on with in Greek life.  We talked about having speakers come to each chapter from Victim Services, and made sure everyone was aware of our underawarness drive. We passed out cut outs of underwear made from paper with all of the information and how to contact us so they could bring the information back to their specific chapters. We had a great success in reaching so many people at one time.  The pitfall would be how nervous we were and that we may have not performed to the best of our ability. Next week we will continue to reach out to the chapters. Also next week an advocate from victim services will be going to Pi Phi and Chi Omega to conduct an open dialogue forum about boundaries.

2.       Reflection

The Activism we have done this week relates to the importance of women working together. Although Chelsea and I are a small portion of Greek life and the UCF community, our voices are able to be heard. We were able to inform a number of people about the needs of women in our community who have been victims of sexual assault.  It is extremely important for people especially women on campuses to be aware of the dangers of sexual assault on college campuses.  “The FBI’s Uniform Crime Report…estimated that one in four U.S. college women was a victim of rape or attempted rape” ( Kirk, Okazawa-Rey, 262). This is a staggering statistic, and shows that there should be more education for women who spends a great amount of time on college campuses. Through our speaking to Pan we hope that we have opened their minds to the dangers they should be aware of, and the importance of having a connection with Victim Services to continue this education.

                One of the main reasons we decided to have the advocate address the problem of boundary setting is because we feel this is a subject women would greatly benefit from being more informed on. Boundaries are not always clear, and it is not always clear how and where to set these boundaries, which is dangerous for women and men.  “Ninety percent of college women who are victims of rape or attempted rape know their assailant, usually a classmate, friend, boyfriend, or ex-boyfriend.” (Kirk, Okazawa-Rey, 262)  This is another surprising statistic for most college aged women. They believe the occurrence of rape comes from “stranger danger”, and this myth can perpetuate violence. If women are able to set clear boundaries with the men they are intimate with, it would serve to better protect both parties.  This would have to start with the knowledge of what is appropriate and what is not.

3.       Reciprocity

In return for this work I think I am gaining a better understanding of my own experiences. I have definitely found myself standing stronger in my personal relationships, especially my relationships with men. I also feel phenomenal about trying to make a positive impact on the Greek community, because it is a community that has given me so much.

Service Learning Log 1

1.  ACTIVISM:

This week I volunteered with Victim services for their free showing of Vagina Monologues.  The show was a great success.  They reached maximum capacity and had to have extra seats brought in! It was great to get a real idea of Victim Services is doing on campus, and the impact they are making with students. The pitfall would be a lack of organization. Myself and some other volunteers included were unsure of what exactly we should be doing. It made me nervous not knowing exactly what my role was.  It was good though to make some connections with people who are very involved in victim Services and to get their opinion on our project.

 2. REFLECTION:

The activism I did this week related to the chapter we are reading in numerous ways. The Vagina Monologues addresses many of the issues women face today. Some more humorous like the way media portrays women.  A good example of the societal pressures pushed upon women through the media, was a monologue about hair. A woman in this monologue discusses how waxing, shaving, lazar , etc, all seem so unnecessary. She even compared her bare vagina to a vagina of a child. It does make you stop and think about why this is the norm, and why women must go to such a silly extreme to feel they are clean and beautiful.  They also talk about the violence issues facing Black women. They touched on how African American women were used as producers of slaves during that era. Their bodies were not respected by any means. Which is also described in our book,  “During slavery times, the rape of black women in the United States was legal and commonplace.”( Kirk, Okazawa-Rey, 263) It continues to talk about how the bodies of African American women were seen as less valued than the bodies of white women. Both the Vagina Monologues and our book continue that this is not an issue that was dealt with in history, but is a very real and still occurring issue today. “The average sentence given to the rapist of a black woman was two years…to the rapist of a Latina…five years and…to the rapist of white women…ten years.” (Kirk, Okazawa-Rey, 264). These statistics are staggers and highlight a real injustice in our society.

By Victim Services bringing this show to campus for free, they were able to educate around 300 students, about issues facing women today. They conversations that the show started are not able to be calculated, but no doubt made an effect on the audience attending, and anyone whom they choose to share their new information with.  The women and men who attended this show were undoubtedly filled with a new sense of pride and outrage of many problems with in society today. I know I felt empowered by the show and I am sure many others did as well.

