OGSD: Now Seeking a Summer Intern

 

The Office for Gender and Sexual Diversity (OGSD) is now seeking a summer intern.  The mission of OGSD is to work with all members of Tulane University (1) to foster a climate of respect, understanding, and appreciation for diverse genders, sexualities, communities, cultures, and histories (2) to encourage critical thinking about gender and sexuality (3) to provide support and leadership development for students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, questioning, asexual, and allies (LGBTIQA) (4) and, to ensure an open and affirming learning environment, free of homophobia, heterosexism, transphobia, sexism, and other forms of gender- and sex-based bias and discrimination.

The summer intern will work on several projects in preparation for the 2013/14 academic year, including but not only:

·      Researching best practices in gender and sexuality issues at peer institutions
·      Researching campus-wide LGBTIQA communication campaigns at peer institutions
·      Researching programs, speakers, and performers to bring to campus
·      Developing a guide to courses on campus that relate to gender/sexuality/race/class
·      Developing an end of the year book of photographs that document the previous year
·      Developing graphics for our programs
·      Providing assistance to student-based projects (a Zine, Intersections, logos, etc.)
·      Acting as a consultant in the development of a new Safe Zone Curriculum
·      Assessing and addressing the Mosaic Lounge—LGBTIQA Safe Space on Campus
·      Preparing for Welcome Week

Success in this internship will depend on your ability to be self-motivated, creative, communicative, assertive, and responsible.  You will receive experience working on gender and sexuality related issues in a practical way and play a key role in shaping the climate and culture on campus.  The time commitment is flexible, as the internship is unpaid.  And, you may work from home, but you will be expected to meet with the director weekly.

Please send a short letter of interest by May 10, 2013 to ogsd@tulane.edu and attach your resume.  Your letter of interest should indicate:

1) why this internship is a good fit for you and what you want to get out of it
2) your ability to work independently
3) your other work/volunteer commitments this summer
4) your weekly availability
5) when you can begin
6) if you have any artistic or graphic design experience and if so, what

Last Week of Classes

Please come out today, enjoy the beautiful weather, and celebrate the conclusion of another year at the O’s annual end of the year BBQ.  We will be out on the Jones Patio from 2-4pm. Come for 5 minutes or the whole two hours!

MONDAY
2-4pm  The O End of the Year BBQ (Jones Patio)
Please come out today, enjoy the beautiful weather, and celebrate the conclusion of another year at the O’s annual end of the year BBQ.  We will be out on the Jones Patio from 2-4pm.

5-7pm  Student Women Embracing Equality at Tulane (SWEET) Mosaic Lounge
Get excited! Tonight SWEET will host a very special guest for the last meeting of the year!!! Searah Deysach, owner of Early to Bed, a feminist sex toy store in Chicago, will discuss the basics (safety, types, uses) of sex toys and the politics of the sex toy business.   She will answer your questions and it will be “sexy, fun, and fiercely feminist!!”

This Week On Campus!

MONDAY
5-6:30 pm: Student Women Embracing Equality at Tulane (MOSAIC Lounge, bi-weekly). “Student Women Embracing Equality at Tulane (SWEET) is the Tulane University student organization for lesbian, bisexual, queer, questioning, and trans women.  It’s a safe place for queer women to meet and discuss issues, plan fun social and fundraising activities, and volunteer at events to give back to the New Orleans’ LGBTIQA community. New members and Loyola students always welcome.”

7-8 pm: TUCP Direction Presents: An Evening with Chaz Bono. (McAlister Auditorium).  TUCP Direction committee is proud to present an evening with author and activist Chaz Bono on Monday, April 22nd at 7 PM in McAlister Auditorium. Chaz Bono is an LGBTQ rights advocate, author of Transition: The Story of How I Became a Man, and the only child of famed entertainers Sonny and Cher. Join us for a discussion and Q&A! This event is free and open to the public.

TUESDAY

6-8 pm: Forum for Equality Student Advocacy Training (LBC Reiss Room).

6:30 – 7:30 pm: Gender Exploration Society (Mosaic Lounge, Weekly). The Gender Exploration Society (GES) is a student-run organization bent on making a safer space for Tulane and Loyola students and educating allies and trans* students alike about what it is to be transgender and gender-nonconforming. All people are welcome at any point throughout the semester.

WEDNESDAY
11 am – 1 pm: Gender and Sexuality Studies Capstone Presentations (Newcomb Hall B03).

