WGST builds bonds for semester

The group discussed raising awareness through networking.

By Jessica Silverman

Published Feb. 5, 2010

The Women's and Gender Studies Student Organization held a movie night Wednesday to plan and build bonds among new members.

WGST President Lara Montague said the group is basically starting over.

"We're not completely new," Montague said to attendees. "Everyone graduated. We want to reformulate the organization to be whatever you want it to be."

WGST meets at 7:30 p.m. every Wednesday in 325 Strickland Hall. Eight students, including officers, attended the first meeting of the semester.

"We haven't formed the organization to anything specific because we don't have strong members yet," Montague said.

To differentiate the group from other organizations like the Feminist Student Union and American Association of University Women, Montague said it focuses more on academics.

"We don't want to specifically stick to that and do school stuff," Montague said. "That's why we want to do (a 101 panel on WGST). We're less activism and more academic than FSU. But we want to get a better understanding of what everyone wants in the organization."

The 101 panel will discuss what students can do with a women's and gender studies degree.

"We have a journalism professor and a nonprofit professor," Montague said. "We have men, too, who will tell you it's not just for women."

WGST Secretary Caitlin Hanson said the group also focuses on gender.

"We're also gender studies, not just feminism," Hanson said. "Such as masculinity and different sexuality."

Hanson said the organization's main fundraiser is going to be a bake sale.

"We're such a new group, we would like funds," Hanson said. "We will try to use that for any social activities we do, or to get more T-shirts to sell."

WGST also plans to attend women's sporting events.

"We really want to support other women," Montague said. "Women sports teams don't get a lot of support. They're all free because they're not basketball or football."

The eight members talked about a stereotype protest in Speakers Circle.

"We just role-play different stereotypes that women are put into on a daily basis," Treasurer Maegen Hahn said. "We pick little skits to make it hilarious."

Vice President Courtney Sommer said one stereotype is feminists are butch.

"Or we're really hairy," Montague said. "Or feminists are dykes. We'd have a sign that says, 'I'm a feminist so I'm butch." But we'd have long blonde hair and a skirt, the opposite of whatever your sign says. It's an attention-grabbing way to get out what women are and what feminism is."

Montague said it's been hard for the organization to get going this year due to funds, which affects recruitment. WGST focuses on activism, mentoring, professional development and socializing.

"(Socializing) so you're not doing all this networking without being social with any of the members," Montague said.

The group stressed networking throughout the meeting.

"You have to network to get anywhere," Hahn said.

To work on networking skills, members discussed tentative plans to attend the AAUW conference in June.

After the introduction to the group's purpose, they brought out popcorn and soda to accompany a short film "A Passion for Justice," as other social event planning, like craft studio night, wrapped up.

"It's so we can get to know each other, and do something as an organization," Montague said.