3. RECIPROCITY:

I know that I gained much more than I put in for helping with the Vagina Monologues. I was able to learn from women who had been through such hard times, and faced many hardships head on. I think from a feminist perspective, the empowering of women is extremely important, and this show definitely strives to do that. 

Extra credit

1. In "The Business of being Born" women who use the midwife the health and bodies of the women are viewed completely different then how the hospitals treat women bodies. The midwife respects women bodies more, and see the body as a way to produce a life. The hospital takes advantage of the women bodies, for example pushing C-sections. They treat the body as a production machine that should be cut open and abused in order to get the baby and get them out of the hospital room. For "One Born Every Minute" the nurses and doctors do seem concerned about the moms and the families. Without the knowledge from "The Business of being born" I would not question the antics of the doctors.

2. With the midwife experience shown in the documentary the focus of the birth seemed to be on the mother and child. The women were in a more comfortable environment, they were not being poked and prodded, and they were not given advice to induce the labor.  For one born every minute, it does again seem like the attention is on the mother, but more so the child. There is talk of getting the baby out, and doing what is best for the baby. Although I do think the nurses seem nice and concerned with the mother, thinking of the documentary makes me question why they revert back to talking about what is best for the baby when so much that is done is not necessary.

3.  The doctor and Nurses in the show seem to be more knowledgeable. They are able to use the tools in the hospital to tell the mom when its time to push, when to not push, when its important to induce. In the documentary the midwife tells the mom "you know your body". She makes it seem like the mother is in control of what is going on more then the hospital  does. In the hospital all of the decisions are in the doctors hands, leaving the mom feeling as if she has no knowledge.

4. I think in both instances the mother is seen as strong. In both circumstances the women are praised for pushing, and being strong through the pain.

5. In "One Born Every Minute", the birthing process seems really scary. There is a lot of excitement
, but also a lot of fear. With the midwives the whole experience seemed more calm.

wage gap discusson

I attended the discussion about the wage gap. I was so surprised to hear of all of the facts that these women had to offer. One of the women raised some really great points that offering less money to women, in essence, meant they were worth more. I had never considered the wage gap in this way, yet it made so much sense to me. Why would the sex of a worker mean they should be paid more, and how can you separate that fact from the partiarcal society in which we live and work in.  I have little knowledge of the wage gap and was so surprised to hear of the facts.

Firstly, I could not believe that the unfairness of the situation was so rampant. So many people in the class along with on the board had personal stories of unfairness. For example, the instructor said she had dealt with the wage gap her entire life. Even though she was well educated she had to fight for her rights. I had also never considered that the color of a persons skin would effect the wage gap so much. Women of color should definitely be educated on this issue considering they are the most affected. They are paid even less then white women, who are only paid 77 cents to the dollar for doing the same work as a white man. This was so shocking to me.

We also discussed the wheel that shows different aspects that one can be treated unfairly for. So many of the aspects affect women more then men. For example a women who wants to be a mother will be more affected in the work place then a man. The "mommy track" phenomena has greatly set back women in the work force. They should not be forced into certain jobs because they want to create a family. Men may not be able to give birth, but they should be just as concerned with the raising of their children as the mother would be.

The most important think I learned was the importance of negotiation. Most men will negotiate a better salary and women will not. This is an awful truth of how society makes women feel about themselves. As if women do not see enough self worth in fighting for themselves. It is a very important lesson for this time in my life, considering I plan on entering the work force in a few short months. Its important that I continue to stay up to date with the issues facing the wage gap, and that I learn the proper ways to make as much as I am worth for the work I choose to do.

http://www.topnews.in/people/queen-latifah Queen

                I chose to remake this image of Queen Latifah. I think of Queen latifah as an incredibly beautiful women, who crashes through the box of what beauty should be in media today. Not only is she a woman of color, which is historically a much underrepresented group of people in the media, but she is also not the typical construct of a beautiful body size. She is a full figured women, who embraces her curves, and flaunts her body. She carries herself in a very confident way, and does not pretend to be perfect, but does show that she is worthy and beautiful. Although she does not fit the common ideals of beauty, she makes no apologies for that. She is an extremely positive role model for young girls because she is so successful. She has broken through outlets that are dominated by women who fit certain characteristics. For example her very successful career in the music industry. This is an industry that is overflowing with women who are thin and light, yet she persevered. Later becoming a Cover Girl, Queen Latifah broke through yet another barrier. As a Cover Girl her beauty is celebrated.

