NOW-NYU

TAKE BACK THE NIGHT RESCHEDULED!

2011-04-13T13:02:00.001-04:00

Take Back the Night has been rescheduled to APRIL 27TH, another Wednesday, due to weather concerns.

Take Back the Night Spring 2011

2011-04-07T01:19:00.004-04:00

TAKE BACK THE NIGHT. TAKE BACK YOUR VOICE. RSVP on our Facebook page. Our facebook page and list-serv will be the first places you'll see the official location for our event as well as any other important updates.

Rally for Women's Health

2011-02-25T14:28:00.005-05:00

MEET US AT KIMMEL LOBBY BY 12:15 PM TOMORROW TO ATTEND RALLY FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH!

Rally for Women's Health, Take Back the Night and More

2011-02-24T13:15:00.004-05:00

Hey NOW members!

A lot of you attended our last meeting which announced a whole stack of events and opportunities (as well as pizza). But for those who missed it or want a recap on what's going on, here's a timeline for the major upcoming events NOW will be having!

Feb. 26th (This Saturday) 1-3 PM at Foley Square - Rally for Women's Health sponsored by Planned Parenthood! NOW members who are interested in meeting up a bit beforehand and going there together as a group, please e-mail me at sa1523@nyu.edu. For more information on this rally and access the RSVP link, click here.

Feminist Portrait Project - We will be taking pictures of our NOW members in honor of Feminist Coming Out Day, a day to celebrate our inner feminism. These pictures will be posted on the website, http://feministcomingoutday.com/submit. If you're interested in getting your picture taken with the logo "This Is What a Feminist Looks Like," e-mail me or attend the rally.

March 2nd and March 23rd- Take Back the Night mini-meetings. We will be discussing our fundraising event, Take Back the Night, a night celebrating survivors of sexual assault and violence which will take place on April 13th. This event will be co-sponsored by H.O.P.E. and will feature survivor/singer Mary Josephine. If you have organizations you’re connected with, or feel would be interested in co-sponsoring this event, please see the template for the contact letter attached to the e-mail sent to the list-serv when contacting these organizations. Also let us know when you’ve contacted an organization on our behalf so we can keep track of who is contacting whom.

March 30th - Rage to Page Workshop with Sabrina Chap, author of Live Through This: On Creativity and Self-Destruction. Discover ways in which self-destructive habits can be transformed into creative outlets in this enlightening workshop. For more information on her book, visit her website.

Other deadlines:

7th Annual Young Feminist Leadership Conference in Washington D.C March 12-14th – Join four hundred other feminist students in an amazing weekend of activist training! The deadline to register is fast approaching so register now!

NOW Foundation is asking you to submit videos on your experience on body image in honor of Eating Disorders Awareness Week! Submit your personalized video here.

Best,
Shahida Arabi
President, NOW-NYU

Review of Fall 2010

2011-01-25T11:58:00.003-05:00

Spring Semester started this week and NOW-NYU is preparing many new and exciting events!

First, a review of what happened in fall semester:

NOW-NYU cosponsored an event with NOW-NYC to have Gail Dines discuss Porn in the media and the major effects of it in our lives.
Watched "Born into Brothels" a brilliant movie about children who were born in Calcutta's Red Light District and how they had the opportunity to learn about Photography and some were able to leave the area due to their excellent skills.
"Love Your Body Day!" was celebrated with a Sex Toy Workshop provided by the NYU Health Center.

New Officers for 2010-2011 School Year

2010-07-07T09:28:00.004-04:00

Thanks again for an amazing year, girls! Congratulations to our new officers.

Co-President - Nikita Shah - nks249@nyu.edu
Co-President - Shahida Arabi - sa1523@nyu.edu
Treasurer - Katie Somerville - kbs285@nyu.edu
Webmaster/Secretary - Emily Mattsson - eem314@nyu.edu

NOW-NYU is happy to go into another school year to celebrate, advocate and promote empowering feminism through events that raise awareness, initiatives that provide direct aid, and discussions that challenge contemporary media and evaluate crucial social justice issues for women.

MOTHERS OR WHORES Recap

2010-03-04T23:45:00.004-05:00

Hey gals,

Yesterday we had our aptly-named by yours truly "Mothers or Whores: Women in the Media" presentation, one of the kick-off events of Women's Herstory Month. Here are some thoughts/notes that were raised from the commercials which we viewed. You can find the links below:

DODGE COMMERCIAL - Man's Last Stand

Man as the "underdog" in contrast to woman as the victim in society image
Lack of reciprocity in relationship -- why is it a "duty" to do things for a wife, or listen to a wife? Why does all responsibility fall on the man? Who says?
All this for a CAR? Not even a "masculinized" one, either. What's the deal?
Who says guys want only cars anyway?
What about women - labor, childbirth, periods? Oh, that stuff's easy in comparison.

Megan Fox Motorola Commercial

Woman as an object in the male gaze
Women as dangerous, sexual and alluring creatures
Gay man - or bisexual - looking at Megan Fox as a sexual object? Denies their sexual reality
Men come off looking as idiots, easily distracted by feminine charms
Phone was not being sold, but Megan Fox sure was -- she even had a model to replace her thumbs, which were sexualized

DOVE - Comfortable In Your Own Skin Commercial

Stereotypes about men - Challenged or Reinforced? Satire or Serious?
Heteronormative expectations for marriage
Physical strength - climbing the rope in gym, opening the jar for women, going out in the dark without being afraid
Performative nature of Masculinity - a failure to perform masculine duties
Dove --> a way to be yourself when you're not under the burden of gender expectations? or a way to be gendered and still feel secure?

Bud Lite Book Club Commercial

Female and Male spaces
Male invasion and domination of female space, handing out the beers, hitting on the women
Double-edged sword: sexualizing the women in an academic space, while also making the guy look like an idiot who only cares about "the game" or beer, very typical
Racial Hypersexualization of the "Latina" woman who strikes up a conversation with this dumb man. What's up with that?
Females = boring, nagging people who ruin men's fun
Beer = social lubricant to hit on women that are not your wife.

GoDaddy Danica Patrick Commercial

Should be about her as a powerful female in a male-dominated sport, right?
Not.
Two women, homoerotic scene. Lesbianism in the male erotic gaze
Encourages the "I can be sexy too" mentality in young women
GoDaddy - even the domain is suspicious

CONCLUSION

A gendered reality is perpetuated in the media and is unfair for both genders and reinforces stereotypes that discourage healthy relationships and communication and instead begins a war of the sexes, in which women are sexually powerful, sexual objects, or simultaneously both, while men are the "slaves" of women, while at the same time able to control and dominate through their performance of masculinity.

A reminder that our TAKE BACK THE NIGHT PLANNING meeting is open to all clubs and will be held next week 7 pm Wednesday, Kimmel 909. We hope to see you all there as this is a very important event!

Shahida

NOW Meeting Recap: 02/14/2010

2010-02-25T17:45:00.004-05:00

Hey ladies,

This Wednesday's meeting, we made posters for our Educational Campaign about Rape, the definition of rape and shocking statistics surrounding rape. We also discussed the upcoming panel discussion we're hosting as part of Women's Herstory Month.

Next Wednesday we'll be hosting an exciting event called:

Mothers or Whores: a Discussion about Media Portrayals of Women. From the controversial Tim Tebow Super Bowl ad endorsed by an anti-abortion group to rap videos, we will be discussing how women are seen as either demeaning sexual objects or in the context of maternity. Is there a middle ground, and if so, what is it? If there isn't, how can we create it? What constitutes a "healthy" and positive media portrayal of a woman in contemporary society? Bring your thoughts on Wednesday, room 909 at 7 pm usual for this important event!

The week after the panel discussion all clubs on campus are invited to join us in a discussion about the upcoming event: Take Back the Night in April. So as to not get anyone confused, there is also a separate TBTN on campus which is not related to NOW-NYU. Our event is separate. NOW-NYU's Take Back the Night planning discussion will be taking place March 3rd, 2010.

Relay for Life - The NOW-NYU Relay for Life team is now up. PLEASE JOIN AND DONATE TO HELP THE STRUGGLE AGAINST CANCER!!!!

main.acsevents.org/goto/NOW-NYU JOIN NOW!

See you next week!
-Shahida

First NOW meeting of the semester RECAP

2010-02-01T21:53:00.005-05:00

Hey ladies,

We had our first NOW meeting of the Spring Semester last Wednesday. Here are the events/activites we've brainstormed for the rest of the semester:

RELAY FOR LIFE - April 24th, 2010 - Join NOW and the American Cancer Society for a walk that promotes awareness and campaigning against one of the leading causes of death in America.
WOMEN'S HERSTORY MONTH is coming up and NOW-NYU is planning to have a sex-toy workshop in honor of it! More info coming up.
VAGINA MONOLOGUES might be hosting their show during March instead of February. More info on whether or not NOW can participate in the show TBA.
YOUNG FEMINIST LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE - MARCH 20-22nd in WASHINGTON D.C. Some amazing workshops for our feminist leaders - men and women both welcome! The deadline is Feb 1st before the price ($15 not including hotel expenses) raises, so hurry and sign up today!
TAKE BACK THE NIGHT in April (full date TBA) - NOW has decided to do the speech part of this celebration of sexual abuse survivors INDOORS, followed with a MARCH (perhaps by candlelight) OUTDOORS. This prevents any obstacles we may face with obtaining sound permits. NOW is also seeking any people who wish (or can reccommend) a keynote speaker to talk about sexual abuse, as well as people who are survivors of it. If interested, please e-mail the officers to either participate or recommend someone who would be a good keynote speaker. We will be reaching out to many other clubs on campus to make this an inclusive event! SO, DON'T FORGET TO PROMOTE THIS TO THE OTHER CLUBS YOU'RE IN!
MARCH IS WOMEN'S SAFETY MONTH - Self-defense lessons anyone? NOW may be having them in honor of protecting women's safety. More info TBA.
SEXUAL EDUCATION CAMPAIGN - NOW has pledged to dedicate some of its time to making some slamming flyers and posters about contraceptives and other reproductive issues regarding women. We will also raise awareness of rape and our definition of rape through such flyers.
FEMALE BODYBUILDING - a special interest topic for this semester. Will definitely plan some fun things regarding this! Main question: is female bodybuilding an empowering act for women or another form of objectification disguised as empowerment?

See you all next week and bring some friends!

--Shahida

RAGE TO PAGE WORKSHOP

2009-12-09T23:06:00.001-05:00

SABRINA CHAP'S RAGE TO PAGE workshop!!
"The art of self-destruction"
What: Workshop
Start Time: Thursday, December 10 at 7:00pm
End Time: Thursday, December 10 at 9:30pm
Where: Gallatin Lounge (Rm # 522)
To see more details and RSVP, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=194452658455&mid=1886d77G3c32e18eG132de78G7

Dec 2, 2009 Meeting Recap

2009-12-05T20:39:00.005-05:00

Hey lovelies,

This meeting we discussed our upcoming movie night/last meeting as well as the Stupak-Pitts amendment to the health care plan. We also discussed some coming events for next semester, such as Women's Herstory Month, Take Back the Night (a night to celebrate survivors of domestic/sexual abuse), and Sabrina Chap's Icarus Workshop.

MOVIE NIGHT next Wednesday, Kimmel 909 at 7 PM- We will be watching "TRANSAMERICA" an electrifying and revolutionary independent film starring Felicity Huffman as a transgendered female. As feminists, we should open our minds and embrace that there are all sorts of women in the world, even those that defy the biological norms.

THIS WILL BE A POTLUCK MOVIE NIGHT - Meaning? Feel free to buy/bring/bake anything you wish and share with the rest. We'll all be bringing something - whether it's a bag of chips, soda or homemade cupcakes, let's get creative and share the love =)

After the movie, those who wish to go with us can join us for a fun night at BBQ! Don't miss it.

STUPAK-PITTS AMENDMENT: Does the public health option mean sacrificing our right to choose? The Stupak amendment makes it seem so. Unlike the Hyde amendment which denies federal coverage for abortion, the Stupak amendment BANS private insurance companies from covering the cost of abortion, which means low and middle class women will have to pay out of their own pockets for a crucial aspect of their health. This affects both women who cover the cost of abortion by partial AND full subsidies. If the amendment does become law, this means future challenges could be posed to birth control/reproductive health care coverage. FIND MORE ABOUT THIS AT: http://www.now.org/issues/health/stupak_facts.html

See you next week,
--Shahida

Very Young Girls Reminder: TOMORROW!