6-7 pm: Pinning Ceremony (LBC Kendall Cram). This celebration highlights the academic accomplishments of students by allowing them an opportunity to celebrate among their family and friends.  It is a cultural celebration that recognizes students of color, LGBTIQ, and their allies by acknowledgingg their achievements and contributions at Tulane University and to the O. The Pinning Ceremony does not take the place of the University Commencement ceremony, but adds a special touch to the University ceremony which takes place Saturday May 18, 2013. As part of the celebration, all graduates are honored with the faces of OMA Pin and the O Honor Cord. You will have the opportunity to share your accomplishments and acknowledgements in your own words and dress nicely as we will be taking lots of pictures.  To register your participation please complete the form at the link here and email a picture of yourself to danders7@tulane.edu

7-8 pm: Mortar Board’s Last Lecture featuring Professor Mimi Schippers (Josephine Louis Ballroom). Mortar Board Senior Honor Society is pleased to present Professor Mimi Schippers’ Last Lecture. Each semester, Mortar Board invites a distinguished faculty member to address the Tulane community and present their hypothetical “last lecture.” This semester, through her last lecture, titled “Keep the Sexy/Ditch the Sexism: Undoing Gender in Everyday Life”, Professor Schippers will talk about the links between gender and sexuality and what it means to “undo” gender in everyday life and in our relationships.

FRIDAY
12-1 pm: Fridays at Newcomb: “Advancing a Gender-Specific, Culturally-Responsive Explanation for Delays in Black Women’s Preventive Care” (Anna Many Lounge, Caroline Richardson Building). Dr. Black is assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Department of Kinesiology and Community Health and was named Tulane University School of Science and Engineering Young Alumna 2012.  She graduated from Newcomb College in 1998.  Her visit is co-sponsored by the Psychology Department Colloquium series.

SUNDAY
4 – 8 pm: OGSD & OMA Study Group and Dinner: Titlayecanah (LBC G03). Titlayecanah, The O’s Sunday study group, will be meeting four more times this semester: April 7th, 14th, 21st, and the 28th. You may study for any class, and students are more than welcome to coordinate subject/class study groups. Also, as usual, a delicious and nutritious dinner will be provided for you to keep your study mojo smoking, so you can knock those assignments on their backs!!!!

Next Monday
The O Annual End of the Year BBQ!!!!
Monday, April 29, 2013 (Jones Hall Patio at 1:30pm)

This Week on Campus

The O needs you! To be a peer mentor!  Please come to an informational meeting tonight. See details below.

MONDAY
4-5 pm: Lecture: “Confronting the Reality of Sexual Violence on the College Campus”: A Talk with David Lisak. (LBC Stibbs Room). A quarter century of research has documented widespread sexual victimization on college campuses.  Confronting this reality requires confronting the reality of who perpetrates this violence.  This presentation will summarize twenty years of research—almost all based on college populations—on so-called “undetected”  rapists, men who commit rapes but who are either not reported or not prosecuted for their crimes. David Lisak is a clinical psychologist and associate professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

5-6:30 pm: Student Women Embracing Equality at Tulane (MOSAIC Lounge, bi-weekly). “Student Women Embracing Equality at Tulane (SWEET) is the Tulane University student organization for lesbian, bisexual, queer, questioning, and trans women.  It’s a safe place for queer women to meet and discuss issues, plan fun social and fundraising activities, and volunteer at events to give back to the New Orleans’ LGBTIQA community. New members and Loyola students always welcome.”

5:15-7 pm: Walk-a-Mile in Her Shoes (LBC Quad). Re-scheduled to today.  Each year, an ever-increasing number of men, women, and their families are joining Walk-a-Mile in Her Shoes®: The International Men’s March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault, and Gender Violence. Walk-a-Mile in Her Shoes® is a fun opportunity for men to educate the community about a very serious subject and to rally the community to take action to prevent sexual violence.

5:30-6:30 pm: The O Ambassador Training (LBC 213)  Do you wish you had a mentor when you first arrived at Tulane? Would you like to be a mentor to new students?  The Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Office for Gender and Sexual Diversity would like to invite you to participate in the Ambassador Program, a student-run, peer-advisor program that provides support for interested freshman and transfer students.  Ambassadors are upper-class mentors assigned to assist first-year students’ transition to college during the first eight weeks of school.  To help ensure first-year student success, ambassadors coordinate opportunities for students to become familiar with the campus and New Orleans area, as well as to develop their personal, academic, social and cultural experiences through programming and guidance. The Program cultivates student leadership skills, builds stronger, more diverse communities, and encourages students to fully participate in the campus life.  The O Student Ambassadors also assist the office with the recruitment of prospective students and help to promote a diverse and culturally inclusive campus.  If you want to find out more, please attend the initial information meeting on April 15, 2013 at 5:30pm in The Kendall Cram Room, LBC 213.