                Cover Girl is a cosmetics company targeted to women who strive to be beautiful. By using Queen Latifah as a model to endorse these products it does prove that different types of people can be beautiful, which in my opinion is a very positive message to send, especially to young girls. However, Cover Girl is using Queen Latifahs undeniable beauty is how the ad is using women’s bodies. Her facial beauty is undeniable, and although does not align with the norm, it is still being facilitated in a way to sell products to women who want that same gorgeous glow.  Her body is being used to sell products to women, much of the beauty seen in this ad and others are impossible to obtain. 

proposal

1. Contact information: Title: Sisters Supporting Sisters Community Service Partner: UCF Victims Services and Panhellenic counsel. Group Members: Sarah C. and Chelsea L.

2. Community Partner Profile: We are choosing to work with the victim services center on the campus of the University of Central Florida. The mission statement of this organization is “To collaborate with and empower organizations and individuals to eliminate violence in our communities through advocacy, education and training.” The goals of the victims services is to educate students about domestic violence, and inform victims of their rights. Some of their are people to work for the Vagina Monologues,by hanging posters and passing out fliers, as well as working the event as ushers or collecting tickets. Also they do a drive in April for "Underawarness month" where they collect sheets and panties to give to victims of assault. http://victimservices.ucf.edu/Services.html

 3. The Proposal Define the problem:
          The main problem we want to address through our service learning experience is branching the gap between two major organizations. Victim services at the University of Central Florida and the Greek life on campus are both filled with people who are wanting and willing to make great changes for the community. One of the major goals of the Greek System is making an impact on society. Each organization requires that each member participate in the philanthropy of the organizations choice. Beyond that each member must complete a pre assigned amount of hours doing community service on their own. These organizations have a huge amount of members, and at the end of the day the time they spend raising money or volunteering absolutely makes an impact on the people they are attempting to help. The victim services center at UCF is also filled with people who have a clear vision of the type of impact they would like to make. The people that work for victims services do so much hard work to complete a vision and make our campus a better place for everyone who spends parts of their lives here. They are doing such amazing work helping women in the community as well as on the campus. But, they do not have the man power that the Greek system does. However, their goals are much clearer.
              Unfortunately in the past the alliance between these two organizations has never been strong enough to last after executive members graduate, or boards change. Therefore, Chelsea and I would like to strengthen the connection between these organizations, allowing them to communicate and work together. Victim services has some wonderful opportunities for the Greek system to get involved in, and Chelsea and I would want to make sure each chapter knew of these chances. For example the Vagina Monologues will be playing on campus and downtown. Volunteers are needed for things like being ushers, or hanging banners. If chapters knew of these opportunities they may be willing to help, in turn opening dialogue about the show and different issues touched upon in it. Also the “underawareness month” would be a great way to be able to educate chapters about the very real and happening dangers of assault on and off campuses, and give them a way to help. By donating panties to women who have been victimized, Greek women can begin to understand and have empathy for what is going on. Also the women who have been hurt will hopefully be helped by our small donations.
              Ultimately the main source of change in my mind would be having a representative from victim services come to different chapters to speak about the dangers that can come with not setting boundaries within a relationship. Knowing the difference between what is appropriate and what is unacceptable is something we both think could be very beneficial to every women and man on campus. The statistics about  abuse are staggering, and prove that it is a huge problem "One and five reported that she had been physically or sexually abused"(261) . This is not an issue facing just one group of women, it is an issue all women should be informed about. By bringing in an educating greek women, it is our hope that they will continue the conversation in other aspects of their lives, and put an end to violence against women. After all, like Lori Heises said "This is not random violence; the risk factor is being female" (257).
       We hope that whatever relationship made between Pan and Victim services this semester will continue into the years to come. Both organizations would benefit from keeping a strong relationship alive, especially because they are both filled with hardworking people who want to make a positive difference in the world. Propose a plan that addresses the problem or need: For our service learning experience we have chosen to bring together the victims services center with the Greek community on campus. Both of the organizations have already been well established, therefore working together would be beneficial to both parties. The problem of domestic violence does not exist only in certain realms, it is prevalent in the lives of all women.