2009-11-17T14:52:00.001-05:00

Very Young Girls Movie Screening - RSVP via Facebook

Location:Kimmel 909

Time:7:00PM Wednesday, November 18th

"National Organization for Women at NYU invites you to join us for a screening of Very Young Girls, an expose of human trafficking that follows thirteen and fourteen year old American girls as they are seduced, abused, and sold on New York’s streets by pimps, and treated as adult criminals by police. The film follows the barely-adolescent girls in real time, using vérité and intimate interviews with them as they are first lured on to the streets and the dire events which follow. The film also uses startling footage shot by the brazen pimps themselves giving a rare glimpse into how the cycle of street life begins for many women. The film identifies hope for these girls in the organization GEMS (Girls Education and Mentoring Services), a recovery center founded and run by Rachel Lloyd, herself a survivor of sexual exploitation. Although this event is free, donation will be accepted and greatly appreciated. All donations go directly to the GEMS and the Girls Are Not For Sale campaign! Snacks will be provided! Learn more at http://www.gems-girls.org/girlsarenotforsale.html#Synopsis

November 11th, 2009 Meeting Recap

2009-11-11T22:08:00.006-05:00

Hi ladies,

Today we discussed negative and positive media portrayals of women by bringing in images and video clips that revealed/reinforced sexualizing images as well as empowering ones. If you were not able to attend the meeting, or wish to reevaluate them, you can download the pictures here. Just enter the verification code shown. Some of the discussion points raised were:

In sexualizing images, how can we distinguish between a woman who is taking control of her sexuality versus a woman who is being rendered a sexual object?
Has categorization/objectification of women also been applied to men by powerful female artists? If so, what effect does this have in both reinforcing inequality and also being a reflective tool in "turning the tables" in society?
How has the idea of "real" beauty emerged in popular culture in campaigns like the Dove campaign or in the efforts of plus-size models? Do these efforts have any setbacks? (Dove campaign and airbrushing).
Does rap/hip hop culture degrade women, or does it just reveal the lifestyle of musical artists realistically? (Example: Snoop Dog and the women surrounding him. Are they trophies, or are they the facts of such a lifestyle?)
How has the terminology of rap culture been translated to empower rather than to degrade women? Have women successfully taken "bitch" back or should these terms be avoided altogether?
How does this terminology affect the way women perceive each other and themselves? Are we still "feminist" if we enjoy the music this culture yields?
Are women who surround the powerful rappers in music videos empowering themselves, or are they mere objects on a screen?
Sex trafficking portrayal of the "JOURNEY" art exhibit held on campus.

REMINDER: Next week we will probably be doing the "Very Young Girls" fundraising event. Room and other details TBA.

Please join us next week again & remember there is no meeting on the day before Thanksgiving.

Thanks again for an insightful discussion :)

--Shahida

November 4th Meeting Recap!

2009-11-04T21:46:00.012-05:00

Hey ladies,

This evening we discussed plans for next week as well as the tragedy that happened yesterday at NYU, the suicide of a NYU student at Bobst library.

On behalf of everyone at NOW-NYU, we encourage our members to consider our meetings as an open forum where suicidal thoughts or issues of any kind of self-harm can be expressed freely without censure, at any time and place to any one of our officers or the club as a whole. Though President Sexton has expressed that the community of NYU will embrace you with open arms, we are apprehensive about this elusive definition of a "close-knit" community. Instead, we'd like to emphasize existing communities instead of relying on an abstract idea of an entire NYU community. The truth is, we are more separated at NYU than we'd like to think, both by the busy city life and the disconnectedness between neighboring schools. It is the smaller communities, like dorm communities, the commuter community or clubs like this one that bring us together in an interactive and meaningful way. Issues like suicide must be addressed in a VALIDATING and supportive environment which consider suicide in a holistic manner. So please bring any thoughts, ideas or initiatives you have about this at ANY meeting.

It is our number one priority as NOW members and NYU students to support each other in any way that we possibly can and CHALLENGE the stigma of suicide by creating a running dialogue that encourages people to reach out for help when they need it.

If you would like to discuss the recent suicide, please attend the Open Forum Event hosted by the Icarus Project, tomorrow, November 5th at 6:00 PM, 9th Floor Lobby. The discussion is not restricted and is a chance for NYU students to share their thoughts freely on this powerful subject.

NOW-NYU and other Upcoming Events:

Next NOW-NYU meeting - We will be discussing degrading media portrayals of women with the help of the NOW's Hall of Shame. If you wish to contribute, please bring depictions or images which you find offensive to women.

November 18th - Very Young Girls fundraising event. Join us for this provacative documentary about the victims of sex trafficking and donate money to help these young women.

Phi Delta Epsilon will be holding their yearly ANAD (Aneroxia and Associative Disorder) Vigil on November 20th, Friday night in Washington Square Park. Come and show your support for survivors and victims of eating disorders.

Women's Herstory Month in March - The committee for Women's Herstory Month is looking for NOW-NYU recruits to help out once every two weeks, to evaluate the events held for the month. We already have many volunteers but more can't hurt. If interested, contact Julie.

December 9th, last meeting - We will be doing movie night. Movie night is all about watching a kickass feminist film that makes you feel empowered, so if you have any suggestions, bring them to the next meeting!

No meeting before the week of Thanksgiving.

Take care of yourselves, and continue to be thoughtful about what has happened. Remember that you have the power to continue/change/shape the dialogue about the important issue of suicide. You also have the power to reach out for help to any NOW members.

Thanks guys!

--Shahida

NOW-NYU Love Your Body Day Recap!

2009-10-29T13:20:00.006-04:00

Hi ladies,

We had an AWESOME time mindfully meditating, sharing personal struggles with body image, pledging and handing out 300 condoms near the West 4th Station!!! Issues explored in body struggles were: weight, height, skin color, unhealthy diets and self-harm. If you couldn't participate, make sure you pledge to do something to benefit your body this year. It could be as small as getting more exercise, drinking more water, or something even more valuable like abolishing self-destructive eating habits. A simple pledge everyone should make: look in the mirror everyday and tell yourself you're beautiful.

As for meditation, there are plenty of resources online, including NYU's own Student Health Center website on Mindfulness Resources located here. This website includes weekly relaxation classes, meditation mp3s and advice for mindfulness. Even if you don't have time to do an hour-long meditation every day, just taking ten minutes to focus on your breath and body daily literally changes the way your brain reacts to stress. Mindful meditation relieves stress levels over time so you're not constantly overflowing your cup of stress over fight-or-flight responses to obstacles. Remember - mindful meditation is NOT about emptying the mind - quite the contrary. It is about taking the focus back to the present moment by noticing bodily sensations and/or breath. The best thing about mindfulness is that it helps you ENJOY life as it happens, and not dwell on the past or worry about the future.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: THIS SATURDAY from 8 AM-12 PM is your last chance to participate in the PRO-CHOICE MOVEMENT at Dr. Emily's Health Clinic for Women in the South Bronx. More info on location and times can be found here. There are already signs and chants ready for you when you get there :) Julie and other NOW members will be attending, so e-mail them for any other details. Take the 6 train to 149th St and the clinic is right there!

Happy Love Your Body Day -- REMEMBER TO LOVE IT THE RIGHT WAY by being safe and mindful :)

--Shahida

Love Your Body Day TOMORROW!

2009-10-27T19:19:00.005-04:00

Hi ladies,

Just a reminder that we will be having our LOVE YOUR BODY DAY celebration tomorrow. A change in plans has also occurred - we will not be doing self-defense lessons. Instead, we will start out the meeting with a ten minute meditation and discussion of how we pledge to love our bodies this year, followed with condom distribution to the public! Meditation helps unite body and mind, lowers stress and helps us become mindful in daily activities. Even if you are a beginner, we will use a meditation guide that can be used by anyone - beginners and experts alike. As you know, engaging in safe sex practices is also another one of the main components of loving our bodies, so we will be spreading the love right after our pledges. :)

Healthy snacks will be served. As usual, Wednesday, 7 PM, Kimmel 909...don't be late and feel free to bring a guest.

:)

--Shahida

October 21st Meeting Recap

2009-10-22T09:45:00.009-04:00

Hey pretty babes,

Thanks to Alicia Keyes, this meeting was a small gathering, but still an awesome one. We discussed the success of our fundraising for the Breast Cancer Walk, totaling to an amazing amount of over $1500!! Pat yourself on the back, ladies! The Breast Cancer Walk was, as you know, cancelled due to the low turnout of the feministas that showed up as well as the unappealing rain. However, though we weren't present at the walk, we've raised big bucks for the cause, so there :) We also discussed the wonderful Sabrina Chap who will be making a follow-up workshop with us next semester! Thanks Sabrina -- you rock :)

Some upcoming events:

Love Your Body Day, next Wednesday 7 pm Kimmel 909 - We are planning to do self-defense lessons next meeting. We will also be making pledges on how we plan to love our body this year. Please come and feel free to bring a guest :)

40 Days of Choice still has 2 weeks left to go. This is a counter-movement to the pro-life movement which intimidates clients outside of Dr. Emily's Health Clinic for women in South Bronx. This Saturday, from 8 AM-12 PM, just take the 6 train to 149th St. and the clinic is right there. More info on location and times can be found here. Julie will be attending so be sure to let her know if you are going. There are already signs and chants ready for you when you get there :)

Health Care Reform Teach-In at Columbia University. 7-9 PM. Doors open at 6:30 P.M. 722 Rosenfield building. Main entrance #1 at Mallow School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168th St. Demistify the debate about health care reform and educate yourself about how it affects women.

Greenwich Hotel Movie Night October 23rd, 8 PM. LL 636 Greenwich St. Join us for snacks and a screening of Hairspray!

“Women Who Kill Their Batterers.” Panel discussion. Thursday, October 29th, 4:30-6:00 PM. Fordham University.

Tantric Sex Workshop 8:00 - 9:30 pm, Kimmel 602
Students will engage in a hands-on workshop on Urban Tantra as well as examine the history of Tantric sexual practices.

Intimate Partner Violence Conference. November 12th and 13th, 4 pm registration until 9 pm at Kimmel. Join educators in a holistic view of domestic violence. Click here for more information. Here is the agenda: http://www.nyu.edu/cvr/conference/agenda.html. Student rates are discounted to $25.

For the rest of the semester:

Discussion of media portrayals of women with offensive/empowering ads
Rage Through Page Follow-up Workshop with Sabrina
Movie screening of Very Young Girls -- Fundraising event, all donations go to GEMS.
No rally before Take Back the Night.
REMINDER: No meeting on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving!

For next semester:

Sex Toy Workshop -- An exciting event which will go through the variety of sex toys avaliable for your pleasure.
Take Back the Night -- Empower yourselves with a march/rally that celebrates survivors of sexual abuse.
American Cancer Society's Relay for Life -- Join the largest fundraising event to end cancer.

See you all next week for Love Your Body Day!!!

--Shahida

Icarus Presentation - October 14th, 2009 Meeting

2009-10-15T19:04:00.011-04:00

Hey ladies,

We had our Icarus Presentation by the awesome Sabrina Chapadijev, who discussed the struggles of authors and artists from her book, Live Through This: On Creativity and Self-Destruction and how these struggles embodied the link between self-destruction and creativity. From provacative performance artists like Annie Sprinkle to insightful playwrghts like Carolyn Gage, Sabrina explored how self-destruction should not be labelled black-and-white "bad" - instead, it should be seen as a mechanism of coping. However, she also reiterates that the same amount of energy used in self-destruction can be converted to creative energy.

Important themes/discussion points:

Isolation - There is solitude in self-destruction, like cutting. But there is also a positive isolation like writing in your room, what Sabrina calls "rage through the page." Putting your pen to the page can be cathartic and less harmful than choosing to hurt yourself.
Political Consciousness - Tired of how the media is selling papers by the tragedies happening to women all over the world? So is HotHead Paisan. Express your rage at all the injustice against women, and you may just become a homicidal lesbian terrorist, too.
Shame - We are often taught to feel ashamed about our bodies or who we are. Those who don't fit the superskinny model stereotype, those who are born as men who want to be women, those who defy gender stereotypes are discriminated and criticized on a daily basis, constantly preventing them from pursuing what they want to do. Shame creates self-destruction, and self-destruction creates shame.
Myth of the Suicidal Female Poet - What do you do when all your feminist heroes all kill themselves? Sabrina discussed how there is a "gang mentality" in self-destruction, in which different self-destructive groups (the alchoholics, the smokers, the cutters) form cliques that cultivate the character of the tragic artist -- as Sabrina put it, "We want to show people that, 'Yeah, I hurt that much.'"
Power and Control - Yet with that self-destruction comes a sense of power. As Sabrina said, men and women in general react differently to stress: "Guys say 'fuck you,' women say, 'fuck me!'" Males express themselves aggressively, straightforwardly, while females are forced to keep it all within. The pain that women feel thus comes out in self-destructive behaviors such as cutting, which provides a map that provides a physical manifestation of how much they hurt, and also establishes a control they feel they cannot achieve otherwise in life. They feel control over their bodies, they are now the only ones who can hurt themselves.
Choice - We have a choice. To feel power through self-destruction or through creativity. To kill ourselves or to invent ourselves. To medicate genius or to abolish it completely. The choice, of course, is much more nuanced and complicated than these dichotomies suggest. Do we keep our madness? Do we use it? Each person must make that choice on their own, while being aware that they can replace their self-destruction with their own creation.
Formation - What is formation? Using our emotional pain as nourishment for our creativity. Formation is the stage in which previous invalidation and pain becomes a pathway to salvation, reflection and modes of expression. As Sabrina puts it, "It's harnessing your rage, realizing it's yours, and finding a way to annunciate it is what saves you." So save yourself. Start today. Instead of cutting, write. Instead of drinking, draw. Instead of dying, live through this.

For more on Sabrina and her book, as well as the authors/artists involved, please visit the websites below:

http://www.sabrinachap.com/LTT - Official website for Sabrina's book.
http://www.myspace.com/livethroughthis2008 - Sabrina's personal blog.

You can also e-mail Sabrina with questions or comments at livethroughthis2008@yahoo.com.

