AS Women's Center Radio Show

By Meggie Schultz

I remember the first time I heard my voice on the radio.  I had called in for an on-air talent contest and the listeners of Sacramento were graced with the lyrical sensation that was middle-school me singing “Hakuna matata.”  I giggled as my voice echoed back and, although I didn’t win the contest, I was so proud to tell everyone I saw that I had been on the radio!  It was so exciting to know that for a 2 minute period, people were listening to me doing something I loved.

The second time I heard my voice on the radio, I had officially joined the team of AS Women’s Center radio interns as DJ Vagtastic.  Every Thursday from 6pm to 7pm, I join fellow intern DJ Gynomite in educating the listeners of kcscradio.com on feminist issues within our campus, community, and world. 

As an intern, I’ve assisted with putting together several events, including last semester’s Take Back the Night and this semester’s Maggie Awards.  I’ve stood in protests, holding signs to show my support for my cause.  I’ve sat at informational tables, educating students about women’s issues.  And I’ve proudly stood beside my fellow interns, joining them in changing our campus and community for the better.  And yet I had never considered going on air to share current events, social issues, and my own unique opinions as a form of activism.  

In Philadelphia, a group of volunteers came together in 2008 to build a radio station for their local community as an attempt to bring people together.  Inviting all community members to come on air and get involved, the volunteers created an opportunity for people to share their own voices on issues influencing their community.  One of the members commented that “This is an extremely positive endeavor…I see this as a venue for voices that are often marginalized or drowned out.”  Having the radio has allowed the community members of West Philly to have their voices and opinions to be heard; far too often, the voices of communities are ignored in mainstream media.  As far as discussing social and political issues, one community member sees the radio as “an opportunity not just to preach your politics but work together to build an institution.”  Including local news, hit music, and community announcements, the radio station, although often facing economic hardships, has worked to bring the community together and have their voices heard.

On the other side of the globe in 2011, young women in Fiji joined together to use a community radio broadcast to address daily issues that affect the lives of young women in their area.  This group of 21 women included those from Labasa, Nadi, Suva, the autonomous region of Bougainville, Tonga, and the Solomon Islands.  This radio program became an opportunity for these young women to raise their often ignored and unheard concerns; the main goal of the group was “to develop some radio series on issues that connected women in all divisions.”  The women wanted to discuss issues of women’s access to appropriate housing, food security, health issues, and education.  They even emphasized their desire to provide information on a pap-smear, including how it worked, its purpose, and the danger of cervical cancer.  By using this radio program, the women of Fiji have been able to build a strong community of women who are educated on issues concerning their lives and their bodies. 

Today, Chico’s KCSC radio program has become an opportunity for me and my co-host DJ Gynomite (Hannah Clause) to use our voices for activism.  Each week, we come together to raise awareness on important feminist issues, sharing with our listeners knowledge, opinions, and lots of laughs.  Whether it is women’s rights issues or women’s pleasure issues, we are ready to step up to the mic and talk it out.  DJ Gynomite remarks that she has “been able to express my activism to anyone who will listen…using forms of media is one of the strongest ways to get ideas and issues circulating in the public, and the DJ show allows me to be the one to put that information out there.”  For me, using the radio program has allowed me to show my support for women’s rights and my concern for women’s issues, while also building my confidence in how I can truly be an activist in my community. 

Listen in every Thursday from 6pm to 7pm at kcscradio.com. 

For more information, search for the AS Women's Center Radio Show on Facebook!