TUESDAY
6:30 – 7:30 pm: Gender Exploration Society (Mosaic Lounge, Weekly). The Gender Exploration Society (GES) is a student-run organization bent on making a safer space for Tulane and Loyola students and educating allies and trans* students alike about what it is to be transgender and gender-nonconforming. All people are welcome at any point throughout the semester.

WEDNESDAY
6-7:30 pm: Gender and Sexuality Advisory Council Meeting (Newcomb Institute). This final session of the Gender and Sexuality Advisory Council (GSAC) will meet to address the voices, issues, concerns, and atmosphere of Tulane’s LGBTIQA, OGSD, and GeSS communities. If you have any questions or points you’d like to address, feel free to share them with any board member of GSAC!  Or you can send a message to the GSAC chair Jessica Callahan at: jcallah@tulane.edu.

7-8:30 pm: A Conversation with Diane Nash and Melissa Harris-Perry (LBC Kendall Cram). A conversation between civil rights leader Diane Nash and Tulane professor of  political science Melissa Harris-Perry followed by an open discussion with the audience. Diane Nash was a founder of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee, chairperson of the Nashville student sit-in movement, and coordinator of the Freedom Ride from Birmingham to Jackson. Melissa Harris-Perry is founding director of the Anna Julia Cooper Project on Gender, Race, and Politics in the South and host of Melissa Harris-Perry on MSNBC.

THURSDAY
6:30-10 pm: Shadows of Diversity: Multicultural Talent Show (LBC Kendall Cram). Each year, Delta Xi Nu Multicultural Sorority Inc., hosts Shadows of Diversity, a multicultural talent showcase and dinner open to both the Tulane community and the New Orleans community. Some of the featured acts will include: a cappella, a traditional Chinese dance, spoken word, musical performances, Bhangra dance, poetry readings, and our signature stroll performance. If you would like to make a donation to the event or want more information, please contact Rachel Fried at rfried@tulane.edu or (540) 419-7651. Tickets are $5 pre-sale or $7 at the door.

7-8 pm: The 2013 Wirtz-Costello Lecture: “OMG. I’m so fat!” How Fat Talk Hurts Women (Freeman Auditorium, Woldenberg Art Center). We’ve all heard it: A group of women bemoaning the size of their thighs, the shape of their stomachs, the jiggle in their arms. Researchers call these conversations fat talk. Fat talk is both common and contagious in groups of young women. It may seem like harmless bonding, but research shows it hurts the women who do the talking and the women who hear it. It’s hard for women to feel good about their bodies today. You may not feel like you can change the images advertisers use or the way thinness is glorified. This talk will focus on something you can change: the way you talk about your body. Talking about your body in a different way can change the way you think and feel about it. Ultimately, ending fat talk can help create healthier communities of women who are better able to appreciate their bodies for all of the amazing things they can do. This lecture and discussion will be facilitated by Dr. Renee Englen of Northwestern University.

FRIDAY
5-7 pm: VOX Movie Screening: Citizen Ruth (Anna Many Lounge, Caroline Richardson Building). Join the VOX E-board and advisors in celebration of a very successful year!!! Citizen Ruth is a comedy that pokes fun at both pro-choice and anti-choice movements. “An irresponsible, drug-addicted, recently impregnated woman finds herself in the middle of an abortion debate when both parties attempt to sway her to their respective sides.” Enjoy some free dinner and hanging out with your favorite ladies.

SATURDAY
All Day: QSSA’s Queer Voices Art Show (Loyola University, St. Charles Room). To follow Day of Silence, The Queer Straight Student Alliance of Loyola University is hosting an art show called “Queer Voices”. This show is meant to depict the thoughts, feelings, and emotions of LGBTQ people and their allies. We will be providing food. Cover charge is $3 and all proceeds will go to an organization benefitting LGBTQ youth in New Orleans.

12 pm -10:00 pm: Crawfest 2013 (LBC Kendall Cram). Crawfest is an annual music, food, and arts festival located on Tulane’s Uptown campus. Each year 10,000-12,000 community members & students enjoy 12 bands, 20,000+ pounds of crawfish, and local food & art vendors. 2013 LINEUP: The Funky Meters, Crawfest SuperJam *featuring Eric Krasno & Alan Evans of Soulive and George Porter Jr of The Funky Meters*, The Main Squeeze, Honey Island Swamp Band, The Stooges Brass Band, Sons of Fathers, Mia Borders, Mississippi Rail Company, The Wild Magnolias, Kristin Diable, Mission South, Gold and the Rush.

SUNDAY
4 – 8 pm: OGSD & OMA Study Group and Dinner: Titlayecanah (LBC G03). Titlayecanah, The O’s Sunday study group, will be meeting four more times this semester: April 7th, 14th, 21st, and the 28th. You may study for any class, and students are more than welcome to coordinate subject/class study groups. Also, as usual, a delicious and nutritious dinner will be provided for you to keep your study mojo smoking, so you can knock those assignments on their backs!!!!