THERE WILL BE A RAGE-TO-PAGE WORKSHOP FRIDAY MAY 2ND! This is an actual workshop which will be interactive. "Nobody wants to talk about it in a real way- why women actually cut, starve or drug themselves, what it feels like, and why it is so socially acceptable to self-destruct. Based on the essays of her newest collection, "Live Through This: The Art of Self-Destruction", Editor/Playwright Sabrina Chapadjiev will be leading a workshop on the themes that surround self-destruction: shame, power, and control, as well as ways to channel self-destructive behaviors into creative ones." More information here.

*Breast Cancer Walk was cancelled.

See you next week and thanks to those who attended this special event!

--Shahida

Reminder: Icarus Workshop Today!

2009-10-14T13:41:00.003-04:00

A reminder that today is our Icarus Workshop, a special event with Sabrina Chapadjiev, author of Live Through This: On Creativity and Self Destruction 7 PM Kimmel 909! Sabrina will be leading a discussion and workshop on how we can channel negative emotional energy into positive creative outlets. A great mental health experience for everyone who wishes to come. SNACKS WILL BE SERVED. Bring a guest!

October 7th Meeting RECAP

2009-10-07T23:22:00.012-04:00

Hey feministas,

Today we had our awesome second installment of Feminist Music Day and went over upcoming events!

What we have coming up:

Icarus Workshop next Wednesday, 7 pm, Kimmel 909 - There's a summary of this event and more events on this post. However, just to recap for those who don't know, this workshop will be with Sabrina Chapdjiev, author of Live Through This: On Creativity and Self-Destruction, which will explore creative alternatives to emotional and physical self-abuse. As women, we should prioritize our mental health, not always easy to maintain in a society that pressures or degrades us. The workshop will begin with a presentation by Sabrina and follow with a more interactive discussion on how to channel our negative emotional energy into positive, creative outlets. This is for ALL women, despite your history or lack thereof of self-initiated abuse. We have all gone through struggles that have triggered emotionally harmful thoughts. Why not learn how to enhance your mental health and transform your experience? We encourage you to BRING A GUEST to this very special event. Snacks will be served!

Breast Cancer Walk next Sunday at 9 AM -- We have already raised over ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS in donations for Breast Cancer!!! Come join us in a memorable walk to celebrate women with breast cancer, or people with cancer in general. We will be meeting in front of Kimmel at 9 AM, then we will take the 6 train to 77th St. If you prefer to meet us at the Walk site from your location, please contact Sarah at seb420@nyu.edu for more information on how you can do so. You can DONATE by clicking here and you can join our NOW-NYU team for the Walk here.

GEMS training last Saturday was CANCELLED. We are still awaiting a response from GEMS with regards to whether we can do monthly volunteering without a training session. As the next training session will be held in December, we are trying to figure out whether we can do anything for GEMS without attending training. More information will be coming from Julie through the list-serv. If you have not joined the list-serv NOW-NYU, please do so as soon as possible! The list-serv is an IMMEDIATE way to get your info on all things NOW =) Pun intended.

Some fabulous NOW members attended The Pro-Life Counter-Protest last Saturday and you can too, this coming Saturday! Just take the 6 train to 149th St. to protest for your right to choice. For more info, contact Julie at jpk297@nyu.edu.

The National Equality March is this week in Washington D.C.! Join the struggle for freedom, including LGBT equality this October 10th-11th. Paradigm Shift is an organization that will be providing buses to this monumental event for only $30 - NOW members who are interested can discuss about sharing this experience together by seizing this opportunity. For some other great deals on bus rides there, contact Sarah or Julie.

Some supplementary events you feminists might want to attend:

The CUNY Grad Center's Feminist Pedagogy Conference on November 6th from 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM will explore feminist approaches to learning and classroom strategies. This will create a dialogue between feminist scholars, students and activists. For more info about this conference and location, go to the website: http://web.gc.cuny.edu/womenstudies/wgp/index.html

New York Rally to Protest Roman Polanski's Petition, October 10th, 6pm - Are you outraged at what's happened with Roman Polanski's case? Do you think the petition for his release is a mockery of women's rights and an endorsement of rape? NOW is also encouraging all women and men to join nationwide rallies outside of movie theaters THIS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10th. The New York Rally will be taking place outside The Film Society of Lincoln Center 70 Lincoln Center Plaza New York, NY and will be happening during the NY Film Fest. It will start at 6pm (not 7pm) in front of the box office of Alice Tully Hall 65th & Amsterdam, New York, NY. If you won't be in the city this weekend, find a participating rally near you on the NOW website: http://www.now.org/lists/now-action-list/msg00403.html. You can also organize your own rally if your city is not listed! More info on the website.

Teaching Sex, Deconstructing Bodies, next Monday from 12:30 pm - 1:45 pm. located at 41-51 East 11th St, room 709 - A presentation on alternative sex education, focusing on feminist sex shops that produce sex-related items in US and Sweden. Also a discussion of how feminist, queer and anti-racist perspectives alter/challenge the way we view traditional categorization of the sexes. For more info, click here.

NYU Amnesty International Candlelight Vigil, 7 pm-9 PM at Washington Square Park - Honor the rape victims of Africa who are used as a tool in warfare by literally illuminating their plight. RSVP/more info on the Facebook page.

Love Your Body Day, October 28th at regular meeting day and time - Celebrate the beauty of your body by doing something physically or mentally healthy! We are still looking for new ideas for this day, but are currently leaning towards Self-Defense lessons.

And last but not least, the Feminist Songs we listened to:

Well, Well, Well by Le Tigre - what's more feminist than a woman taking her sexual power back? The days when women were the passive sexual receivers of a man's pleasure are OVER, ladies. With this rocking song you'll be wanting to show and tell, too...whatever that means.

Double Dare Ya by Bikini Kill - a kickass feminist song which encourages you to be whatever type of woman you want to be.

The Day Bella Abzug Died by Sarah Dougher - a historically conscious feminist song that celebrates the legacy of Bella Abzug, the first Jewish congresswoman in the United States congress, and one of the first to defend gay rights.

Stupid Girls by Pink - a controversial song which can be considered feminist or anti-feminist, depending on your point of view. Feminist in its social critique of the demeaning way the media portrays women, and anti-feminist in its personal vendetta to stereotype certain women/exclude feminine women from the idea of "Feminism." We definitely have to consider that feminism should not degrade or pigeonhole women, or perpetuate stereotypes. So is this really feminist? Up to you to decide. Whether this song makes you empowered or angry, it's definitely one that has to be heard in order to challenge your idea of what feminism really is.

Again, thanks ladies for another great meeting. Next week, we will be having the Icarus Workshop (if you just skimmed through this post, go back right to the top), at the same meeting time and place. BRING A GUEST!

See you next week,
--Shahida

Feminist Discussion Question #1

2009-10-02T21:18:00.003-04:00

Welcome to our first feminist discussion forum post! Please leave a comment to respond, feel free to respond anonymously, and engage with each other on the following challenge using your thoughts, experiences and knowledge:

Should women engaged in forced sex work be legally or morally penalized? Should they be treated differently from women who enage in voluntary sex work?

September 30th Meeting Recap

2009-09-30T22:35:00.012-04:00

Hey babes,

We had a fun Feminist Music evening. First, we went over the agenda and upcoming events. If you still haven't yet, make sure to go to THIS POST in order to see what's coming up. Some new additional information/reminders are:

GEMS Training this Saturday, 1 pm at Bowery Poetry Center, located at 308 Bowery, HAS BEEN CANCELLED. MORE INFORMATION TO COME.
40 Days of Life Campaign - A pro-life campaign held from September 23rd-November 1st, which can be intimidating to women seeking abortions, and challenges the idea of "choice" in a woman's reproductive decision. For more information on how to participate and/or promote a counter-stance to this movement, e-mail or talk to Julie Kilger, president of NOW, at jpk297@nyu.edu.
Breast Cancer Walk on October 18th - Join us for a walk that celebrate the women who face this tremendous obstacle, as well as the people in your life who have had cancer. Click here to sign up for the Breast Cancer Walk -- all you have to do is search for team NOW-NYU in capitals, and you should see our team next to the name of our Vice President, Sarah Betz. Sarah has sent e-mails about this event before so check your mailbox if you're on the listserv.
Icarus Workshop October 14th, 7 pm Kimmel 909 - Workshop with Sabrina Chapadjiev, author of Live Through This: On Creativity and Self-Destruction, will discuss how women can avoid self-destructive behaviors by channelling their frustrations into creative outlets. Remember to attend this special event!
Love your Body Day, October 28th, room 909 at regular meeting time - Celebrate your body on this day by doing something physically and mentally healthy. We will be discussing the theme of this day next week. Possibilities so far are: self-defense or yoga. Feel free to share any new ideas come next meeting. We will also be inviting our fellow sisters from Delta Fi Epsilon for this special event, so be prepared to meet some new fantastic ladies :)

Then, we went through some of the songs you gals sent us which represent what feminism means to you, and discussed their importance to the meaning and implementation of feminism. Below are a summary of the songs we discussed so far and the comments we had regarding them for your downloading pleasure:

Flirt by Pussycat Dolls - comments on how women should be able to sexually express themselves without the fear of their actions being misintrepreted, putting them at risk for sexual harassment. simply, women should be able to "flirt" freely without being treated like objects
I'm Just a Girl by No Doubt - the frustrations of being a girl, "living in captivity" and always living in fear of being harassed. with this song, Gwen Stefani makes clear that though she is "just" a girl, every girl can make a huge impact by simply speaking out like she has.
Fat-Bottomed Girls by Queen - a celebration of beauty of all sizes, or an objectification of fat-bottomed ladies? still up for debate and your interpretation. if you choose to go with the former, though, you'll find this a really fun song to listen to -- and will definitely motivate you to embrace that bottom!
I am Woman by Helen Reddy - ever wonder where the phrase, "I am Woman, Hear me Roar" came from? source - this classic song from the 70's brings us back to the good old days when feminism was still a burgeoning "embryo," as the singer herself says. the message? women can do anything - they are strong and invincible. the perfect mood-enhancer for any woman :)
Fighter by Christina Aguilera - who doesn't like a woman who makes her negative experiences an incentive for growth? a great motivating song which belongs on every feminist's playlist!
Superwoman by Alicia Keyes - an amazing song that celebrates the different women out there -- from the career superwoman to the single mother trying to meet ends -- all are superwomen in their own right. reveals that women are capable of fulfilling so many different roles, and despite their obstacles, are able to maintain strength.

Next week we will continue with feminist songs and you will be provided lyrics for purposes of further analysis. Again, IF YOU HAVE ANY FEMINIST SONGS YOU WANT TO BE ADDED FOR NEXT WEEK, e-mail sa1523@nyu.edu with the title, "Feminist Music NOW."

See you next week ladies,
--Shahida

Feminist Music Day TOMORROW!

2009-09-29T14:34:00.004-04:00

Hey lovelies,

Tomorrow we will be holding the first part of a special event called "Feminist Music Day." We will be spending the first half of the meeting listening to feminist songs, some of which you NOW members have personally sent to us, and discussing the way they have influenced young feminists like us to think about the power of women and the obstacles they face in everyday life. The second half of the meeting will be logistics, possibly open discussion or more talk about the events coming up.

If you have a last-minute mp3 to send to us for this special event, please send it to sa1523@nyu.edu by tonight, with the subject, "NOW Feminist Music." Thanks!

Food will be served! As always, the meeting is in Kimmel room 909, 7 PM, Wednesday.

See you there :)
--Shahida

September 23rd Meeting Recap

2009-09-23T21:49:00.006-04:00

Hey lovely ladies and gentlemen,

This evening we talked more in-depth about the types of activities we'd like to engage in for this semester and also had an open discussion that discussed concerns about sexual double standards, sexual harassment, and reproductive health decisions. The questions/issues we explored and raised were: Should immigrant women be mandated to take the Gardasil vaccine, or is it a personal choice? What are the risks of egg donation, and why aren't women being informed when they donate? How does sexual education or lack thereof in public schools affect the mentality of men and women, and to what extent does it limit their choices? How does segregation between men and women in different countries reinforce that women are responsible for the sexual behavior of men? and Should women who are coerced into domestic trafficking be legally tried?

As a group, we also approved the following activities for the next few weeks:

Feminist Music Day - September 30th and October 7th, Kimmel 909, 7 PM. We will be using the first half of these two meeting days exclusively for listening to awesome feminist music. Please send one or two MP3s of your favorite songs to me, at sa1523@nyu.edu , with the subject title, "NOW Feminist Music" and it will be added to our playlist for these two evenings. We will be enjoying the music, and discussing the themes. All sorts of music are welcomed, whether explicitly feminist or subtly empowering. REMEMBER TO COME TO THIS WONDERFUL EVENT - YOU MAY GET A FREE CD OF THE ENTIRE PLAYLIST IF YOU DO :)
Open Discussion Forum - Thanks to the idea of a fellow NOW member, we will be having a weekly open discussion on the NOW-NYU website on topics that regard women's rights and the complexities of gender inequality. I will be posting the topic/question on the website and you are free to respond in a comment. No google account is required - you can also post anonymously if you wish. Feel free to send possible questions to Sarah Betz, Vice President of NOW at: seb420@nyu.edu.
Important upcoming activities are: the Icarus Workshop, Breast Cancer Walk, counter-protest to the 40 Days of Life Campaign and the GEMS monthly volunteering and training. For more information on all of these or if you just need to jog your memory, see this post.