AS Women's Center's 14th Annual Women's Conference

By Rachel Robledo

The 13 annual Women’s Conference is final here! This Sunday April 10^th in Sylvester’s Café. I have never attended a women’s conference before but if I had to pick one to go to, it would most definitely be this year’s conference. This year’s conference theme will be, “Breaking Feminist Cultural Boundaries.” This theme may have different meanings for people. For me the theme shows how struggle and/or self-exploration of my own identity have exposed the many different identifiers in that I have in my life. I find that depending on how I grow and mature I see myself through many different lenses such as my cultural identity, my school identity, the identity I portray with my friends or family, and much, much more. As an example today I am a Hispanic and White female who is a student, involved in Greek life, is a practicing Catholic who loves TV, all foods, clothes and I am a feminist. What I am trying to say is, although my identity is always evolving I can be all these things and also be a feminist. I can be anything I want to be and as long as my values and personal beliefs stay constant I will still consider myself a feminist. When I doubt myself or think, well my religion says this or my behavior shows that…I think; do I believe that every person should have a fair say, that andocentric language is wrong or that in the year 2011 there should no longer be a wage gap? Then I know I am a feminist.  Feminism is an identity in itself and is different for every person. It will always be evolving and changing.

At this years conference I hope every person walks away feeling empowered and more knowledgeable about feminism. Not only feminism but specifically how feminism and culture bring people together. Through a variation of workshops and lectures we will be breaking down the stereotypes and show how related culture and feminism really is. Please join us if you want to discuss feminism, boundaries, diversity, and ultimately come together to support each other. The event kicks off Sunday, April 10^th in Sylvester’s Café on the CSUC campus. Join us from events from 10-3:30, with a free lunch and our new tote bags for sale, only $7!

For further information, contact:

Jillian Ruddell, Director of the AS Women’s Center, BMU 002

530-898-5724

Email: ASWOMENSCENTERSD@CSUCHICO.

My First Take Back the Night Will Not Be My Last

by Kaitlyn Azevedo 

Wow, where do I even begin?? Take Back the Night was so awesome, I can only help but feel like we touched and impacted so many people by putting on this event. This semester, I am not only lucky to be an intern, but I was on the TBTN committee as well. This was super cool because I had never been to a Take Back the Night before, and so putting it together and getting to see it turn out so well was really special.

Although it only lasted for three hours, I learned how much effort, time, and detail really go into the coordination and preparation in order to make the event run as smoothly as it did. Having an experienced mentor such as Kerrie also helped, as she was able to guide us new interns, and teach us the ropes of putting together TBTN.

During class talks and tabling I could see the different reactions people would have regarding the focal point of Take Back the Night. There were tons of people who said they wanted to come and were interested in what the event is about, while others wanted nothing to do with it. This struck me as interesting, and just further exemplifies the need for education regarding the frequency of sexual assault, domestic violence, and rape. It was also empowering to see people come who were initially hesitant about the event, but still stretched their boundaries.

We had two great days of tabling; there was a wide spread variety of organizations that came, and lots of interest was shown by people passing by. I felt like these two days were a great way to kick off the event, and to have interaction between the campus community and some of the clubs.

Another awesome thing to add to an already wonderful event, was the fact that our event was used for a movie! The anthropology professor Jesse Dizzard and a fellow student are making a documentary regarding people's knowledge of sexual assault, and to further educate and enlighten people of its prevalence. They took footage of us tabling, the speech that our keynote speaker Kate Transchel gave, as well as the actual march. I also had the experience of being interviewed for the film, which was really cool. I think the subject of their movie goes hand-in-hand with our Take Back the Night, and was so glad they were able to catch our event on camera. Now, hopefully, our message can be passed even further along.

Before Tuesday night, I was really anxious to see how many people were going to come make posters during tabling, how much the Toms we were going to be auctioned for, and ultimately, how many people would show up. As a student, I know it can be intimidating or uncomfortable to go to club's events for the first time (which could potentially be the reason I hadn't attended TBTN until Tuesday) but that night we had a really great turn out of people, including returners and first-timers alike. The overall energy of the event was really powerful, and it was clear to see that the people who came out to participate were there for one main reason: to end violence against people!

I am so grateful I not only attended Take Back the Night, but being able to help administer and facilitate this amazing event was something I will always remember. There were a lot of firsts during this experience, but now that I've put my foot in the door, I plan on Taking Back Many more Nights!