4-6 pm: The Tulane African-American Women’s Society Presents: The Fourth Annual Hair Affair (Goldring/Woldenberg Hall 2 Room 1111) A Celebration of African American Hair Care, Styles, and Trends.  We will hold a raffle and the first 100 guests will receive giftbags! In honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month, all proceeds from The Hair Affair will be donated to Raintree Children and Family Services.

4-6 pm: Queer-Feminist Collective Discussion (Anna Many Lounge, Caroline Richardson Building).

Deadline: April 23^rd – Applications for SAPHE
Tulane SAPHE (Sexual Aggression Peer Hotline and Education) is currently recruiting new members for the 2013-2014 school year! For those of you who don’t know, we’re a group of 20-30 students who run a 24/7 hotline dedicated to helping those affected by sexual aggression, domestic violence, and stalking. We also conduct various outreach and educational events throughout the year to raise awareness of sexual assault and support for survivors.  If interested, please contact Madelaine Hock at mhock@tulane.edu or Masha Chadovich at mchadovi@tulane.edu to receive the application. I encourage you all to apply- this is by far one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had at Tulane.

This Week on Campus

Many great events happening on campus this week! If you would like to take a free walking tour of the history of Gay New Orleans in the French Quarter, spots are still available.  Please be sure to RSVP. We leave for the quarter at 6pm tomorrow night!

MONDAY
4-6 pm: Jennifer Baumgardner Screening and Discussion: It Was Rape (Freeman Auditorium of the Woldenberg Art Center). Screening and discussion of It Was Rape, a film exploring sexual violence through the experiences of several survivors. Rape is wrong, illegal, reprehensible—and yet still tragically common. In this film, eight women tell their diverse personal stories of sexual assault, from a Midwestern teenager trying trying alcohol for the first time to a Native American woman gradually coming to terms with her abusive childhood. Gripping and emotional, this film is an opportunity to empathize with people—not just absorb faceless statistics—and to puncture the silence and denial that allow sexual assault to thrive. Ultimately, these stories shed light on how this epidemic affects us all. Following the screening, filmmaker Jennifer Baumgardner will discuss this project and her advocacy work.

5-6:30 pm: Student Women Embracing Equality at Tulane (MOSAIC Lounge, bi-weekly). “Student Women Embracing Equality at Tulane (SWEET) is the Tulane University student organization for lesbian, bisexual, queer, questioning, and trans women.  It’s a safe place for queer women to meet and discuss issues, plan fun social and fundraising activities, and volunteer at events to give back to the New Orleans’ LGBTIQA community. New members and Loyola students always welcome.”

TUESDAY
6 – 8:30 pm: Gay New Orleans Walking Tour (The O – LGB G04). To participate in this tour, you must RSVP to ogsd@tulane.edu.  A limited number of spaces are available.  We will meet in the O (LBC G04) at 6pm to go down to the French Quarter where Frank Perez, author of Gay New Orleans, will give us a historical tour of the quarter. Once in the Quarter, the tour will depart at 6:30 from 638 St. Ann.
6:30 – 7:30 pm: Gender Exploration Society (Mosaic Lounge, Weekly). The Gender Exploration Society (GES) is a student-run organization bent on making a safer space for Tulane and Loyola students and educating allies and trans* students alike about what it is to be transgender and gender-nonconforming. All people are welcome at any point throughout the semester.

WEDNESDAY
5:30-7 pm: Internship Fair (Qatar Ballroom). The Center for Public Service Internship program is hosting its semesterly Internship Fair on Wednesday, April 10th from 5:30-7pm in the Qatar Ballroom.  We expect over 100 community partners to attend, and this is an excellent opportunity for students to network for summer/fall internships and beyond.  Students can contact cpsinternships@tulane.edu with any questions.

6-8 pm: Mapping Discrimination (Special Tea NOLA Tea Lounge & Coffee Shop – 4337 Banks, New Orleans, Louisiana 70119). Please join GNOFHAC staff as we use a variety of maps to spatially analyze discrimination complaints received by our office between 2007 and 2012 from throughout the greater New Orleans area. Staff and community members will use these maps to interpret trends in discrimination and to examine how these trends might be influenced by state, federal, and local policy. We will also discuss how the information uncovered in this session could be used to further fair housing efforts in the greater New Orleans area. This event is free and open to the public; individuals interested in urban planning and social policy are particularly encouraged to attend.