Thanks to everyone who attended today's meeting and made the discussion so engaging. We look forward to seeing you next week on Feminist Music Day, same time, same place. To a great idea of another one of our wonderful NOW ladies, we might also be having a Bring a Guy to NOW day...more information to come. But either way, feel free to BRING GUYS whenever you want, as we do need both men and women to share their perspectives. FEMINISM IS NOT JUST ABOUT WOMEN - IT IS ABOUT MEN TOO! So let's hear your voices, gents! For those who could not attend this meeting, no worries - you can join NOW anytime. Even if you can't always make the meetings, you can also engage with us on the topics we'll be posting. :)

See you all next week,

--Shahida

NOW meeting tomorrow, September 23rd

2009-09-22T14:32:00.006-04:00

Hey NOW babes,

A quick reminder that we'll be meeting again in Kimmel, room 909 tomorrow evening at 7 pm. If you missed the first meeting and want to catch up, scroll below this post and you'll see another post recapping the events of the first meeting. We will also be recapping (succinctly) what events we discussed during the last meeting, after introductions from any new members.

We will be discussing the upcoming Feminist Music-a-Thon during this meeting, as well as have an open discussion about issues/news regarding women's rights. This might also be a good time to bring new ideas to the table about the specific actions we'd like to take for our themes for this year. Again, we encourage you to bring as many friends as you like! DINNER WILL BE SERVED! I'll be adding more information about this upcoming meeting as it approaches, so be sure to check back for any extra details.

See you all there,
--Shahida

September 16th Meeting Recap

2009-09-16T21:48:00.013-04:00

Hello NOW chicas (and chicos, if you're out there),

We had our first meeting this evening and it was awesome meeting feminists who have their unique interpretations of what feminism is! Introductions aside, we began the club meeting with a traditional icebreaker, drawing or writing what the F word (no, the OTHER f word - FEMINISM), meant to us. Many drawings of female empowerment commenced. Later, we discussed what NOW had done the previous year, including activism with Planned Parenthood, working to promote Transparency and Gender Equality on campus, Relay for Life, and the Breast Cancer Walk. Finally, as a group we brainstormed the themes we'd like to work on for this year as well as events we have coming up.

For those who couldn't attend, and for those who don't remember, here is a summary of the important things discussed as well as DATES to remember! The following lists can be added onto/modified as the year goes on -- nothing is set in stone, but this is a working outline of the issues we'd like to focus on.

NOW Themes for 2009:

Health Care Reform
International Reform
Equal Rights Amendment
Women's Mental and Sexual Health
Sexual Exploitation/Trafficking
Women in Prison
Abusive Relationships
Youth Outreach
Reproductive Rights
Sexual Harassment

Upcoming NOW Events and Activities:

October 14th, 7 pm Kimmel 909 - Icarus Workshop with Sabrina Chapadjiev, author of Live Through This: On Creativity and Self-Destruction, will discuss how women can avoid self-destructive behaviors by channelling their frustrations into creative outlets.
October 18th - Breast Cancer Walk - Join us for a walk that celebrate the women who face this tremendous obstacle, as well as the people in your life who have had cancer. Click here to sign up for the Breast Cancer Walk -- all you have to do is search for team NOW-NYU in capitals, and you should see our team next to the name of our Vice President, Sarah Betz. Instructions on how to join the Breast Cancer Walk have also been e-mailed through listserv. Please join the NOW-NYU listserv if you have not yet.
Love Your Body Day - There will be a Love Your Body Day in October in which we will celebrate our bodies through a healthy productive activity such as Yoga, Self-Defense Lessons, etc. Ideas are welcome and more information is to be announced.
Monthly Community Service with GEMS - We will be doing once-a-month volunteering for Girls Education Mentoring Services, also known as GEMS, an organization which helps young women forced into domestic trafficking to find a safe haven where they can rehabilitate their lives. We have already discussed volunteering with GEMS to help these girls to study for their GED, tutoring them in basic math and science skills. This volunteering will be DONE AS A GROUP, and the training will be held on October 3rd, Saturday 1 PM, location TBA.
Girls Are Not For Sale Campaign - We will also be participating in this campaign which protests sexual trafficking, by showing a screening of "Very Young Girls." This will be made avaliable to other clubs and organizations on campus and we will be asking for dollar donations to fundraise for this campaign.
40 Days of Life Campaign - A pro-life campaign held from September 23rd-November 1st, which can be intimidating to women seeking abortions, and challenges the idea of "choice" in a woman's reproductive decision. For more information on how to participate and/or promote a counter-stance to this movement, e-mail or talk to Julie Kilger, president of NOW, at jpk297@nyu.edu.
On a side-note, Planned Parenthood is also challenging this campaign, calling it the "40 Days of Harassment" movement and are asking for volunteering escorts to help women seeking abortions into their health without intervention. If interested, click here.
On another fun side-note, we might be having a day dedicated exclusively to FEMINIST music -- so get your iPod playlists ready...discussion of this event will commence next week :)

Thanks again to everyone who attended the first meeting and contributed some fantastic ideas - you guys are awesome. If you couldn't attend this meeting, NO WORRIES. The next one will be held NEXT WEDNESDAY, room 909 Kimmel, at 7 PM. This is our permanent location & time unless otherwise communicated. Bring your friends -- and if you have any guy friends, let them know there's a place they can meet some really amazing ladies...without much male competition! :)

See you all NEXT WEEK.

--Shahida

REMINDER: First Meeting Tomorrow, 7 PM Kimmel 909!

2009-09-15T13:29:00.004-04:00

Hello again returning and new NOW members!

Thanks for all of those who attended the Club Fest! It was a great turnout this year and I hope to see all of you very soon. Get ready for the first meeting of NOW, tomorrow at 7 PM. You can meet us in room 909, Kimmel (our "permanent" location for the year), this Wednesday the 16th for DESSERT and discussion of our mission and goals for the year. We look forward to seeing old and new faces, connecting with our fellow feminists. We will also be touching base with you all about the issues YOU want to work on -- whether it's reproductive rights, economic justice, etc. Remember, this is an INTERACTIVE meeting where we'll discuss the activities for the year -- so feel free to contribute on how you want to define your NOW experience. Come ready with any thoughts or ideas of things we can do this year to make some memorable experiences :)

Can't wait to see you all there!

-Shahida

Club Fest 2009

2009-09-08T14:02:00.005-04:00

Hola feministas,

The annual NYU Club Fest is here again and we'll be representing NOW -- make sure to come by our table to get more information about our club's mission and meetings! The Club Fest is from 2:oo PM-7:00 PM, this Thursday, September 10th, at the Coles Sports Center, located at 181 Mercer St. Don't forget to pick up some free candy from us =)

Club Fest is an important way to connect with organizations that you are interested in joining. It goes beyond the listserv and gives you face-to-face action with the representatives of the club itself. So come chat with our lovely ladies from NOW, grab some of the goods (candy and information), and make sure to attend our first NOW meeting of the year, taking place NEXT Wednesday, September 16th, Kimmel room 909, at 7 PM. I will be putting up additional reminders of this meeting as it approaches, and if you see one of our flyers hanging around, be sure to tell your friends to attend!

:)
-Shahida

Congrats!

2009-04-23T10:54:00.003-04:00

We had our lovely "elections" -- meaning nomination process. :)

Here are our new officers:
President, Julie Kilger
Vice President, Sarah Betz
Secretary, Shahida Arabi
Treasurer, Nikita Shah

Congrats everyone!

We also discussed the things we thought were positive this year, were negative this year, and the events we liked/disliked. If you have any thoughts, feel free to e-mail us.

Next week we're going to watch a movie and we're thinking about Kill Bill (kick ass woman who doesn't take shit from anyone, who could ask for more hahaha). If anyone has any other suggestions, feel free to e-mail me by Saturday so I can order it from Netflix.

We're having our end of the year NOW get-together at BBQ on May 8th. We'll let you know what time next week.

We're also thinking about doing a feminist book club this coming summer. If anyone is interested, send me an e-mail. We're going to try to meet over the summer or at least do some online discussions (though meeting with one another is preferable). We're going to try to stay active and involved this summer, whether through community service or just meeting and doing the book club.

Hope to see you next week at our last meeting of the schoolyear! :'(
xo,
Sarah

Take Back the Night

2009-04-20T00:04:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone.

Sadly, Take Back the Night is cancelled. :( Due to conflicts with park permits we are unable to have Take Back the Night this year at NYU. Thanks to everyone who started sending out e-mails or advertising to other clubs. This has been a wonderful learning experience for us and we now know what we need to get done for next year.

Hope to see everyone at this week's meeting (and come with your picks/nominations for any positions you may want or would like to see others have). Kimmel Room 805 at 7pm!!!

xo,
Sarah

April 15, 2009 Meeting

2009-04-16T17:11:00.002-04:00

Hey there everyone. -- Long post so read through it!

We're still unsure about the permits for Take Back the Night so STOP sending out e-mails to people inviting them to the event...

A few people are heading up to Columbia's Take Back the Night TONIGHT to see what theirs looks like, check out what we could possibly do for ours, and to support Columbia in their efforts! You can meet Julie outside of Kimmel at 8pm TONIGHT to make the trek uptown.

We only have TWO meetings left! :(
We'll be discussing some important things. Next week we'll be going over what was effective this year and what was not, what we want to do next year, etc. So please come and tell us how you think things are/were/will be! This is a club that relies on the input of its members! We will also be having a movie night during our last meeting. We're going to try to have a get together outside of the meetings and we'll keep people posted on that.

We're also going to be having elections! Either e-mail Julie or bring something to her at next week's meeting if you would like to nominate yourself or someone else for a position. Our positions are President, Vice President, Secretary/Webmadam, and Treasurer. We have a few different committees as well if people want to keep those alive and well. Don't feel obligated to nominate yourself and don't be afraid not to!

RELAY FOR LIFE: This saturday at COLES!!!! We're in the process of getting things set up for that. But show up by 6pm so that we can participate in the team lap at 6:30. If you're available, come earlier around 5pm to help Julie set up the table, etc. If nothing else, be there for the Luminaria ceremony at 9pm. That's always a very powerful and motivating event. Bring CASH because there are no ATMs at Coles. You are allowed to leave and come back until midnight. After that you are not allowed into Coles until 6am.

The Student Health Center is doing the "Clothesline Project" during which they're going to be making and hanging up t-shirts which express peoples' experiences and feelings about sexual violence. There's a t-shirt "party", if you will, tonight at Weinstein and there's one tomorrow (AKA FRIDAY) at the Student Health Center from 12:30-1:30, which will be hosted by our very own Nicole! Go check it out if you're available.

Next week is Earth Day (Wednesday) where there's going to be a huge vegan sandwhich--not sure where but keep an eye out. Also keep an eye out for the Bare Energy Frolick. ;)

The Activists Network is holding a Socially Responsible Investment Committee meeting next week after the normal NOW-NYU meeting time. It's at 8:30pm and I believe it's in Kimmel. E-mail Julie to find out the location.

I believe that's all for now! Hope to see you at some of these awesome events and to get your input on how things have been going this year!

xo,
Sarah

Today's Meeting

2009-04-15T13:38:00.002-04:00

Hey!

Don't forget to bring a t-shirt and $11 for Sue for our NOW-NYU t-shirts!!! If you don't have a shirt (preferably white) that you want to print on, the guy we're taking them to sells them for about $15 each. We'll also be discussing Take Back the Night stuff.

Hope to see you tonight at 7pm in Kimmel 805!

xo,
Sarah

Don't worry!

2009-04-11T16:20:00.001-04:00

Hey ladies.

I haven't forgotten anyone or anything! We're trying to get a few details mapped out before I post anything final. I'll keep everyone updated as soon as I know anything!

xo,
Sarah

March 25, 2009 Meeting

2009-03-25T22:29:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone!

This was quite the eventful evening! We have some really awesome events coming up soon that we really need help and support on!

We're thinking about raffling sex toys for our Relay For Life table. To sign up for our team (meaning to come hang out with us for a couple of hours and walk and support an amazing cause) go to www.relayforlife.org/newyorkuniversity. Once you're there, search for the National Organization for Women and join our team! We'd love to have you on board.

We also discussed Take Back the Night. We're going to be sponsoring this amazing event to support victims of sexual violence and abuse. We need people to start reaching out to friends, peers, etc. in order to find anyone willing to either play music, read poetry, speak, etc. for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Take Back the Night Event. The date is going to be Tuesday, April 28th, (we're thinking around 8pm). We'll be making flyers, etc. very soon. We really need people to come next week to really get this going and to give out specific responsibilities. We're going to need to do a LOT of outreach, i.e. going to other clubs' meetings (once we get a list of clubs that are OK with us coming to do a little speech/hand out flyers -- that will be coming soon), hanging up flyers all over the place, presenting this to your classes (ask your prof. -- they're usually really cool about doing this before class starts), e-mailing other listserves or mass e-mailing friends from other schools. We will be making a facebook event--once we know certain specific details we can get the ball really rolling. So make sure you come next week! Also start asking around to see if you know anyone willing to perform!

We talked a little bit about the Feminist Majority Conference that Larry, Alex and I attended (I'm sorry if I spelled it wrong!!!). There will be more to come on that next week. It was an awesome conference and we have lots of fun stuff to tell everyone about.

We also had a really good conversation about the Women's Center/Women and Gender Resource Center, etc. We'll bring people up-to-date on that. I'm pretty sure we're going to get a club started that revolves around this whole issue and getting it started. We'll keep people updated on that.

