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NOW at the University of Houston
Montrose NOW
APRIL 1983
Vol 3 #4
Vol 8 #4
President's Column
On March 7th - 11th, NOW at U.H. presented daily lectures
in celebration of Women's History Week. All the lectures
were interesting and everything went smoothly, thanks to
many NOW at UH members who made this possible. I would
like to thank Cindy Funderburke, who coordinated the event
and was responsible for recruiting and scheduling the
guest speakers in addition to preparing most of the lunch
available. The sale of her fresh made sandwiches and
other contributions of fruit, home made cake and cookies
gave us a profit of approximately $50.00. Cindy, you did
a wonderful job! Also much thanks to Helen Ortiz, JoAnn
Evansgardner, Madeline Mauk, Laura Linn, and Debbie
McKenna who worked on everything else which needed to be
done. I would also like to thank the guest speakers who
enlightened us with topics in the lives of women and contributed their work to be published in the Student Publications. We hope this event will become a yearly one on
campus because more people should have the opportunity to
learn about our foremothers both of this country and other
countries. In this way, we can also learn more about ourselves.
Now at UH is hosting a Consciousness Raising Facilitators
Training Workshop April 30, 9am-8pm, and May 1, l-5pm in
the University Center. This workshop is being sponsored
by CR Advisory Committee of Texas State NOW and everyone
is encouraged to attend. This workshop will train feminists to become facilitators for CR sessions. However,
interested persons are not required to have previously
attended CR session. Adnission is free but you have to
register to attend the 2-day workshop. I have registration forms available, so call me at 749-4142 after 6pm or
if you have any questions call Texas State CR Advisory
Committee Chairperson Sue Devaney at 999-6464(w) or
852-7265(h).
At our NOW at UH Business Meetings on Tuesday the 15th and
Wednesday the 23rd, members discussed the problems in getting the University Center Policy Board Committee (UCPBC)
to adopt policy concerning the sale of pornographic literature in the Candy Shoppe of the UC and UC Satellite. A
decision was made to prepare a petition "oppose(ing) the
sale and distribution of literature and the showing of
films that portray the torture, rape, humiliation or sexual objectification of women or men or children, and demanding) that the University Center Policy Board prohibit
such activities in the University Center."
Another group headed by Carol Cevallos has already attempted to get the policy changed in a similar direction.
In my discussions with Karen Whitney, I learned that it
would probably be fairly easy to get a policy adopted that
would require all such literature to be individually covered and kept behind the counter to be sold only after a
customer's request. Many in the University feel that
plans such as we adopted have very little chance if any of
passage and that we would save time and energy by requesting an under-the counter policy such as is used in airports. But members voted to work for a policy that would
prohibit the sale of all such literature and a petition
for use at information tables has been prepared. At this
time NOW members are contacting the members of UCPBC to
discuss the possibilities for the passage of such a
policy. NOW at UH will be present at the March 31 UCPBC
MONTROSE NOW'S PAGEANT OF AMERICAN WOMEN
Those who attended the 1983 Women's History Pageant
Saturday, March 19th at the Unitarian Church got a rare
treat - the opportunity to understand our feminist history
by witnessing it. The Director, Peggy Hall, president of
Montrose NOW, got together an inspired 'troupe.' Seeing
and hearing feminist forebearers, who understood and
resisted oppression so bravely and so uniquely, is wery
different and infinitely more moving than simply reading
their words.
The production was spare - nothing unnecessary, nothing
pretentious - but effective. Every scene conjured up a
sense of what it must have been like to have those feminist thoughts in those times when the very word "feminism"
was unthought of.
The acting, like the production, was spare - each actor
creating a small vignette making some famous feminist
human for us. It was all over much too quickly. Thanks
and felicitations are due (in order of appearance) to
Peggy Hall, Cathy Courtney, Janet Fisher, Elizabeth
Whyburn, CI if Whyburn, Ken Fraley, George Jackson, Nico
Hinderstein, Melanie Palmer, Caro Hinderstein, Cynthia
Savoie, Lynne Mutchler.
NOW at UH members are attempting to arrange for a repeat
for July 19th - the 135th anniversary of the Seneca Falls
Convention. With a volunteer cast of 14 persons, it will
again take some expert, creative scheduling to get so many
together again but like those who attended March 19th,
those who come in July will be thankful for the effort.
To celebrate our history by watching it re-enacted is one
enjoyable way to be a feminist!
Jo Ann Evansgardner
meeting requesting the policy we voted for. There was no
information on this subject in last month's newsletter as
no meetings had been held to discuss it. However we will
report developments as they occur as well as the results
from the March 31 UCPBC meeting in our next newsletter
since it is an too important a matter to be left to individual contacts among on-campus-daily members. Anyone is
welcomed and encouraged to contact me if you feel you want
to contribute and/or support this action.
Finally, there will be a special program called The
Future of Feminism: Who Cares? NOW Cares, which is spon-
sored by all the NOW chapters in Houston. This program
encourages all NOW members to invite a friend who is not a
member but may be interested in joining. Kathy Webb,
National NOW Secretary, will be the guest speaker and
questions concerning the organization on the national
level will be asked as well as questions to solve any particular problem on state and local level. Non-members are
encouraged to attend so do your friend a favor: introduce
them to NOW.* Membership is crucial to achieve the goals
for women's rights. That is one reason why we have information tables in our chapter. Help in staffing information tables is needed NOW.
Rossann Daumas
*Laura Linn, Madeline Mauk, and I have tickets for sale. |