THURSDAY
2-5 pm: Project Clothesline (LBC Pederson Lobby). Please join SAPHE this Thursday and Friday forThe Clothesline Project, which honors survivors as well as victims of sexual aggression and domestic violence. Any person who has experienced such violence, at any time in their life, is encouraged to come forward and design a shirt. Victim’s families and friends are also invited to participate. It is the very process of designing a shirt that gives each woman a new voice with which to expose an often horrific and unspeakable experience that has dramatically altered the course of her life. Participating in this project provides a powerful step towards helping a survivor break through the shroud of silence that has surrounded her experience. The shirts will be hung for Crawfest within the LBC and Newcomb Institute.

5:15-6 pm: Walk A Mile in Her Shoes (LBC Quad). Walk a Mile in Her Shoes®: The International Men’s March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault, and Gender Violence, is a fun opportunity for men to educate our community about a very serious subject and to rally the Tulane community to take action to prevent sexual violence. Food and music will follow to the event. MEN: Go to wellness.tulane.edu to register online to WALK. You may register as an individual or a TEAM. Registration begins at 4:30 pm at the Quad. WOMEN: Go to wellness.tulane.edu and click on the Walk a Mile link to register online to VOLUNTEER.

5:30-7 pm: Lesbians in the Gay Liberation Movement (Anna Many Lounge – Caroline Richardson Building). Come join us for an important lecture, which will include the discussions “A Brief History of Lesbians in the Women’s and Gay Liberation Movements” and “The Lavender Menace: The Lesbian Factor in Civil Rights Movement.” With Speaker Karissa Haugeberg, Ph.D. and Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of History at Tulane University. Open to the Public. Everyone is encouraged to attend to learn and experience a piece of our LGBT and Women’s history.

FRIDAY
12-1 pm: Fridays at Newcomb: “The Other Maroons: Women, Sex, and Agency” (LBC Stibbs). Nayana Abeysinghe is an Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in the Humanities at Tulane University. She received her Ph.D. in French from Columbia University and has taught at St. Mary’s College of Maryland and at SUNY New Paltz as visiting assistant professor. Her work includes considerations of Caribbean spiritualties, sexualities, migrations and storytelling. She is currently working on a book on trans colonial travels in the Caribbean.

2-5 pm: Project Clothesline (LBC Pederson Lobby). Please join SAPHE this Thursday and Friday forThe Clothesline Project, which honors survivors as well as victims of sexual aggression and domestic violence. Any person who has experienced such violence, at any time in their life, is encouraged to come forward and design a shirt. Victim’s families and friends are also invited to participate. It is the very process of designing a shirt that gives each woman a new voice with which to expose an often horrific and unspeakable experience that has dramatically altered the course of her life. Participating in this project provides a powerful step towards helping a survivor break through the shroud of silence that has surrounded her experience. The shirts will be hung for Crawfest within the LBC and Newcomb Institute.

8-9:30 pm: Tulane University Presents: The Vagina Monologues (LBC Kendall Cram). Join the ladies of Tulane University for the annual performance of The Vagina Monologues written by Eve Ensler. All money from ticket sales will be donated to the New Orleans Women with a Vision and the V-DAY Campaign. Contact Hannah Marler (hmarler@tulane.edu) with any questions, comments, or concerns. Tickets are $8 for students and $10 for general admission. They can be bought in the LBC from 11am-2pm or at the door before the show.

SATURDAY
10-11:30 pm: Tulane University Presents: The Vagina Monologues (LBC Kendall Cram). Join the ladies of Tulane University for the annual performance of The Vagina Monologues written by Eve Ensler. All money from ticket sales will be donated to the New Orleans Women with a Vision and the V-DAY Campaign. Contact Hannah Marler (hmarler@tulane.edu) with any questions, comments, or concerns. Tickets are $8 for students and $10 for general admission. They can be bought in the LBC from 11am-2pm or at the door before the show.

SUNDAY
4 – 8 pm: OGSD & OMA Study Group and Dinner: Titlayecanah (LBC G03). Titlayecanah, The O’s Sunday study group, will be meeting four more times this semester: April 7th, 14th, 21st, and the 28th. You may study for any class, and students are more than welcome to coordinate subject/class study groups. Also, as usual, a delicious and nutritious dinner will be provided for you to keep your study mojo smoking, so you can knock those assignments on their backs!!!!

8-9:30 pm: Tulane University Presents: The Vagina Monologues (LBC Kendall Cram). Join the ladies of Tulane University for the annual performance of The Vagina Monologues written by Eve Ensler. All money from ticket sales will be donated to the New Orleans Women with a Vision and the V-DAY Campaign. Contact Hannah Marler (hmarler@tulane.edu) with any questions, comments, or concerns. Tickets are $8 for students and $10 for general admission. They can be bought in the LBC from 11am-2pm or at the door before the show.