After the meeting we all went out and participated in the NARAL Day of Action. We handed out condoms and emergency contraception information to people leaving and entering the subways. Let me tell you...it was really nervewracking at first but once our fearless leader got us started, there was no stopping us! People really seemed to take a liking to us. We didn't get too many bad responses. There were a couple creepers and a few older women who gave us dirty looks but there were so many people who said thanks and who looked happy or thought it was hilarious. So all in all, it was awesome. We handed out about 250 condoms in around a half hour. CRAZINESS!!!! We're contemplating making this our new community service event (because things have gone nowhere with planned parenthood right now--they're swamped?). It was lots of fun and once you get over the initial embarassment/fear you start to have fun.

Hope everyone's first week back is going well. I hope to see you next week, look forward to hearing if anyone has friends that can perform (preferably sexual-domestic violence related), and am psyched about our upcoming events! We need your support and to see you there!

xo,
Sarah

Welcome Back!

2009-03-23T19:36:00.002-04:00

Hey there!

I hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing spring break. Let's hope midterms are done with and people have a little bit of time to relax before finals, etc.

Wanted to let everyone know that we have some exciting events coming up and plenty to talk about at our meeting. If anyone wants to discuss anything in particular, feel free to bring it up or e-mail Julie to have it added to the agenda.

Also, I will be attempting to post the pictures soon of the sex toy workshop that occurred before break! That was so much fun and I want to thank everyone for showing up, letting Larry and I take pictures, and for being such an amazing group! Who knew playing with sex toys in a non-sexual way could be so fun?! :)

Hope to see you at the meeting this Wednesday at 7pm!

Love,
Sarah

February 25, 2009 Meeting

2009-02-28T15:51:00.002-05:00

We talked about the Irshad Manji movie screening event and how powerful it was. There were a few of us at the meeting who went and we discussed the movie and what Irshad Manji had to say. What we want everyone to take away from it was the face that we want people to be open to discuss anything that's on their minds.

We also discussed the TBNYU! Occupation. It was a really great discussion. We've decided not to remove ourselves from the coalition. However, we think it's important for TBNYU! to know what members of its coalition think about what happened and any constructive criticisms or things we thought were positive.

We discussed the NARAL petitions, which you can get online at a link in a previous post here.

March 8 is International Women's Day. We will find out more information from Julie as to what is happening on that day.

March 2 (THIS MONDAY!) is the opening event for Women's Herstory Month!!!! Check out the women's herstory month calendar on facebook! (It starts at 7:15)

March 3 (THIS TUESDAY!) is the ICARUS workshop that we're cosponsoring called the (In)Sanity of Gender. This should be a really great event. Come one! Come all! It's Tuesday at 7:00 in room 522 of the Gallatin building.

March 11 (NEXT WEEK) is our AWESOME sex toy workshop. We'll be raffling some lovely prizes. It's at 7pm in our regular room, Kimmel 805.

March 25 is the NARAL NYC Day of Action.

April 19 is Relay for Life (we'll send our more about this later).

And April is also Take Back the Night, which celebrates survivors or rape and sexual violence (We'll also send out more about this later).

I'll post the Women's Herstory Month Calendar a little later.

xo,
Sarah

February 18, 2009 Meeting

2009-02-19T19:39:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone.

Here's what happened at our meeting.

We discussed the Vagina Monologues and the OXFAM event. Feel free to ask about those. I'm not really going to go into detail here.

We'd like to remind you to bring in the NARAL petitions for the Reproductive Health Act that Sue handed out the other week. If you don't have one and would like to sign it or have others sign it, you can find it here: www.prochoiceny.org/getinvolved/alerts/00705221.shtml. If the link does not work, please e-mail Sue or let me know.

We also discussed the possibility of doing a NARAL Campus Challenge action, which is either a campaign, event or program in which we get the word out on Emergency Contraception (EC). We haven't decided anything yet but the event should be for March. Start thinking about possible ideas that you may have! We'd love to hear from people!

Also, March 25th (which is a ways away so I will post a reminder once the day nears) there is teh NYC Day of Action with NARAL where people stand outside subway stations all over NYC and hand out condoms and information about EC. You can go to www.prochoiceny.org to find out more information or e-mail Sue.

There is also a volunteer event coming up this Saturday with ACT (Against Child Trafficking), a student group at NYU. They will be sorting clothing for the girls of GEMS (Girls Education and Mentoring Services), which GEMS received from their clothing drive. This is a great event and a time to meet people from other clubs and do something to help out girls from NYC that are victims of human trafficking. It's this Saturday (Feb. 21) from 12-4 at 298B W. 149th Street, New York, NY 10039 (Just east of the corner of 149th and Fredrick Douglass Blvd--Go to www.hopstop.com for train directions). Please try to bring hangers!!! Feel free to contact Ebony Rentas, Chair of GEMS Volunteer Committee, with questions at 646-201-3910. Contact Ebony if you have any questions. Tell her Chanelle told you about the event. Also, if you have other questions regarding the event or to RSVP directly with ACT, e-mail Chanelle at chanelle.pearson@nyu.edu. You do not have to go for the full four hours. Feel free to stop by for an hour or so if you are free.

Last, but certainly not least, is our exciting event for this coming Friday. Julie sent an e-mail over the listserve but here it is as a reminder: NOW-NYU presents: “Are We Global Citizens or Not? An interactive evening with author, activist and NYU leadership professor Irshad Manji”How many times have you been told that “you can’t comment if you don’t represent?” How many times have you said that to fellow activists, believing that we shouldn’t stick our noses in other people’s business? In an interdependent world, is there such a thing as “other” people?Irshad Manji says no; we’re all in it together. That’s what it means to be global citizens. She makes the case in her internationally best-selling book, The Trouble with Islam Today: A Muslim’s Call for Reform in Her Faith. Since then, Irshad has joined NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service, where she serves as Director of the Moral Courage Project — a leadership program that mentors students to speak truth to power, even at the price of personal backlash.Her motto: Courage is not the absence of fear; courage is the recognition that some things are more important than fear!In that spirit, Irshad and NOW-NYU invite you to join a vibrant conversation about changing the world. On Friday evening, Feb 20, we’ll screen Irshad’s Emmy-nominated PBS film, “Faith Without Fear,” which chronicles her journey to reconcile Islam with human rights. The film raises questions about freedom, rights, responsibilities and, above all, courage. Irshad will then open up a discussion with all of us. Bring your voices with you.WHEN: Friday, February 20th, 5:30 - 7:30 pmWHERE: Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service, NYU; 295 Lafayette St (at Houston), Rice Conference Room; Come to 2nd floor reception and one of the organizers will be on hand to lead you to the room. PLEASE RSVP TO JULIE KILGER (e-mail on the left-hand side of the screen). We need to know how many people plan to attend this event.

Support our lovely lady (and others) at the TBNYU! Occupation!

Love,
Sarah

WHOA NELLY! Go ACTIVISTS!

2009-02-19T11:51:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone!

Exciting shit happening over at Kimmel! I know it's a little late but go over to Kimmel to show your support to TBNYU! and budget disclosure/university transparency!!!!!!! One of our loverly members is over yon so go show her your support!

Go to the TBNYU! website for more information and for their list of demands: takebacknyu.com.

I will update everyone on what happened at our meeting last night when I get home later. Just wanted everyone to go show their support for the occupation of Kimmel!

Love,

Sarah

Women's Herstory Month 2009

2009-02-16T12:41:00.003-05:00

Here is the 2009 Calendar of Events for Women's Herstory Month!!!!!

http://www.new.facebook.com/wall.php?id=527326251&banter_id=1381740042&show_all#/topic.php?uid=47579143105&topic=7506

Our events are on March 3 [i.e. (In)Sanity of Gender] and March 11 [Sex Toy Workshop]!!!!

Love,
Sarah

February 11, 2009 Meeting

2009-02-11T23:04:00.004-05:00

Hey everyone!

We had a jam-packed (ha ha) meeting tonight. I say ha-ha because we had PB&J for dinner tonight. :) Stupid, yes. Worth it to say, maybe.

Anyway, onto the good stuff.

The Vagina monologues are this coming weekend (13th, 14th and 15th). We decided to go as a group Friday night. However, we will have a table there to get petitions signed and people to sign up for the listserve. We have a couple of people to take care of the table on Friday night. However, if anyone could make the Saturday night or Sunday afternoon showings so that we can have someone at the table, please e-mail Julie and let her know your availability. The show starts at 7pm but if you're able to table, we'd need to there around 6pm. Please let Julie know soon and we hope to see you there this weekend!

We also have a bunch of NARAL petitions for the Reproductive Health Act. This is a really important thing to show support for because, should Roe v. Wade be overturned, New York State is really not as protected as most people think it is. We would love for you to pick one up from Sue or Julie (or anyone else that has them really), get them signed, and bring them back in about 2 weeks (the meeting after next).

We're also now co-sponsoring OxFam's "Raise Hope for Congo" on February 17th at 6pm on the 10th Floor of Kimmel. We'd love for people to come and show their support for this amazing and powerful event. Here's the link to their facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/wall.php?id=1075080069&banter_id=1381740042&show_all#/event.php?eid=60223353976&ref=nf.

We had some really nice and informative guests come tonight from the Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF)--Emily and Patrice. They are campus organizers from the FMF, which is a Washington D.C. based organization akin to NOW. However, most of their chapters are college groups and work on a lot of international issues. Some campaigns that they are or have been working on are training midwives in Afghanistan to lower the maternal mortality rate (which has spiked to one out of every six women). They have also worked to shut down Crisis Pregnancy Centers ("fake abortion clinics"). We had a really great discussion about these Centers. While it is important for people to feel comfortable going somewhere that they feel can give them other options besides abortion, it is also important to recognize that women should be receiving comprehensive, accurate information on all aspects of pregnancy-related options (adoption, keeping the baby, abortion, etc. etc.). We have more information/handouts on the issue if you are interested in learning more. Back to their visit! They are hosting the National Young Women's Leadership Conference in Washington D.C. (we have flyers for this too). On March 21-22 they are having "From Campus to Congress" where many nationwide feminist on-campus organizations will meet with each other and discuss (things). On March 23-24 they are having Congressional Visit Days at Capitol Hill. They discussed with us that the group rate is $15 per person, not including transportation or housing. However, they discussed some options with us (such as outreach to other groups for possible bus sponsorship), putting everyone in the same room, staying at a friend's house, etc. We can discuss these options more as we decide what to do and who may or may not go. For more information go to their website at www.feministcampus.org/leadership or contact Emily Kadar at ekadar@feminist.org.

They also have internships available in D.C. (and L.A.) during the semester AND over the summer. This would be a wonderful opportunity for many young feminists. They recommended getting applications in by the end of March. For more information or to apply go to www.feminist.org/intern or e-mail FMF at internship@feminist.org (for DC) or internshipla@feminist.org (for LA).

Rachael told us about a trip to Albany that she is going on with her internship organization that she would love to see people at. They are going to Albany to protest/repeal the Rockefeller drug laws, which often only serve to facilitate black men into prisons.

Our exciting event with ICARUS is coming up on March 3 at 7pm in Gallatin, room 522. It's the day after the opening ceremonies for Women's (Womyn's) Herstory month. This will speak to alternative forms of mental health (particularly for those uncomfortable with medications), self-destruction/mutilation, and the interplay between mental health and gender.

Our sex toy workshop will be on March 11 during our regular meeting (7pm in Kimmel room 805).

We are also discussing the event coming up (Time and place TBA) with Irshad Manji, author of "The Trouble with Islam". We will be hosting a showing of her film "Faith Without Fear" which is about reconciling the Muslim faith with human rights. She will then be discussing our right and responsibility as young activitists to stand up for different communities (even if we are not a part of them), and also to be open and courageous enough to ask questions even if we feel they may make us or others uncomfortable. She will be speaking to the question: "What does it mean to be a global citizen?" This event will be on February 20th. We are currently working on finding the space and time. More information will be available soon.

Thanks for reading! Hope to see you at the next meeting and at many of our exciting, upcoming events!!!!!

Love,
Sarah

February 4, 2009 Meeting

2009-02-08T02:33:00.002-05:00

Hey. Sorry I've been slacking on posting. This week has been a little weird.

Anywho, Wednesday's meeting we ate food! Woo!

We also had two representatives from OxFam join us to let us know about an awesome event they're holding on Tuesday, February 17, 2009 at 6pm on the 10th Floor of Kimmel (Rosenthal Pavilion). It's called "Raise Hope For Congo". It's to raise awareness and speak about the violence against women in the Democratic Repulic of Congo. They want to empower women there. They will have speakers from the "Enough" project.

We are also going to decide NEXT week when we try to attend the Vagina monologues as a group.

We've selected a date for our joint workshop titled "(In)Sanity of Gender" with ICARUS -- March 3! Date and time will be announced later.

Also, if you want to sign up for our Planned Parenthood volunteer escorting once a month please go to http://www.plannedparenthood.org/nyc/volunteer-intern-15239.htm , print and fill out the form and put it in our NOW-NYU mailbox on the 6th floor of Kimmel, number 129.

Last but not least, Sue spoke to us about the Petition she has going around for the Reproductive Health Act for New York State which would ENSURE that the NYS abortion laws are updated in case Roe v. Wade were overturned. This is important because in New York State, abortion is still part of criminal law, and is also an EXCEPTION to a rule, not a rule itself. Congress will be in session from January through June so this petition will be important to sign and get out. We will have them at the meetings but e-mail Sue if you would like to get one or know more information.