History of Take Back the Night

by Jessica Arriaga

The anxiety women feel when walking alone at night, the potential fear that they can radiate the body, the danger people say “they are putting themselves in,” and the fact that a women simply cannot feel safe when the sun goes down are all reasons why Take Back the Night began

According to takebackthenight.org the first Take Back the Night in the United States occurred in October of 1975 in Philadelphia. People partook in the event after Susan Alexander Speeth, a young microbiologist was stabbed and murdered while walking home alone. The first Take Back the Night to take place over seas happened in Brussels, Belgium March 4-8 in 1976. In Belgium the event was huge, two thousand women representing 40 countries attended. Both in Philadelphia and in Belgium there was a candlelit progression; these were the first documented Take Back the Night Marches

In Europe the event is called Reclaiming the Night and it started in Rome in 1976. The reported 16,ooo rapes that year are what fueled Reclaim the Night, that is a lot of women, a lot of individuals that were affected by violence. This brings me to the point that rape does not solely affect the individual but also affects so many people associated with the victim. From Rome, the event took place in Germany, on April 30 1977, which was a place where women suffered constant harassment both during the day and at night. This important movement began to grow and become acknowledged, and the next city to hold the event was Leeds, England in November of 1977. Leeds put on the event in response to many, many women being attacked, raped, and killed. These women were all prostitutes, but that was not a welcome to violence against them

Australia and India also began putting on Reclaim the Night events. Australia’s events first aimed to raise awareness against abortion and contraception. In Bombay, India after a pregnant woman was gang raped women put on a Reclaim the Night in March of 1978

In New York, the first march for women was held in 1976 and it was not until 1977 that the slogan “Take Back the Night” was brought to light by a woman named Anne Pride. In 1978 San Franciscans put on a Take Back the Night in protest to pornography, which I find interesting being that so many of us see this event used to mainly protest violence usually of a sexual nature against women. In Canada, The Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centers declared the third Friday of September the official evening for Take Bake the Night marches nationwide

For over 30 years women have been speaking out at these Take Back the Night events attempting to combat and raise awareness of violence against women. The event seeks to eliminate all forms of sexual violence. Thousands of colleges, universities, Women’s Centers and rape crisis centers have sponsored these events all over the country, and the AS Women Center is extremely proud to be one of those organizations

Please come and join us Tuesday night for our spring Take Back the Night Event! We will be tabling both Monday and Tuesday morning. On Tuesday at 7:30pm The Women only Survivor speak out will take place and the Gender Inclusive Workshop will be going on simultaneously. We encourage women to come tell their stories, read a poem, or anything they feel comfortable sharing. The Gender Inclusive Workshop will cover bystander awareness, how we perpetuate rape culture in our society and tips on how to combat it. At 8:30 the Keynote address will be given by Kate Transchel who is a professor in the History Department on campus and has done extensive research on sex trafficking. Following the keynote will be a silent candle-lit march at 9:00pm. This event is extremely empowering and strives to promote change. So please come out and support the cause.

Planned Parenthood: Contact Your Congressperson

by Trina Walker  & Lisa Ricchio

As most people probably know by now, or at least should know, there is an amendment which has passed the House of Representatives and is on its way to the Senate, called the Pence Amendment. The Pence Amendment would strip Planned Parenthood and 102 affiliated organizations of all federal funding which includes money for contraception, cancer screening, STD testing and treating, education, family planning counseling, and much more. This Amendment would cut off 48% of Planned Parenthood patients, which is approximately 1.4 million people. Planned Parenthood and other organizations like it have provided many resources to women and men across the country for decades; I know I have personally taken advantage of the services offered, as have many of my peers. What is interesting about this amendment is that it seeks to defund Planned Parenthood because it provides abortion services to its patients. However, only 3% of Planned Parenthood services are abortions and none of the federal money Planned Parenthood receives is used for abortions. The Pence Amendment is just another attempt to push anti-choice legislation onto citizens in an effort to take away a woman’s right to choose guaranteed in 1973 under Roe v. Wade. One important step citizens can take to make sure this amendment does not pass the Senate is to contact their elected officials whether by phone call, email, or letter.