DEADLINES AND THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR

April 15: Mentor/Mentee Information Session (5:30pm in The Kendall Cram Room, LBC 213) Do you wish you had a mentor when you first arrived at Tulane? Would you like to be a mentor to new students?  The Offfice of Multicultural Affairs and the Office for Gender and Sexual Diversity would like to invite you to participate in the Ambassador Program, a student-run, peer-advisor program that provides support for interested freshman and transfer students.  Ambassadors are upper-class mentors assigned to assist first-year students’ transition to college during the first eight weeks of school.  To help ensure first-year student success, ambassadors coordinate opportunities for students to become familiar with the campus and New Orleans area, as well as to develop their personal, academic, social and cultural experiences through programming and guidance. The Program cultivates student leadership skills, builds stronger, more diverse communities, and encourages students to fully participate in the campus life.  The O Student Ambassadors also assist the office with the recruitment of prospective students and help to promote a diverse and culturally inclusive campus.  If you want to find out more, please attend the initial information meeting on April 15, 2013 at 5:30pm in The Kendall Cram Room, LBC 213.

Deadline: April 15^th – Registration for Multicultural/LGBTIQA Pinning Ceremony
This celebration will take place at 6 pm on April 24^th and will highlight the academic accomplishments of students by allowing them an opportunity to celebrate amongst their family and friends. It is a cultural celebration that recognizes students of color, LGBTIQ, and their allies by acknowledging their achievements and contributions at Tulane University and to the O. As part of the celebration, all graduates are honored with the faces of OMA Pin and the O Honor Cord.  Please invite your close family members, friends, professors, mentors, and other allies who played a significant role in your college career. You may invite family and close friends but we ask that you limit your invitations to 4 additional people for a total of 5 people including yourself. If you would like invites to give people please stop by the O (located in LBC G04) and see Desirée Anderson.  We ask that they RSVP to our office by April 15, 2013 by emailing danders7@tulane.edu or calling 504-865-5181. To register your participation please complete this form (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGRBUExvQnpsTjhweXVEUGlqNHdHZUE6MQ#gid=0) and email a picture of yourself to danders7@tulane.edu

Deadline: April 23^rd – Applications for SAPHE
Tulane SAPHE (Sexual Aggression Peer Hotline and Education) is currently recruiting new members for the 2013-2014 school year! For those of you who don’t know, we’re a group of 20-30 students who run a 24/7 hotline dedicated to helping those affected by sexual aggression, domestic violence, and stalking. We also conduct various outreach and educational events throughout the year to raise awareness of sexual assault and support for survivors.  If interested, please contact Madelaine Hock at mhock@tulane.edu or Masha Chadovich at mchadovi@tulane.edu to receive the application. I encourage you all to apply- this is by far one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had at Tulane.

This Week on Campus

Welcome back to campus everyone!  Seniors: You are invited to participate in the O’s Senior Pinning Ceremony, a cultural celebration that recognizes students of color, LGBTIQ students, and their allies.  The ceremony, which will acknowledge your achievements and contributions to Tulane University and the O, will take place on April 24 at 6pm.  (It does not take the place of the University Commencement ceremony, but adds a special touch to the University ceremony, which takes place Saturday May 18, 2013.)  Please invite your close family members, friends, professors, mentors, and other allies who played a significant role in your college career.  We only ask that you limit your invitations to 4 additional people for a total of 5 people including yourself and that you RSVP to our office by April 15, 2013 by emailing danders7@tulane.edu or calling 504-865-5181.  To register your participation please complete the form at the link here and email a picture of yourself to danders7@tulane.edu. In the meantime, this is what’s happening this week on campus.

MONDAY
5:00 – 6:30 pm: Student Women Embracing Equality at Tulane (MOSAIC Lounge, bi-weekly). “Student Women Embracing Equality at Tulane (SWEET) is the Tulane University student organization for lesbian, bisexual, queer, questioning, and trans women.  It’s a safe place for queer women to meet and discuss issues, plan fun social and fundraising activities, and volunteer at events to give back to the New Orleans’ LGBTIQA community. New members and Loyola students always welcome.”

TUESDAY
6:30 – 7:30 pm: Gender Exploration Society (Mosaic Lounge, Weekly). The Gender Exploration Society (GES) is a student-run organization bent on making a safer space for Tulane and Loyola students and educating allies and trans* students alike about what it is to be transgender and gender-nonconforming. All people are welcome at any point throughout the semester.

WEDNESDAY
6:00 – 7:30 pm: Screening: (A)Sexual Documentary (The O, Bottom of the LBC). Please join OGSD as we screen (A)Sexual, which follows the growth of a community that experiences no sexual attraction. In 2000, David Jay came out to his parents. He was asexual and was fine with it. And he was not alone. Studies show that 1% of the population is asexual. But in a society obsessed with sex, how do you deal with life as an outsider? Combining intimate interviews, vérité footage, and animation with fearless humor and pop culture imagery, David and our four other characters grapple with this universal question, and the outcomes might surprise you. Free cake will be provided, and there will be a discussion about asexuality after the screening!