Hope to see you next week!
Love,
Sarah

Vagina Monologues

2009-02-03T19:15:00.003-05:00

So all I've heard about this is from Facebook. Here's the link to the event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=59619315241.

It's going to be happening:
Friday, February 13, 2009 at 7:00pm
Saturday, February 15, 2009 at 7:00pm
Sunday, February 15, 2009 at 2:00pm

Location:NYU's Kimmel Center, E&L Auditoruim

I'm not sure who to contact if you have any questions about it. I guess just go to the facebook event to find out.

We'll probably try to figure out a day that we can go as a group. I'll keep you posted on whether we decide one at tomorrow's meeting!

Come watch a movie and chillax tomorrow at 7pm in Kimmel 912!
Love,
Sarah

First Meeting!!!!

2009-01-28T21:39:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone!

Tonight was our first meeting of the Spring semester. We had a pretty good turn-out with some fresh, new faces. :D We hope to see more in the coming weeks.

Next week we'll be relaxing and showing a movie (possibly Saved). If you have any ideas on any feminist or women-related movies that you'd like to watch, contact any one of us and we'll put that on our list of possibilities. We'd L-O-V-E for people to bring some desserts!

This week was full of talk about our events this semester and a little about what we do as a group. Feel free to e-mail anyone if you have any questions about the information I'll be posting below (look to the left).

Anywho, in February we've heard that there WILL be Vagina Monologues. However, we have no idea when, when or who is putting it on. We will be going together as a group so we'll try to keep you updated on that. If anyone has any information on that, please let us know as we'd like to possibly co-sponsor, etc.

March is Women (Womyn)'s Herstory Month. We will be hosting a sex toy workshop (potentially on March 11....) which we would loooooooove people to come to and publicize. Once we finalize the date, we'll make fliers and ask people to hand them out. We will also be co-sponsoring an event with ICARUS called the "(In)Sanity of Gender". Icarus is a great new group that is devoted to health/mental health and alternative options. We'll need people to help publicize that and attend the event as well.

In April we will be hosting Take Back the Night, which is a march for victims of sexual violence. We'll have more information on that and how you can get involved when the date nears. We'll also be participating in Relay For Life.

We'll be doing a movie night with TORCH (Teen Outreach Reproductive CHallenge). They are a subgroup in NARAL that teaches teens comprehensive sex education and helps them teach it to their peers. Date TBD. Contact Sue if you would like to know more information about either NARAL or TORCH.

We have a lot of petitions floating around now that people can get their hands on for the Women's Center (Women & Gender Resource Center). Feel free to contact Nicole if you are interested in helping out or just want further information.

We'll be doing Planned Parenthood Escorting this semester. It's only about a once a month commitment for a few hours, probably on a Saturday. We'll be escorting women to get their services, just helping them to feel safe, especially when there are protesters out.

Hope to see more new (and already-seen) faces at next week's meeting!

Love,
Sarah

Event and Pictures

2009-01-26T17:24:00.002-05:00

Hello all!

There are now some of the Love Your Body Day photos of the Wing-Tsun Demo in our slideshow in the lower left of the website for people to peruse.

Also, here's the info for an upcoming event on the 28th. However, I hope people are coming to the first meeting of the semester on the 28th instead!

From Prison to Empowerment: Women Advocates Take on the Criminal Justice System

The number of women under correctional supervision has skyrocketed over the past 30 years, yet women’s voices and experiences are often marginalized in the discussion and formulations of criminal justice policies. This panel will highlight how formerly incarcerated women are advocating to influence and guide public policies that directly affect their lives.

Date: January 28, 2009
Time: 6:30 to 8:30
Location: Rudin Forum, 295 Lafayette St, 2nd Fl, NYC
Food and Refreshments will be served.
RSVP at: www.wagner.nyu.edu/events

Sponsored by: NYU Students for Criminal Justice Reform, Women’s Prison Association, Women of Color Policy Network, NYU Wagner Women’s Caucus, Women On The Rise Telling HerStory (WORTH), and the Women in Prison Project of the Correctional Association of New York

Hope to see people at our meeting this coming Wednesday at 7pm!!!
Love,
Sarah

Exciting Stuff!

2009-01-22T22:04:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone!

We have some very exciting things planned for this loverly Spring 2009 semester! Come to our first meeting next Wednesday at 7pm and find out some of these fun things!

We'll also be at the club fair next Wednesday from around 11:00 to 3:00 so tell your friends to stop by or come and visit us if you missed us last semester! We'd love to sit and chat with you for a bit. It's located on the 4th floor of Kimmel.

Also, on February 19th NOW-NYC is giving away its Susan B. Anthony Awards and some of us decided to attend. Feel free to join us. More specific info on that will be coming soon.

We will also have our Women's Center petitions out and posted on the website for people to sign and pass out. We need written signatures as digital ones will not be accepted.

There was also a Roe v. Wade celebration/discussion tonight with NOW-NYC that a few of us went to at City Hall. It was very informative on the things that we, as feminists and as women, need to do and keep doing in order to insure our reproductive rights are upheld or brought to a better standard. (If all of that makes sense).

Some of the things we discussed were repealing the Hyde Amendment, stopping violent protests at abortion clinics, comprehensive sex education, repealing the global gag rule, upholding the Federal FACE law, ending pregnancy discrimination, the right to breastfeed in public, the Freedom of Choice Act, access and care for women with disabilities, reproductive health act, title X, etc. There are still so many things we have to do and to protect! Just because Obama is in the white house doesn't necessarily mean that we can by any means stop fighting or take a break. There's bound to be plenty of anti-choice backlash.

I look forward to a wonderful semester and hope to see some new faces at our upcoming meetings!

Love,
Sarah

First Meeting!!!!!

2009-01-10T19:56:00.000-05:00

First meeting is January 28 2009 at 7pm in Kimmel room 805!!!!!

Hope everyone had a great break!

Love,
Sarah

:D

2008-12-31T16:11:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone's new year turns out to be wonderful!

Love,
Sarah

Upcoming Panel Event

2008-12-07T18:22:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone. Hope this weekend wasn't too stressful and I hope everyone gets time to relax soon!

Here's the info from our NOW ladies on an upcoming panel event about sex trafficking that we'd like people to take a look at:

We just found out about a panel on the issue of sex trafficking (a longtime NOW-NYU social-justice interest) that's being held on Saturday, December 13 from 2-4pm at the Brooklyn Museum (2/3 train to Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum).

It's made even MORE exciting because not only is Gloria Steinem, founder of Ms. magazine and the writer to bring the practice of female genital mutilation into U.S., if not Western, consciousness, RUNNING the panel, but our former event partner Rachel Lloyds, founder of GEMS (Girls Educational & Mentoring Services), is on the panel. GEMS is a great organization that aims to help house, rehabilitate and educate girls who have been victims of domestic sex trafficking in New York City (and state).

Here's the event info from the website (http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/calendar/index.php?show=day&month=12&day=13&year=2008)
Talks and Tours: Panel Discussion: "Sex Trafficking and the New Abolitionists"
2:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, 4th Floor
Acclaimed activist Gloria Steinem leads a panel discussing the fight against human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and violence against women and girls. Joining her will be Taina Bien-Aime, Executive Director of Equality Now; Dorchen Leidholdt, Director of the Center for Battered Women’s Legal Services at Sanctuary for Families; and Rachel Lloyd, Executive Director of GEMS.
Suggested donation: Students (with ID) $4

We'd love to see you there for a discussion on this very important issue, one often missing from social discourse in the U.S.!

Dec. 3, 2008 Meeting

2008-12-04T18:10:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone.

Now that finals are coming up I know that everyone is stressed out and busy busy busy. However, we had a good meeting with yummy Mexican food this week and I hope to see you next week for our last meeting of the semester! :( I am definitely sad about that because I love seeing everyone on Wednesdays. What will I do on Wednesday nights to make up for the whole in my heart? ...... Anywho......

We'll be having a special guest stopping by next week. All I will say is that it is someone special from the National NOW. We plan to do a sort of pot-luck dinner type deal for food. Feel free to bring what you can and if you can't, no biggie! Use some of those swipes if you don't have any $$$. :D

We are also planning to do regular volunteering next semester (I believe about once a month) where all of us go to Planned Parenthood and escort women into the center (so they don't get harassed by protesters, etc.). We had to fill out a volunteer application at the meeting. If you weren't able to make it, you can fill one out online and hand it to Julie next week or I'm sure she'll have some to fill out at our next meeting. We want to get the ball rolling on this so we have something already in place when we come back.

We also have a drafted petition for the women's center that many of us liked that we will be sending around over winter break to get comments on so that we can also get started when we come back in the spring. We will be petitioning (i.e. getting friends' and professors' signatures), doing outreach to other clubs, and drafting a longer demand letter to the administration.

Take Back NYU! is having an event (that you can find on facebook) this coming week in the library called "Study Breakdown." E-mail Julie or search for it on facebook for more information.

At the meeting we discussed possible plans for next semester. We have a few things we'd like to do but, again, this is a club for our members so if anyone would like to bring some ideas or has anything they want to discuss next semester, feel free to contact us or bring it! We would love to see you next week and, if not next week due to finals hell, at least at the beginning of next semester. We look forward to working with everyone next semester on Womyn's Herstory Month, Black History month, and volunteering! Bring ideas! Bring books! Bring yourselves! Our first meeting next semester will be January 28.

Have a good finals week and good luck to everyone!
Love,
Sarah

Equal Pay for Equal Work Rally

2008-11-14T16:13:00.003-05:00

Hello!

Our rally was awesome! Thanks to everyone who helped out with posters, flyers, "glass ceilings", marching, chanting, etc.! We are grateful for everyone's support and a special thanks to everyone who came out and joined us!

I posted the rally photos in a slideshow at the side of the webpage. Unfortunately not all would fit into the slideshow but feel free to take a look. I will try to get the rest of the pictures on our NOW-NYU facebook group soon.

Sexton better get his shit together otherwise we may just have to storm into Kimmel (like we weren't allowed to do during the rally) or into his office yelling and screaming, "Disclose it! Get off it! Put students over profit!" or "Secrets, secrets are no fun. The budget is for everyone!" or "Equal Work for Equal Pay. Transparency's the only way!" I'd love to see that.

Anywho, hope you enjoy all the pictures. I'll post more from other events soon!

xo,
Sarah

Poster-making!

2008-11-10T18:34:00.003-05:00

Hey-lo.

We're meeting tomorrow (Nov. 11) on the 7th floor of Kimmel at 7:00pm to make posters for our "Equal Pay for Equal Work" rally on Wednesday, November 12, between 1:00 and 2:00pm starting in front of Kimmel (W. Sq. South). Come join us and have fun making signs for participants to hold while chanting clever things (also part of tomorrow's meeting).

Love,
Sarah

Flyers!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-11-09T19:24:00.002-05:00

Here are our beautiful flyers, compliments of Mr. Tonner. :D

Equal Pay for Equal Work -and- Get out of Bank of America!

2008-11-09T19:01:00.004-05:00

Hello hello hello!

We are having an incredibly exciting event this Wednesday!!!!! Everyone should come! Feel free to bring friends, hang out fliers, join the rally, or just let people know!

Equal Pay for Equal Work
Has NYU Broken the Glass Ceiling?

Date: Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Location: Kimmel, 60 Washington Square Park South

NOW-NYU and its supporters, Take Back NYU!, Campus Anti-War Network, Students for a Democratic Society, Earth Matters and Students Creating Radical Change are demanding budget disclosure in the interest of ensuring gender pay equity! We will be marching around Washington Square Park in the hopes that the administration will hear our demands.

We are making signs and discussing any last minute details this coming Tuesday; date and time of the Tuesday sign-making meeting to follow.

Last meeting we also had a guest come and speak to us about banking: Ellie from Students Creating Radical Change stopped by to fill everyone in on a movement to get your OUT of Bank of America and IN to a socially responsible bank account. On November 12 from 11:30 until 2:00 you can open up an account with the Lower East Credit Union in the Kimmel Lobby. All you need is your NYU ID, and your regular ID (drivers license, etc.). We were given some information as to why you should switch over: The Inner City Press-Fair Finance Watch accused Bank of America and Citigroup of charging higher mortgage loan rates for African American and Hispanic borrowers than white borrowers. The ICP reports that blacks were over two times more likely to receive rate spread home purchase loans than whites, and Hispanics were 2.5 times more likely than whites to pay higher rates with all types of Bank of America loans.From 1989 to May 2006, Bank of America spent a total of $14,065,791 on political campaign contributions. In the 2006 election cycle alone, $2.07 million was given by Bank of America employees to political campaigns. Of that amount, $918,631, or 44 percent went to Democratic candidates and $1.14 million or 55 percent to Republican candidates.Bank of America has been sued by the New York State Attorney General for multiple instances of improper mutual fund trading, including the most costly trading scandal to date, which the company settled for $675 million.Bank of America is one of the largest investors in coal and coal fired power, which is responsible for nearly a third of the nation's CO2 emissions, and also funds surface coal mining.

We ate deliciously amazing vegan cupcakes (THANK YOU JULIE OH MY LORD THEY WERE DELICIOUS), and had some Mexican food. I forget the name of the place but I'll ask Julie...because it was really good.

I will be adding fliers to the website for everyon to print and hand out in classes, to professors, to send out, to tell people about, etc. Please get these out! Publicity is an important part of making any event come to life.