Keeping in contact with elected officials is one of the best ways people can make sure their voices are being heard and that their representatives are actually doing the will of their constituents. It is an easy process to find out contact information for Congressional members. One can easily type into Google “Congressional Directory” and find the government site which provides information on any and all Congressional members, even which elected officials represent them in the House and Senate. There is also a U.S. Capitol switchboard number to call (202) 224-3121, if constituents prefer, where one can be connected to the office of their representative and speak directly to a staff member. With all these resources available at our fingertips there is no excuse to not let our voices be heard in regards to the Pence Amendment. We need to call, write and email our representative and let them know how we feel about this outrageous attack on reproductive services. Without funding to Planned Parenthood and similar organizations, they will not be able to provide the important services which help so many women and men. We need to let our Senators know that we want them to vote NO on the Pence Amendment, and we need to contact our House members and find out how they voted on this bill, (if we don’t know already) and let them know, if we agree with that vote or not. This is the motivation behind what the AS Women’s Center is doing in its next three tabling events. We will be providing students with access to sign the pledge against this amendment, as well as showing students how to get in contact with their representatives.

If the bill passes the Senate, which is a doubtful prediction in the Democratic led Senate, it will go on to the President for signing. If he vetoes the bill it will go back to the House where it can be overruled with a 2/3 majority. We cannot afford to be silent, we need to take action.

Help Save Planned Parenthood! Contact your Lawmakers now!! 

Rape Culture in Our Day to Day Lives

by Taure Shimp

Acts of violence against women and rape are not isolated events—they take place in the context of a larger cultural system (known as rape culture) that normalizes the mistreatment of women in insidious ways. Wikipedia sums up the concept of rape culture by saying, “Within [rape culture], acts of sexism are commonly employed to validate and rationalize normative misogynistic practices; for instance, sexist jokes may be told to foster disrespect for women and an accompanying disregard for their well-being, which ultimately make their rape and abuse seem ‘acceptable.’ Examples of behaviors that typify rape culture include victim blaming and sexual objectification. In this way, sexualized violence towards women is regarded as a continuum in a society that regards women's bodies as sexually available by default.” This is profoundly problematic for obvious reasons.

One of the ways rape culture manifests itself is in “rape schedules,” which scores of women live by. Many of us find ourselves scheduling our lives around the threat of rape: a woman studying in the university library will feel pressure to leave before dark so that she can walk somewhat confidently to her car, the bus, or her bike. Joe Sharkey wrote a piece for the New York Times wherein business consultant Carol Margolis observed that for travelling business women, a fear of harassment “restricts some women on the road from leaving their hotels and really enjoying their travels in their off time.” Our lives are limited by the inability to move confidently through the world at all times of day.

This is why events like Take Back the Night are so important. Take Back the Night is an event consisting of workshops, speakers, and a silent march to raise awareness about violence and rape against women. Take Back the Night is, in many ways, a refusal to abide by the edicts of a rape schedule. CSU, Chico’s own Take Back the Night will be taking place on March 8, 2011. The event opens with two workshops beginning at 7:30; one is a women’s only survivor speak out where women can share their own experiences in a safe environment. The other is a workshop for both men and women. Keynote speaker Dr. Kate Transchel will address participants at 8:30 and the night culminates in a silent, candle-lit march beginning at 9:00 pm. Come be part of this empowering event!

For more information about Rape Culture (and the movements to change it), check out these links:

1.      Yes Means Yes
2.      Stop Street Harassment 
3.      Ihollaback.org 

Vagina Monologues: From an Actor's Perspective

By Lisa Ricchio

I had never seen the Vagina Monologues. I really had no idea what they were about. Besides vaginas, that is. And then one day while hanging out in the Women's Center, or better known as the Dub-C, as I often am found, someone suggested to me that I tryout for the Vmons. “You should be the moaner”, they said. Having never seen or read the monologues, but at the same time being very intrigued, I said, “Sure, why the hell not?” And I went to tryouts and read for the moaner. After tryouts, all I could think was, 'Uhhh why did they think I should be the moaner?!'