 Action steps:
• Establish a relationship with victim services
 • Meet with pan executives to see what they are open to
 • Create an open line of communications between victim services and pan]
 • Create a competition and prize incentive for which sorority donates the most underwear for “Underawareness”.
 • Speak at a PAN meeting market the opportunity to have Victim Services speak to their chapters and the “Underawareness” Fundraiser. Inform chapters about the volunteer and community service opportunities with Victim Services.
• Visit chapters with Victim Services speaker.

 Timeline:
 • WEDNESDAY 2/15 3:00 PM: meeting with Christine Mouton o 5:00 PM: call PAN risk management chair to explain our project
 • MONDAY 2/20 o 12pm: Meeting with PAN Risk Management Chair to give proposal and further explain our timeline. o 11:00pm: Receive feedback from PAN officers and Advisors.
 • WEDNESDAY 2/29 o 3:00pm: Present opportunity for speaker and our the “Underawareness” fundraising competition.
 • SUNDAYS March and April (Dates scheduled due to chapters availability) o 7:00 PM: Victim Services give presentation on boundaries. Remind chapters about the “Underawareness” Fundraiser.
 • WEDNESDAY 4/18 3:00 PM: Collect for “Underawareness” Fundraiser.

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African American Feminism Today Panel Discusion

On Monday February 6 I attended a lecture about African American Feminism today. It was very interesting to get a different perspective of other issues affecting feminism today. I think sometimes it’s easy to overlook the hardships that others face because I do not face those same hardships. It’s very important to understand that certain differences cause a different world view, especially for a cause such as feminism. We all as females can relate to feeling underappreciated due to our sex, but beyond that oppression do exist. The panel had a great insight into some different scholars that I am not familiar with and was interested to learn more about. The first person we discussed was Malcolm X. The woman on the panel who taught us about Malcolm X was a political science major and found his work to be very interesting. She also had a vested interest in feminism. She said that much of what is written about Malcolm X today illustrates him as a chauvinistic man who agreed with the oppression of women. She found this hard to believe because so much of his work was fighting against the oppression of African Americans in society. She decided she would do her research on Malcolm X beyond his seemingly chauvinistic ways. Although most of her research agreed with the opinion that he had been incredibly racist, she felt that it was not explaining the entire story. She said in his auto biography it explained that he looked up to strong female figures in his life, his sister for example would offer him much insight. The women from the panel example that much of what people considered his sexiest ways had much more to do with his culture and religion that anything else. He did not actually see women as second class citizens; he was just raised within a culture that did not believe women wanted anything more. He still very much respected the women in his life, although his main fight against oppression had to do with the unfair treatment of the African American society at the time. The second women we heard from on the panel sparked a discussion that was very touching. She began to speak about modern feminism as a whole, and how the media portrays feminism. She asked “who are some women you all would consider African American feminist you see today?” Some answers, such as Michelle Obama were very well received. Many people in the class agreed that she was a great role model. She is strong and well received; she does important work, yet it seen as a caring and good mother. She is proud of her race. The next discussion is what surprised me. Someone answered Beyonce as a good role model. She is strong and seen as independent. Everyone nodded in agreement; I mean who doesn’t love Beyonce? This is when the panel brought up a point that in my mind really highlights the different things that should be taken into account while still encompassing feminism. She said that Beyonce is strong and a good female role model, but that she lightens her skin on magazines and album covers, that in actuality she is much darker then she seems in the media. This started a discussion of all of the beauty treatments women of color must go through to obtain a “whiter” appearance. Girls talked about how they must perm their hair, and how they would rather just cut it all off. And why would the “white standard” be the standard of beauty anyway? It was very interesting to hear other peoples perspectives of an issue I had never really entertained.