Thanks.
Love,
Sarah

Wednesday October 29, 2008 Meeting

2008-10-30T12:03:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone! This week was full of exciting things!!!!

Political Action Committee: Sue talked about phone banking and the upcoming canvassing trip to Philadelphia this Saturday (Nov. 1). She also mentioned that people can go to the Obama website (if that's the candidate that you endorse) and call people who aren't sure where they're supposed to go vote. You can just whip out your cell phone and they have everything there for you! Names, numbers, info and even a small script.

Women's Center Committee: Nicole said that she found out a lot of information on some steps that need to be taken. Our first step is to get out a petition (soon to come) for people to sign. We can also look at other major schools that are NYU competition and see which have women's centers (sort of a "look what your competition has" thing). Also, we need to start outreach and find faculty and students that are interested in this. It's a good idea to see if we can contact any faculty or grad students that have gone to other schools with women's centers and get them on board saying why they thought it was helpful to have one. There's a draft of the petition to come!

Take Back NYU! Committee: We have a VERY VERY VERY VERY exciting event planned for us! (Share the excitement!!!!!).
EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK! -- Has NYU Broken the Glass Ceiling? A march demanding budget disclosure in the interest of insuring gender pay equity. Taking place in and around Washington Square Park (start place TBA), on WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 12th, 2008 from 1:00 to 2:00. We will be marching around Washington Square Park with plexiGLASS ceilings demanding gender pay equity. We will also need people to hand out fliers and hold up signs. -- This is a NOW-NYU event but it's important that we get other clubs and interested parties. If you are involved in any clubs, feel free to ask people to participate or, if there's interest, co-sponsor. Julie e-mailed more specific information to the listserve. If there's any questions or people want to co-sponsor the event or help out at it, feel free to contact Julie.

Also, we talked about wanting to do a monthly community service project. We originally thought of GEMS but realized that we should have a backup in case things don't work out with them. There was TORCH, Planned Parenthood, and a few others suggested. Next week feel free to bring in information about any volunteer opportunities that you'd like us to be a part of and we'll make a decision as to what to do as a club.

Have a great Halloween everyone!!!!!
I'm excited for this NOW/TBNYU! event! Tell your friends! Tell other clubs! Tell other organizations around the city!

Love,
Sarah

Last Week

2008-10-20T22:41:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone! Hope midterms are going well! I know I'm stressed and trying to get everything done.

On another note, last week was Love Your Body Day. At the meeting, we heard the different updates from our Committee Chairs. There are plenty of e-mails going around that you should take a look at. There's phone banking and canvassing for the election. To know more, e-mail Rachael or Nicole.

We talked about loving our bodies and what everyone was going to do that day or this week or even this year to try and love our bodies. I think everyone set some good goals. We heard things like "I'm going to try and eat healthier" "I'm going to try to accept my body weight", etc. All different kinds of things. Even if you didn't make it to the meeting or couldn't celebrate last week, by all means, set a goal of your own! We should celebrate ourselves and our bodies every day.

We then had a discussion about times when we've failed to love our bodies or our images of ourselves clashed with the things we tell others or want to believe. It was a good conversation about body image, the media, self-esteem, body weight and issues and more.

After some delicious cookies, snacks and drinks, we were blessed to have a demonstration of Wing Tsun by Sihing Dan. It was all about self-empowerment through self-defense. We learned about the principles of Wing Tsun and some of the moves they do. We did this class for about an hour, learning different techniques, practicing them on each other and the instructors. There are things we can all do to feel empowered and safe, especially while walking through the streets of New York City and I think that Wing Tsun is definitely one of those things that will help. For more information about classes, prices or Wing Tsun, contact Sihing Dan at 917-328-3555 or khemica369@yahoo.com. You can also take classes at 18 W. 18th Street, 6th floor -- between 5th and 6th avenues on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 7:30-9:00.

Also, there is an event that Nicole wanted everyone to take a look at: SPACE To Talk about Consent, Sexual Assault and Supporting Survivors: This interactive program explores myths and facts about sexual assault and trains members of the NYU community on how to help a survivor of sexual assault. Participants who complete this program will receive an “Ally” card which they can display to designate that they can provide a safe space for a survivor to come to them for support. Date: Friday, Nov. 14, 1:45-4pm. Location: Student Health Center, 726 Broadway, 3rd floor, Lafayette Conference Room. Light refreshments will be provided. Registration is required. Please email alyssa.lafosse@nyu.edu to register. (This program is free for all NYU students, faculty and staff.)

From Julie: The Take Back NYU Coalition is planning an action for Tuesday October 28th from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM! The action will be street theatre (Halloween theme) taking place around Washington Square Park supplemented by flyering and other outreach.The specifics of the performance will be determined during a meeting on Monday October 20th Kimmel 405 7 PM.As an endorsing club of Take Back NYU!, we hope that some members can volunteer for the action. We need actors, people to distribute flyers and talk to people, and people to help prepare for the action (costuming, brainstorming ideas, making publicity materials).If you are interested in volunteering for the action, please attend the Take Back NYU Coalition Meeting on Monday October 20th Kimmel 405 7 PM. -- I know it's too late for the meeting, but contact Julie for further information or any questions you have.

Sue sent a video link for people to take a look at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKPaxD61lwo.

Also, some of us went to the breast cancer walk this past Sunday. I had a great time and thanks everyone who came out and joined me. I will post pictures from both the Breast Cancer Walk (as soon as I get them developed) and from the Wing Tsun demonstration soon.

Have a great rest of the week and hope everyone can come out this Wednesday for our meeting!
Love,
Sarah

October 8, 2008 Meeting

2008-10-08T23:11:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone.

Sorry I've been slacking off a bit the past two weeks. Things have been hectic. I'll try and be more on top of things again.

In this meeting we talked a lot about the new committees that have been formed and some upcoming events.

-One of our new committees is headed by Julie (also President), called the "Take Back NYU! Committee". We had members from SCRC (Students Creating Radical Change), also Take Back NYU!, come and talk to us about the Take Back NYU! campaign that we, NOW-NYU sponsor. I have a flyer and the "Disorientation Guide" in case anyone wants to take a gander. Julie has extra copies so you can e-mail her or get one at an upcoming meeting. According to the flyer that TBNYU! gave out, they are "a coalition of students and clubs dedicated to ensuring democracy, transparency and accountability at NYU." TBNYU's next meeting is October 17, time TBA. SCRC meets Mondays at 7pm in Kimmel room 405. If anyone wants to get more involved with this campaign or wants more information, please contact Julie.

-The next committee is the Women's Center Committee, headed by Nicole. She will give more information next week as to a timeline and what needs to be done in order to get faculty support and for possible letter writing/grant writing.

-The Reproductive Rights Committee, headed by Rachael had a few things to discuss this week. There are three things that she is interested in getting people together for, or just for individuals to do on their own: 1) A rally on October 15th outside the last presidential debate in Hempstead, NY. All expenses paid. 2) Canvassing in Philadelphia on October 18th and/or November 1st to discuss Obama's pro-choice record on women's health with voters. Buses leave at 8am. (many of us expressed interest and are thinking of possibly getting some NOW members together as a group and going on the 1st of November). It costs only $10 and includes membership to the Planned Parenthood NYC Action Fund. 3) Phone banking. There are many dates for this and Planned Parenthood is always in need of volunteers! Please contact Rachael for more information regarding these events. She also previously sent out an e-mail with more information. She can forward that e-mail to anyone interested. She also gave out a flyer for a t-shirt that states "Regulate the banks not our bodies" in support of the Obama-Biden campaign. To order, go to: www.ada-obamashirt.com.

-Another new committee is the Political Action Committee headed up by Sue. She talked about an upcoming phone banking even with the College Dems tomorrow night at 7pm in Kimmel. She also talked about the Palin Rally in Florida and how it has effected voters. Please contact her for more information.

-The Breast Cancer Walk in Central Park is in a few weeks. Feel free to join us, even if you can't donate. Just walking and showing your support means a lot to these women and men who have fought long and hard. It's on Sunday October 19th. For more information, feel free to contact me, Sarah, or look at the previously posted information on this website.

-Love Your Body Day is next Wednesday. We will be celebrating in our regular meeting room at 7pm by having food and a self-defense class! Feel free to bring friends. It will be empowering and I think people will have a lot of fun with it. We will be loving our bodies and learning how to kick ass with them! :)

-Lastly, there is a movie showing on October 17th and/or 18th at the Angelica Theater titled "Who does she think she is?" Contact Julie for further information.

Thanks! Hope everyone had a good week, good Yom Kippur and hope to see everyone next week to learn how to kick some serious ass!

<3 Sarah

Breast Cancer Walk

2008-09-22T21:07:00.001-04:00

Hey!

This is the website for the NYC Central Park Making Strides Breast Cancer Walk on Sunday, October 19, 2008.

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=entry&fr_id=11618

Once at the website, go to "Join a team" and when asked for the team name type in NOW-NYU (don't forget all caps and the dash). After that it's up to you!

Hope people sign up!
Love,
Sarah

September 17, 2008 Meeting

2008-09-22T20:07:00.004-04:00

Hola!

Last week we did some brainstorming for events and smaller things we'd like to do this year. Everyone ate delicious candy (thanks Julie and Rachael) and talked over the multitude of possibilities.

Here are some of the things we discussed:

-Having a movie night with TORCH (a group within NARAL, Teen Outreach Reproductive CHallenge)

-Love Your Body Day -- October 15th, 2008
We're going to try and get someone to come in and teach a self-defense class. We're also going to have both junk food and health food because who knows what we're going to want after kicking ass and taking names! (For instance, a member was heard saying "I'd say, I kicked ass! I want a cupcake!" ...which I very much applaud and agree with....though a carrot might be nice too). :D

-Women's Center
If anyone is interested in this please contact Nicole. What we really have left to do at this point is a lot of funding preparation and getting backing from faculty. If you know any cool faculty members, feel free to bring their names and e-mail addresses so that Nicole can contact them regarding this project.

-Register to Vote!!!!!!!
If you haven't already done so, register! We're going to be bringing in information next week on the different candidates (Presidential and Vice-Presidential) and what we would want to know about them. For instance, what they're for, what they've voted for or against in the past, things they've backed, etc...We'll be discussing what to put on the fliers, copying them and then handing them out within the coming weeks so that voters are informed about the candidates and informed on how to register to vote. SO GET OUT THERE AND REGISTER!!!

-Election Panel Discussion
We have a few ideas about this. We'll discuss this more on Wednesday.

-Breast Cancer Walk
The Breast Cancer Walk is October 19, 2008. Registration starts at 9:00 and goes until 11:00. I will be doing most of the planning but I welcome any ideas and if anyone wants to start a small committee with me to do group fundraising, e-mail me (seb420@nyu.edu). You can do individual fundraising or just come walk with us. I will be posting the information on how to sign up for our group shortly.

-WYSE (Women and Youth Supporting Each-other)
Julie (the prez) is part of this group and she discussed how empowering and wonderful it is to help these girls educate themselves and possibly educate others on mental and sexual health, relationships, etc. She said that it's a small time commitment but well worth it. If you'd like more information regarding WYSE, feel free to contact her.

All of these are things we are going to work on in the coming weeks. If you are interested in any particular one, or all (which is completely fine with us), feel free to contact the above-mentioned people (all e-mails are at the left side of the website) or talk to us about these things at the next meeting.

We also had a great discussion about the upcoming election. I won't really go much into that because I think there was too much to post. But in case you missed it, don't fret. I'm sure we'll be having many more discussions as things come up before (or after) the election. We'll definitely be discussing it more next week when we make the flier to inform voters about the candidates. Stop by and bring information! or just stop by!

Hope everybody's week has gone well.
I'll keep you posted as things progress and I'll post more about the breast cancer walk as soon as I get everything set up.

♥
Sarah

First and Second Meetings

2008-09-16T16:21:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone. Sorry I didn't post about the first meeting sooner.

I wanted to thank everyone who showed interest in our NOW-NYU group!

Last week we did did the standard introductions and had everyone draw what "Feminism" means to them. We got a great range of pictures and interpretations and had a good discussion about all different facets of feminism and what it means to be a feminist. Even if not everyone is an artist, the meaning behind those drawings displayed more than mere talent could.

Also, we made beautiful collage of both our images of feminism and cut out images from popular magazines. It was amazing to me how our positive images seemed to get shrouded in the negativity of popular culture and the media. We had a good discussion about the images and how we viewed them ourselves. Don't fret! I think that it was a good exercise to show that not only is NOW-NYU a place for you to vent your frustrations regarding the media and the sexist stereotypes that often co-exist with media images but a place for you to act upon those feelings and anger. It was great to have all different kinds of people with so many different opinions. That's what makes NOW-NYU such a great club to be in. It feels like a family, a release, a safe-haven.

On another note, I wanted to let everyone know that this week's meeting is for brainstorming ideas and possibilities for this coming year! Bring ideas! Bring events! Bring info from other clubs! We're open to all sorts of ideas and want to include all our members in the process of being a community and having presence on the NYU campus. We will also be having a discussion on the current election and how each person's beliefs and lives will be affected by the presidential candidates.

Come one! Come all!

Thanks for coming and I hope to see you again this week,
Sarah B.

FIRST MEETING!

2008-09-09T22:40:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone!