So, obviously, I got a part. A few parts actually. I was in the introduction, the questions, the vagina workshop, and the woman who loved to make vaginas happy… aka: “The Moaner.”

The introduction was sectioned into “personalities” and then given to those of us who matched the personalities. Surprise, surprise! I was the sarcastic, dry humored character. Who would’ve thought, huh?

The questions ended up being a slide show which was a blast to make because it mostly consisted of arts and crafts. Sweet!

For the vagina workshop all I had to do was be a background person and follow the moves of “the instructor” on stage. Check.

Last but certainly not least, were the moans. As we were in rehearsals, we were doling out who would do which moan. I volunteered myself for the doggie moan, the WASP moan, and the college moan. I never thought I’d have the ovaries to get up on stage in front of 500 people in a red corset and 5 inch heels and MOAN. But hey, there’s a first time for everything, right?

Okay, so, THIS WAS THE MOST FUN EVER! My fellow cast members were awesome and really fun to hang out with 3 or 4 times a week in rehearsals and the directing duo was super patient with us. Keep an eye out next year because I’m so totally down to do it all over again!

Vagina Monologue Review

By Khou Xiong

I have heard that Vagina Monologues was a good show. I went to see the play expecting it to be good and it was. The word “monologue” made me think of people just talking at the audience, but it wasn't exactly that. Each monologue was interesting. I loved how most of the monologues had at least two people talking which turned it more into a dialogue, a discussion.

One of my favorite monologues had to have been “The Flood”. This piece let the audience hear an older woman's voice and ideas about her vagina through her younger, inner voice. Listening to the two difference voices really grabbed me from the start and I attention even more attention to the play. It made the performance much more interesting. This piece was about how the older woman was remembering when she went on a date with a boy. She got so excited when the boy kissed her that suddenly a “flood” came from her lady parts. She was embarrassed to ever talk about her vagina from then on and even refers to it as cellar that no one goes down to. “The Flood” made me think about all of the young women out there who have no idea about what is happening to a woman’s body when she gets aroused. The feeling of “wrongness” when one first has “the flood” happen to them is frightened and they usual ponder or wonder if what just happened to them was “wrong”.

Another thing that made this play really intriguing was the monologue “Vagina Happy Fact”. It was great that the play had true facts about a woman's vagina to let women in the audience know. Some of the facts were as follows: the Vagina has over 8,000 nerve endings, it is the only organ in the body that used simply for pleasure, and it has twice the amount of nerves than are found in the penis. I certainly didn’t know that a woman’s clitoris had twice the about of nerve endings than that of a man’s penis (particularly, the sensitive head of the penis).

I also like the monologue called The Woman Who Love To Make Vaginas Happy. It was about a woman who taught women how to moan and find their sexual center. She went through all of the different moans that one could have from religious moans (Catholic, Jewish) to college moans (“Oh professor!” or “I should be studying!”). It certainly was an experience to hear different moans. I laughed the most at this monologue because I didn’t know how funny moans could be when you heard it from others.

If you have never seen this play, I encourage you to go see it whether it's in next year's Vagina Monologues put on by the AS Women's Center or elsewhere. This play is entertaining and most of empowering.  

Chico State Vagina Monologues Review

By Sarah Mann

200 interviews conducted, 15 years performed, and limitless reactions, the Vagina Monologues have truly evoked an array of emotions in me.

In its 12^th year of production at Chico State, the Vagina Monologues have never failed to bring in a full audience. 

Presented by Associated Student Women’s Center, the Vagina Monologues had its annual spring production this past weekend in the Bell Memorial Union Auditorium.  

