BU Gender Studies Minor Blog

This Friday we're focusing on an amazing student within the GSM program. Jose Gamboa is an active student here at Bloomsburg University and offers the GSM blog a unique perspective on his experiences, as a student in the minor.    Pictured: Jose Gamboa Your preferred pronouns? My pronouns are he/him/his. Where are you from? I am from Allentown, Pennsylvania. What’s your major? Do you have any minors?  I am a double English major in English: Creative Writing, and English: Literature. I am also a double minor in Gender Studies  (duh)  and Music. Are you involved in any other clubs or organizations on campus? I am heavily involved in many organizations on campus! I am the President of Sigma Tau Delta  (the International English Honor Society) . I am the Vice President of my social fraternity Tau Kappa Epsilon. I am the Assistant Percussion Section Leader for the 2019 Drumline in the Maroon and Gold Husky Marching Band. I am als...

In light of recent events, Bloomsburg University's No Hate Week could not take place at a better time. Protestors posed at Carver Hall after protest Credit: Bazaan Saddal While tensions are high on campus, it's pivotal for our campus to remind each of its students of their individual value and uplift them. Just this week, BU held a peaceful protest in response to the hateful video gone viral. The overarching slogan that could be seen on posters or heard throughout the day was "We want D.I.S. ," a simple acronym promoting Diversity, Inclusion, and Safety. If you want D.I.S. as well, I encourage you to participate in this year's No Hate Week . Every day for for the next week, our campus will be conducting events dedicated to uplifting and celebrating the diversity of BU. From November 11th to the 16th, BU's  “No Hate Week” Observance  will take place with the specific goal to increase overall awareness of the various cultures on campus. No H...

This past Tuesday I took the opportunity to meet on the first floor of Sutliff, to attend my first  Bloomsburg University Equality Alliance  (BUEA) meeting. Upon entering the classrom, I quickly learned that this was going to be fun. There was an undeniable energy that carried in the room. One that celebrated open conversations and a little chaos . The room was flooded with the conversations of members, before Lennie (BUEA's President) started the meeting with announcements. Enthusiastically, executive members for the group reminded their guests of upcoming events and answered any questions.  Retrieved from Facebook This Tuesday's workshop was titled "Working Out the Kinks". In it we explored what kinks are and how to go about them. While I won't get into a conversation about kinks or attach the diagram that shows you how to  effectively , and  safely , tie up your partner; I will share what I learned about this group and their approach to educating...

As you make your way through campus, you might find yourself pulling the sleeves of your sweater down around your fingers. A slight breeze is in the air and you notice the naked trees and their leaves settling on the sidewalk. Fall is finally here and it's always so beautiful in Bloomsburg.  Homecoming and football games and pumpkin patch trips, undoubtedly, mark up the dates of your October calendar. But as you plan ahead for these festive events, here are a couple more to keep on your radar... Bra Drive Hosted by the Student Nurse Association,  you can donate TWO bras for activity service to the drive until October 17th in SLL in McCormick! New bras will be given to the women's shelter and used ones will go to a turtle rehab sanctuary. Retrieved from HuskySync. Love Your Body Week Yoga In honor of National Love Your Body Week the Women's Resource Center is hosting a yoga session led by Professor Julie Petry, Department of Music, Theatre and Dance, on...

"Affirmations" - empowering quotes meant to uplift it's reader As soon as you walk into the  Women's Resource Center , located on the first floor of Schuylkill, you are greeted by a welcoming, warm atmosphere. Immediately you are offered the option of tea or water and a seat in a space that is cushioned with blankets, pillows and a TV that constantly plays movies relevant to women's struggles. I was shocked to learn that this small space extends further into the first floor of Schuylkill, including not only Albra Wheeler's office, but also a "Relaxation Room" and a bathroom fully stocked with free, feminine hygiene products. I've never felt more at peace and accepted for my womanhood on campus before walking in here. As a senior here at BU, I am so disappointed that I was never made aware of all the amazing services the Women's Resource Center has to offer. Like most students on campus, I was under the common misconception that this ce...

Happy Monday! As the fourth week of the semester comes to a close, so does Greek Life recruitment here on campus.  By now many young men and women have found homes in organizations they have met and got to know here at BU.  While there is always popular buzz surrounding what happens after this process, there's never any focus on the efforts one puts into this trial of peer acceptance.  The recruitment process here on campus is inconsistent between sororities and fraternities.  As someone who has gone through the formal recruitment process, and joined a sorority here on campus, I can speak from my own experiences. Greek Life Wall in Kehr Union When you go through formal recruitment at BU, as a female student interested in joining a sorority, there are many expectations. You must register online, go to orientations and formally meet every single social sorority Bloomsburg has to offer. Through this week long process you are expected to ...

Welcome back! This week I think it's important to take a deeper look within our department of Gender Studies. Bakeless 113B The director of the Gender Studies Minor (GSM) program, Dr. Christina Francis, can be found in a cozy, corner office inside Bakeless room 113B. Since Fall 2015, Dr. Francis has served as the director of our program. If you wish to learn more about her and the rest of the professors in the GSM department take a look at the  Gender Studies Advisory Board . The GSM program  offers any student, from any background the opportunity to explore the contexts in which our identities are created, specifically as impacted by gender and the world's conception of it. If you are at all interested about the construction of identity, the relationships we form and why, or the embedded inequality within our society, you will not only find the  GSM courses  offered to be interesting but also informative and extremely enlightening. I've found that...