7:30 – 9 pm: Tulane I.D. – More than Just Your Splash Card: Finding Identity in College (LBC, Kendall Cram). Since we were young, we’ve been told that college is supposed to be the best time of our life. However, for some, that is not the case. College can be a time where students question their identity, motives, and background. Everyone has struggles and we want to create an open space to discuss personal struggles and university-wide concerns. We as GENTE want to hear from organizations, individuals, and every collective in-between! It’s time we brought our ideas, frustrations, plans, and passions together to talk about our identity on campus!

FRIDAY
Deadline: Feminist Camp Funding from NCI at 5 pm.  Do you want to spend a week in New York City meeting with feminist organizations and activists?  Feminist Camp is a transformative week of feminism in action hosted in New York City by authors and activists, Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards.Each day is organized by theme—Reproductive Justice, Sexual Power, Feminist Art, Philanthropy, and more—and always includes a Career Day that offers concrete information for entering the work world.

Feminist Camp is different every year, but to give you an idea, here are some places and people they’ve met with in the past:  AIR Gallery, The Alan Guttmacher Institute, Babeland, Bluestockings Bookstore, BUST Magazine, Choices in Childbirth, CHOICES Medical Clinic, Concrete Utopia, The Doula Project, Equality NOW, Girls for Gender Equity, The Girl’s Project, Girls Write Now, The Feminist Press, International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Coalition, International Women’s Health Coalition, Midwives For Choice, The Museum of Sex, National Advocates For Pregnant Women, NARAL Pro-Choice New York, Planned Parenthood NYC, Rabbis for Human Rights,REVEAL Conference, The Sackler Center for Feminist Art, The Sex Workers Project, The Sister Fund, the Third Wave Foundation, UNICEF, and The Women’s Media Center.

Feminist Camp is open to all who are interested in learning more about transforming feminist theory into practice. The Newcomb College Institute will provide funding to current freshman, sophomores, and juniors. Funding will cover the$1,500 program fee which includes housing, breakfasts, most lunches for five days, all programming, and a weekly MetroCard.Transportation to New York City will be the responsibility of the participant.  If you are interested in attending, please complete the application form and submit to Laura Wolford at lwolford@tulane.edu by April 5 at 5:00 pm.

7-9 pm: GRL Presents: Going Once, Going Twice (LBC Stibbs). The lovely sisters of Gamma Rho Lambda National Sorority present “Going Once, Going Twice” our little spin on the date auction. Participants will have the option to either bid on a person or a blind date. If you bid on a blind date, the person will be revealed to you at the reception immediately following. These dates could range from bike rides in Audubon park to a romantic dinner, it’s up to you! *NOTE: Choosing to participate indicates that you will abide by our safe space guidelines, which means respecting all bodies and identities. Individuals of any gender or sexual orientation will be able to bid on any participant being auctioned. If you or anyone you know is interested in being up for bid, please contact adiedjom@tulane.edu

SATURDAY
9 am – 3 pm: First Annual Newcomb Scholars Senior Symposium (Jones 204). Join the inaugural class of Newcomb Scholars as they present their theses and independent research projects that mark the culmination of the cohort’s four-year academic experience.  With panel themes ranging from “Resiliency and Response” to “Class and Empowerment” to “Health and Wellness,” there is truly something for everyone!   Please RSVP to newcombscholars@tulane.edu if you will attend; lunch will be provided for those who RSVP.

SUNDAY
4 – 8 pm: Titlayecanah: OGSD & OMA Study Group and Dinner  (LBC G03). Titlayecanah, The O’s Sunday study group, will be meeting four more times this semester: April 7th, 14th, 21st, and the 28th. You may study for any class, and students are more than welcome to coordinate subject/class study groups. Also, as usual, a delicious and nutritious dinner will be provided for you to keep your study mojo smoking, so you can knock those assignments on their backs!!!!

This Week on Campus

MONDAY
5-6:30 pm: Student Women Embracing Equality at Tulane (MOSAIC Lounge, bi-weekly). “Student Women Embracing Equality at Tulane (SWEET) is the Tulane University student organization for lesbian, bisexual, queer, questioning, and trans women.  It’s a safe place for queer women to meet and discuss issues, plan fun social and fundraising activities, and volunteer at events to give back to the New Orleans’ LGBTIQA community. New members and Loyola students always welcome.”