Now for those of you, who, like me before this weekend, have little to no knowledge about the creation and basis for the Vagina Monologues, here you go.

It all began in 1996 when a woman named Eve Ensler interviewed 200 women and asked them questions relating to their relationships, sexuality, and violence against women. The responses she got led her to, well, develop a great interest in vaginas. What it seems she gathered is the thought that a way to gain female empowerment is to gain the empowerment of one’s vagina. A parallel if you will.

After a few years of production, however, the idea and intention of the Vagina Monologues changed form, from a celebration of vaginas to campaign the end violence against women.  This is where the V-Day movement comes into play.

V-Day is a movement also started by Ensler in an effort to end violence against women and girls.  Through the thousands of annual benefit performances of the Vagina Monologues, preformed in 45 different languages in 130 different countries, V-Day has raised awareness and of course funds. 

This simple statement encompasses everything V-day and the Vagina Monologues represent.

“V-Day dreams of a world in which women and girls will be free to thrive, rather than merely survive” – V-day website

SO anyways, before viewing my first Vagina Monologue, I wanted to get a bit of background and that is what I learned. 

As a first time intern at the AS Women’s Center, and someone who has never taken a women studies course in her life, I have to admit that I fell into that horrible  margin of people who get uncomfortable, make inappropriate jokes, and are simply ignorant about the purpose of what the Vagina Monologues is. 

The stigma that comes along with the words vagina, feminist, and even sex, completely gets torn down after witnessing this phenomenal presentation of activism. Every single one of these monologues encompassed topics from sex and mutilation to emotions of anger and pleasure. From each monologue comes a theme of general female empowerment, yet some are easier to detect then others. Names of these monologues ranged from “My Angry Vagina” to “Reclaiming Cunt” to this year’s annual spotlight act called “Myriam.” 

Barb Foy, a cast member of this year’s production couldn’t contain her enthusiasm for the importance of what the Vagina Monologues mean to her, “It has empowered me as a woman,” Foy said, “It has to be done in every city in the world!”  

My first exposure to this production was during a Tuesday night rehearsal last week.  I was taking pictures of the different cast members and then all of the sudden I witnessed “The women who loved to make vaginas happy.”

My initial reaction to this act, which included varied orgasm moans, was shock, then laughter, then true empowerment.  Just after watching one of these real life stories brought to life on the stage, a feeling of riotousness washed over me and I felt the need to jump up on the stage and join those amazing women.

So the bottom line: go see it!

Take Back the Night; Spring 2011

AS Women’s Center

BMU 002

Chico, CA 95928

TAKE BACK THE NIGHT

Raising Awareness about Sexual Assault and Violence against Women

CHICO, CA- 

Take Back the Night is an opportunity for students and community members to come together and recognize the ongoing issue of rape culture and violence

against women.

This is a night to acknowledge and empower survivors of sexual assault, a night to empower and educate friends, family and supporters, a night to reclaim our right to feel safe and secure after dusk. Join us to TAKE BACK THE NIGHT!

Monday, March 7th

10:00-2:00pm 

Free Speech Area, Informational Tabling

Tuesday, March 8th

10:00-2:00 pm

Free Speech Area, Informational Tabling

7:30 pm

BMU 210, Women Only Survivor Speak Out: A place for women to speak out about their experiences in a safe and supportive setting. Women are encouraged to share personal stories, or express their experiences through conversation, poems, journal entries, etc.

BMU 304, Gender Inclusive Workshop: An interactive workshop focused on combating rape culture in our community and society. The discussion will include ideas about how individuals can aid in eradicating the perpetuation of violence against women.

8:30 pm

Common Grounds, Keynote Address by Professor Kate Transchel, History Department

9:00 pm

Free Speech Area, Silent Candle-lit March: A silent march to raise awareness about sexual assault and violence against women.

                                                                                                                                For further information, contact:

                                                                                                Jillian Ruddell, Director of the AS Women’s Center

                                                                                                (P) 530-898-5724

                                                                                                Email:ASWOMENSCENTERSD@CSUCHICO.EDU

Meet the Staff and Interns!

Welcome to the Chico State AS Women's Center awesome blog!! First things first; Let's meet the staff and interns who work so diligently to keep the Dub-C up and running as smoothly as it does.

Staff 

Jillian Ruddel

Jill is the director of the Associated Students Women’s Center. She is a junior at CSU Chico, majoring in Multicultural and Gender Studies. Jillian interned for two semesters her freshman year while keeping up with studies and other clubs on campus. She is the Vice President of the Pride/Safe Zone club at CSUC. She coordinated the first LGBT Leadership Conference on campus, along with helping in the creation of other Pride related activities.

Kimberly Edmonds

She is a junior, majoring in Political Science and Multicultural/Gender Studies. She was drawn to the Women’s Center because of Jill’s love for the work done at the center. She loves working with like-minded people to raise awareness and educate.
Fun facts: Kim has 7 siblings. She absolutely hates Calibri font, which happens to be the default font on the Women’s Center computers. The random things that appear in Kerrie’s hair always make her day.

Sharina Jackson

Sharina is a senior, majoring in Sociology with a minor in Psychology. She has a deep passion for feminism and working for equal rights. Apart from being involved in the Women’s Center, She also works with Rape Crisis Intervention, is the previous Vice President for Women of Excellence, and has been working with Safe Place since the opening of the office
Fun Facts: Her hair used to be orange. She is on the A.S. website homepage (check her out!) She has eaten alligator!

Kerrie Lione

She is a senior, double-majoring in Women’s Studies and Sociology. She joined the Women’s Center because she has a huge drive and passion for equality. Kerrie loves being a part of an organization that explores and pushes boundaries.
Fun Facts: She has an unhealthy fear of butterflies. She loves documentaries. She wants to join the Peace Corp when she graduates. And she has a secret celebrity crush on Michael Pitt.

Interns

Nikki Allair

Nikki is a super senior as a Women's Studies Major with a minor in Sexual Diversity. She enjoys working at the women’s center because of the amount of support she has received from this community of feminists. At the Women’s Center, she is surrounded by people who promote a lot of the same values about equality for people from all different backgrounds. She hopes to promote social justice through educational events as a career and working at the Women’s Center is a great starting off point.
Fun Fact: Nikki hates ignorance, peas, mayonnaise, and nuts (they taste like flavored wood according to her).

Jessica Arriaga

Jessica is a sophomore with a major in MCGS with Women's Studies Option. She is apart of the Women's Center because she has found an amazing group of people who have a lot in common with her. She strongly believes in the Women's Center Mission Statement and she enjoys being a part of a group that wants to help create change.

Fun Fact: She loves going to San Francisco just to take a walk, and do nothing more

Kaitlyn Azevedo

Kaitlyn is a senior from the Sociology department with a minor in Spanish. She really wanted to get active and hands on this semester so she knew that the Women's Center was the perfect organization! She wants to advocate human rights and gender equality, as well as help further educate our campus. She is very excited to personally learn more about feminism and the other ideologies supported by the Dub-C. She wants to see how she can help make a difference.
Fun fact: She wants to go to culinary school after she graduates because she loves to cook!

Hannah Clause

Hannah is an Undeclared first year student here at Chico State. She's an intern at the Women's Center because she is interested in learning about women’s issues and raising awareness on gender equality.
Fun fact: She loves to make daily to do lists

Chantel Edwards

Chantel is a freshman and a Multicultural and Gender Studies major with a minor in Sexual Diversity. She is interning at the Women’s Center because she saw their table at a school event and thought it would be a great learning experience and a good way to help the Chico State community.
Fun Fact: She can’t wait to move out of the dorms so she can get a pet snake.

Kathy Eytchison

Kathy is a fifth year Religious Studies and Women's Studies major. She wishes to be a part of fun, activist oriented, events which is why she's back for her second semester as an intern at the Women's Center.