TUESDAY
Special Time and Place: 6:00 – 8:00 pm: Gender Exploration Society. This week the Gender Exploration Society will be attending the event listed below: “Every Time I Step Outside, my Body is a Public Object”.  Please meet at the Caroline Richardson Building in the Nadine-Vorhoff library.  The Gender Exploration Society (GES) is a student-run organization bent on making a safer space for Tulane and Loyola students and educating allies and trans* students alike about what it is to be transgender and gender-nonconforming. All people are welcome at any point throughout the semester.

6 – 8 pm: Screening and Discussion: “Every Time I Step Outside, my Body is a Public Object” (Nadine-Vorhoff Library in the Caroline Richardson Building). 

This screening and discussion features work made by Tulane University students in collaboration with performance artist Nicole Garneau for the Spring 2013 Art & Media Workshop.  Through the medium of performances for the camera, this 6-week performance workshop explored the body in performance and the complexity of gender and sexuality identities.  In a fun and creative way, performances for the camera were intimate and private as well as radical public gestures. Sponsored by the Office of Gender & Sexual Diversity & The Division of Student Affairs of Tulane University.
Nicole Garneau, Lead Artist/Facilitator
6:00 Reception & Refreshments
6:30-8:00 Screening & Discussion
*the title of the workshop, and much inspiration, comes from the artist Mark Aguhar, Calloutqueen

WEDNESDAY
10 am – 4 pm: GeSS Clothing Swap (Basement of Newcomb Hall, GESS Suite B03).

Stop by the Gender and Sexuality Studies (GeSS) suite to swap clothes, eat cupcakes, and meet with the GeSS professors. Bring questions, bring clothes, bring your friends! GESS wants the clothes that no longer fit you, or no longer fit your gender. You may donate one gently-used item, or donate two and pick an item to exchange from the pile on the table in B03B.

5:30 – 9 pm: Desegregation of Tulane WIKITHON!!! (Collat Media Lab, 2nd floor of Caroline Richardson Building). Come and learn how to edit Wikipedia whilst helping others learn about the desegregation of higher education in New Orleans! Food will be provided! By making the history of desegregation at Tulane accessible to a wide range of people, we are contributing to preserving the knowledge of the American Civil Rights movement. Attendees will learn the basics of editing Wikipedia and have the opportunity to edit or create new articles. It’s drop in, drop out, so stay as long as you want!\
Facebook Event Link: http://www.facebook.com/events/610992625580978/?ref=2

8-9 pm: QSA Meeting (MOSAIC Lounge, weekly). Formerly known as MOSAIC, the LGBTQA student organization seeks to improve the lives of LGBTQ students on campus. Queer students and allies are all welcome!

THURSDAY
11 am – 1 pm: Spring Break Safety Tips Come out to Pocket Park for Spring Break Safety tips and treats! Sponsored by theWELL.

7 – 9 pm: Lecture: “Race and Gender: Reality TV and Ratchet Culture” (Nunemaker Hall, Loyola University). Dr. Treva Lindsey will present: “You Say No To Ratchet Culture, Reality TV Can’t: Representations of African Americans on Reality Television.” Dr. Lindsey is a Professor at the Women and Gender Studies Department at the University of Missouri. Her area of focus is the representation of black women in culture, black sex politics and the politics of hip-hip in the black community. She has served as a panelist in the nationally acclaimed Rap Sessions tour aimed at encouraging community dialogue on hip-hop and the cultural messages of rap music in the black community. Dr. Lindsey’s 60-minute presentation will be followed by a discussion and Q&A.

FRIDAY
12 – 1 pm: Fridays at Newcomb: “Signares and Métis Women: A History of African and European Interaction in Senegal, West Africa” (Anna Many lounge, Caroline Richardson Building). Lecture presented by Dr. Hilary Jones of University of Maryland. Signares, women who owned property and held high social standing in Senegal’s Atlantic coastal towns during the era of the Atlantic slave trade, established households with European men that gave rise to a population of people of mixed racial ancestry.  They and their métisse daughters shaped a culture grounded in Senegal while reaching outward to the francophone Atlantic world.

SATURDAY  Spring Break Begins!
6 am – 7:30 pm: Louisiana Queer Conference (Baton Rouge, LSU). A group of Tulane students will be attending this day-long conference in Baton Rouge. Email Jessica at jcallah@tulane.edu to reserve a spot in their carpool.   “Support southern queer organizing at the Louisiana Queer Conference! LAQC strives to create an environment for LGBTQ college all over the state to network, build leadership skills, and engage in discussions about the state of the LGBTQ movement in our state and on our various campuses. Join us for a keynote address from the Governmental Affairs Director for The Trevor Project, a panel discussing the state of the LGBTQ movement in Louisiana, and fun and engaging workshop opportunities.”