Fun fact: She has a cat named Tuna

Kate Finegold

Kate is a sophomore English Education major. She's interning this semester because she wants to help encourage everyone to celebrate diversity. She believes that we should all feel comfortable in our own skin, and we should all work to respect each other's unique differences...because it's what makes the world beautiful!
Fun fact: She participated in the Prop 8 protests on the steps of the state capitol!

Daniella Galaviz

She's a senior this year with a major in Psychology. She's currently an intern at the Women's Center because she believes in being the change you want to see in the world and by being an activist you are standing your ground.

Fun fact: She's a vegetarian!

Lorraina Hernandez

Lorraina ( or Raina for short) is a currently a freshman with two majors in Math and Multicultural Gender Studies. She's interning because she wants to make a difference!
Fun fact: She loves dancing!

Sarah Mann

Sara is a 4th year senior. Her major is Journalism/Public Relations with a double major in French. She's interning because she wants to learn more about feminist theory and to inform and advocate for women on our campus and in our community
Fun fact: She studied abroad in France last year!

Lisa Ricchio

She is a junior with two ongoing majors in Health Science and Spanish. She's an intern at the Women's Center because she likes getting involved in the community and in activist issues.
Fun fact: She likes scary movies.

Rachel Robledo

Rachel is a sophomore here at Chico State. She is Health Science major with an option in the Environment. She's an intern because she wants to learn more about women's issues and to become an advocate for women's rights

Fun fact: She LOVES her planner

Meggie Schultz

She is a super senior and is completing her major in English Education and a minor in Creative Writing. She's an intern here at Dub-C because she wants to work with other like-minded individuals to bring equality to Chico State and the surrounding community. Being a part of the Women's Center is a way for her to make time to make a difference and support others in their desires to to do the same.
Fun fact: She is entirely incapable of rolling her tongue, raising her eyebrow, touch her tongue to her nose or doing anything else impressive like that. But she can cross her eyes like a pro!

Taure Shimp

Taure is a senior, completing a major in Communications: Public Affairs with a minor in Women's Studies. She's an intern at the Dub-C so she can turn theory into practice.
Fun fact: She can speak at 300 words per minute!

Abby Teicheira

Abby is a senior with a major in Multicultural Gender Studies with a Women's Studies option as well as having a major in Spanish. She's at the Women's Center because she has found a safe space on campus with like-minded individuals where she can go to help, learn, and take the steps to change the world we live in.

Fun fact: She has an evil cat

Nicole Walker

She is a second year student here at Chico State. Her major is Journalism (double option in Public Relations and News Editorial) with a minor in Women's Studies. She's an intern because she wants to help create equality and empower women which the Women's Center at Chico State allows her to do. This is her third semester interning and they still cant get rid of her, that has got to mean something!
Fun fact: She LOVES coffee! :)

Maureen Ventura

She is a senior in Communication Studies with an emphasis in Public Affairs. She is an intern with the Dub-C program because she has always enjoyed the events that the Women's Center puts on. She thinks it is a great opportunity to get more involved in activism. She also loves how it is a safe place for women and men to go. Not very many people know what the Women's Center does, so she likes to be able to inform others on the services they offer.

Fun fact: She will be walking in the Avon's 2 day Breast Cancer walk in San Francisco over the summer to help raise money for the Breast Cancer Cure

Trina Walker

She is a double-major senior in Women’s Studies and Political Science. She is an intern at the Women’s Center because she is a passionate feminist with a drive to make change happen in the world. The Women’s Center and the work we do there is part of that.
Fun fact: She has a slight obsession with mermaids.

Khou Xiong

She is a 5^th year here at Chico State and is double majoring in Religious Studies and Asian Studies. She's an intern this semester because she went to a few of the events that the Dub-C put on and liked it. She thought that she should intern and help out.
Fun fact: Khou has six sisters and two brothers.