It's Sarah here letting you know that our first NOW-NYU meeting is tomorrow, September 10, at 7pm in Kimmel room 805. As Julie, our President, stated in the listserve e-mail: Tomorrow's meeting will introduce you to NOW as well as give you an opportunity to explore your views of feminism with other NYU activists. We'll be providing desserts as well, so come hungry!

I hope to see everyone there and I'm excited for a brand new year with new faces and fresh ideas.

Also bring any magazines that you're more than willing to discard. We'll be doing some fun stuff during the meeting.

Also, if you'd like to be added to the listserve contact one of the NOW officers and we'll add you so that you can get updates (besides the ones I post here).

Love,
Sarah

Club Fair!

2008-09-02T17:00:00.004-04:00

Hello everyone!

I hope everything went well on the first day of classes. I know mine was hectic but I was glad to see so many people out and about.

I want to let everyone know that the club fair is this coming Thursday, September 4th, 2008 from 2:00pm-7:00pm at Coles Sports Center on 181 Mercer Street, between Bleecker and Houston Streets. NOW-NYU will have a booth set up. Stop by just to say hello or to sign up for the listserve.

We'll be doing a lot of great things this semester and I hope to see all of you soon!

I'll keep everyone posted as the year progresses.

-Sarah B.

Summer!

2008-05-15T01:34:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone! It's Sarah, the new "Web master/mistress". I know that it's a little late for this post but I wanted to write it anyway.

Congratulations to our seniors!!!!!! We will miss you all dearly and I'm sure that we'll be e-mailing you next year with questions. :)

I want everyone to know that I think we had a great year and best of luck to everyone this summer! Hope classes and finals went well and that everyone's happy and settled back into the groove of summer!

Lots of love,
Sarah

Various Pictures!

2008-04-15T10:45:00.010-04:00

Tuesday's Meeting

2008-04-09T13:01:00.002-04:00

First up! We made a banner and tshirts for Relay for Life! Relay is Saturday at 6! Shortly after that is the team lap, so everyone that can should really try to make it for that part for sure! Then, we'll be selling lollypops and doing some facepainting during the event to raise money for American Cancer Society. So, join the team and get pumped for Saturday night!

We also discussed a gift for some of the girls at GEMS to say thank you for coming to our film week. So, Wednesday, consider bringing something small like nail polish or hair stuff or a blank journal. Anything you think teenage girls would enjoy! We really want to keep up a good relationship with GEMS and show our appreciation for their participation at filmweek.

Next week! Nicole is going to be leading a little session on sex and our sexual health. We'll also be holding elections for next year on this day as well. We discussed this briefly on Tuesday, but there is still time to think about the role you'd like to have in NOW next year. If you're interested, please email Liz with the positions you're interested in, and please, if you're interested in multiple positions, rank them in order of how interested you are. The positions, again, are: president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, and webmaster/historian. We'll also have many opportunities for leadership available in committees.

Email Liz by Sunday if you're interested in a position! See you Wednesday (Saturday, if you're attending the Relay!)

Updates.

2008-04-07T13:35:00.002-04:00

First of all, as if we haven't all said it enough, congratulations to us for an amazing filmweek! If you happen to see anyone that came to a night, please be sure to thank them again for coming. Also, please send me your thoughts at jpk297@nyu.com. Just a few sentences on the nights you saw so we can record it all for, you know, posterity!

Coming up this Tuesday:

We'll be making t-shirts for Relay for Life as well as talking about our activity for the night of the event. Annnnd if you haven't, SIGN UP for the team!

We'll be discussing elections in a little more details, talking about what each position entails, as well as the possibility of forming more committees for people interested in taking on some extra responsibility on a particular issue. Think about whether you'd like to make the extra commitment by being a committee leader or executive board member and come ready to say a few words about it!

If you can't make it Tuesday, but still want to be considered for a position, try to email Liz tonight so we can have you in mind when we discuss this tomorrow.

See you all tomorrow at 8 in the 9th floor lobby!

(Send my your film week thoughts!!!)

(Please!!!!)

Film Week Flyer!

2008-03-26T01:36:00.008-04:00

Click to see a larger image!

Here's the info that's on the small handbills. 6 will fit on a regular document sized page:

NOW-NYU, FILMAID and New Space for Women’s Health
PRESENT:
WOMEN IN THE ARTS
4/1:The Business of Being Born:Silver 405
4/2: Refugee Films: Silver 520
4/3: Sex Trafficking: Silver 408
ALL from 7:30-10:00 www.now-nyu.blogspot.com

The larger black and white flyer:

Week of
WOMEN
in the
ARTS
APRIL 1st - April 3rd, 7:30pm to 10:00pm
Sponsored by NOW-NYU, Co-Sponsored by FilmAid

DAY ONE: Women’s Health: Ricki Lake’s
Silver 405 The Business of Being Born presented
by New Space for Women’s Health

DAY TWO: Refugee Women: FilmAid
Silver 520 Documentaries with Catherine Filloux

DAY THREE: Sex Trade: Discussion with G.E.M.S.
Silver 408 (Girls Education & Mentoring Services)

For More Information: www.now-nyu.blogspot.com

Relay For Life

2008-03-23T00:31:00.003-04:00

Relay For Life is fast approaching! It begins Saturday, April 12th at 6:30 and runs until Sunday, April 13th at approximately 8 am. Opening ceremonies and the Team Banner Lap are at 6:30, so everyone will want to be there for that! The Survivor's Lap and the Luminaria are at 9, so that's a time not to be missed either. Other than that, there's no pressure to stay all night, but fyi, if you leave past 12, you can't get back in until 6 (free breakfast!). Although we haven't chosen a theme as a group yet, we'll be doing so at some point in the future, as well as making a fun banner and deciding on a fundraiser for our time at the Relay.

While we don't have any team fundraisers planned for the weeks leading up to the big event, everyone can feel free to do as much individual fundraising as they want! Hit up any businesses you know or relatives you have that might want to contribute to this amazing cause devoted to the fight against cancer. You can collect change at other clubs or activities you're involved in, or even empty out that own cute little piggy bank of yours. Whatever you feel comfortable with! Any checks you get should be made out to the American Cancer Society, and any money you come up with can be given to Liz or Julie and we'll made sure it gets to the coordinators of the event.

Also, if you or anyone you know want to buy a Luminaria to honor the life of a survivor or commemorate someone who has passed away, Julie has the forms you'll need, and the cost is only 5 dollars.

Most importantly though, if you haven't already, join the team! Click here to sign up! Anyone can be a part of the NOW-NYU team!

Hey-OH! Tuesday's Meeting!

2008-03-11T21:36:00.006-04:00

Firstly, and very, very importantly, updates and important info on the Film Week!!!

Basic Info:

Tuesday, April 1, Silver Rm 405, 7:30-10
The Business of Being Born
A Q & A with the director of New Space NYC, a group currently striving in collaboration with Planned Parenthood to get a birthing center/women's health center opened in Manhattan.

Wednesday, April 2, Silver Rm 520, 7:30-10
FilmAid refugee-made movies!
Plus more info about FilmAid and its mission.
AND a discussion with Catherine Fillieux.

Thursday, April 3, Silver Rm 408, 7:30-10
TBA
GEMS will be in attendance!

More specific information to follow in the coming days/week! Also, a few lovely NOW ladies are making fliers that I'll put up here as soon as possible!

HOWEVER, this is where everyone comes in!!! Advertising! You will be receiving via email small fliers to douse your classrooms with as well as larger fliers to put up around your dorms (just run it by the ra or someone first). Also, ask any and all professors if you can make a brief announcement to the class about our events as we get closer to the big days. AND, if you're feeling brave, ask your professors to make attendance at our nights worth extra credit! The worst they'll say is no! On top of this, we will also be doing some sidewalk chalking as well as facebook advertising to get the word out! Don't forget word of mouth either! Tell all your friends to come!

Aside from that, we also discussed a few of this week's past events:

Naral's Health Panel, attended by Liz!
Not all universal health care plans are created equal! Therefore, it's important that we all be more informed about the terms and the specifics involved in politician's individual plans!

Trip to Albany with Planned Parenthood, attended by Rachael and Brittany!
Interesting timing, considering the recent Spitzer news, but they also learned more about the Reproductive Rights bill up for consideration which would ensure that New York women can still obtain an abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

Girl's Rock, attended by Liz, Julie C, Julie K, Sue, Sarah, and Nicole!
Women/Girl/Female Awesomeness and Empowerment!

There's so much more to be said about all of these topics, so if anyone wants to share a few more thoughts, please post a comment for those of us who couldn't attend the events!

Also! Have you signed up for NOW's Relay for Life team? It's gonna be fun! Click HERE to sign up!

Wednesday's Meeting

2008-03-06T01:43:00.003-05:00

First up! This Friday we're hoping to go the movie Girls Rock! hosted by NOW-NYC! More info to come, but let Liz know ASAP if you want her to get you a ticket. You can buy them the night of...if they aren't sold out!

Tomorrow/Today (Thursday that is) is a panel on Universal Health Care in Silver 408 from 6:30-8:30.

ALSO on this very day is ANOTHER panel on the 2008 Election entitled "Power, Politics, and Predictions," featuring four of NYU's very own professors. This one is at 7:30, in Schimmel Auditorium (in the Tisch building).

And AGAIN also on Thursday is a vigil in honor of those killed and missing in Columbia. 4 Pm at 140 E. 57th St and Lexington.

Relay for Life is coming up! We have a team so go sign up for TEAM NOW NYU/MOST AWESOME TEAM EVER (too much?)! http://events.cancer.org/RFLNYUNY

Also, Carrie and Julie went to a facilitation training this Wednesday, hosted by SCRC. We learned a lot of great techniques for how to encourage a non-hierarchical, yet functional meeting that sort of embraces the natural differences in the way we all act in meetingish situations. I can't wait to share some of what we learned!

Also, if you're sticking around til May 18th, and you're interested in participating in the AIDS walk, Sarah is your girl! Talk to her for more info!

OK! Next meeting is crucial because we have really got to get going on advertising for our Film Week! If we all attack this from every angle at our disposal, we'll get a great turnout and hopefully open a lot of minds to some of these issues. So come to our meeting this Tuesday, in the 9th floor lobby, at 8 pm, ARMED WITH IDEAS for getting the word out!!!

Update city!

2008-02-27T21:48:00.003-05:00

Only Wednesday and the week is already full of awesome NOW-ish stuff!

First thing, Sarah, Nikita, Julie, and Liz went to the play, Body and Sold this Monday. Whoa! It was definitely thought provoking. Basically, it was the story of 8 or 9 average people and how easily they fell/got trapped into a horrible cycle of prostitution, drug use, and abuse. Sad, but uplifting at times, too.

Also, some lucky ladies attended the discussion this Tuesday at Think Coffee! This is what Liz had to say when she filled me in:

The discussion at Think was really interesting; we stayed for the whole thing which was 3 speakers and then some Q and A.
They mainly focused on the Christian Right and how they've infiltrated our government since bush has been president. they
also highlighted some main things that need to be done THE MOMENT whoever comes in next starts the job; ie eliminating the
global gag rule that prohibits any country receiving us funds to not talk about family planning options, getting all of these "faith
based" sections of offices eliminated, especially from the oval office, stopping our torture practices, implementing
comprehenxive sex ed and eliminating the huge budget for abstinence only ed. personally i think that if we wanted to do
something on comprehensive sex ed, or make that a priority for next year, it would be great!
one of the other women specifically discussed this sect of christianity which is called the "quiverful movement"; basically their
core idea is to have as many children as possible because 1) chlldren are a blessing, 2) trying to avoid pregnancy is questioning
gods will which is a sin, and 3) as many good christian babies need to be born to counteract all of the secular atheists at home
and all of the muslims abroad. scary stuff...the goal is to have like 8 kids, which im sure you can imagine makes their
movement quickly growing haha.
the other woman talked about how this anti-abortion movement isnt really about abortion, which is proven by the fact that
anti-abortion believers also dont believe in contraception which is the only PROVEN method of decreasing the number of
abortions nationally. instead, its basically a war on the american lifestyle, which includes single people staying single longer,
gay people being together, and non-traditional family structures. and of course let's not forget, all those extra babies keep
women at home where they can stay out of trouble and stop questioning things...i mean a lot of what she was talking abotu
was SO conservative...although its hard for me to understand even being against contraception, so i guess im a biased judge of
insanity haha.
the Q and A was good--one kid asked about tips for getting comprehensive sex ed into his school district back in
nebraska...they were basically like UMMM GOOD LUCK haha but then they talked about how he's armed with the truth because
abstinence-only curriculum has been proven to correlate with higher teenage pregnancy rates and also higher rates of
STDS...since, surprise these kids dont know what theyre doing! one girl commented on how the movie Juno was anti-choice,
and Racheal (YAY!) commented back that really that movie focuses very much on THE CHOICE that she has to make and just
because she doesnt choose to have an abortion doesnt make her or the movie anti-choice. plus, at least theyre talkinig about
teenage pregnancy as a real problem that can effect all kids!
keri asked about the abortion pill (which i hadnt even heard of...good work liz haha) and what impact it would have, but
basically they said it hasnt increased access because apparently the same places that abortions are available are the only places
that the pill is available (ie not in low-income areas).

If anybody has any thoughts they'd like to share on either event for those of us who couldn't be there or for those of us who might not be at the next meeting to hear what yall have to say, LEAVE A COMMENT!

Also, if anyone is interested, this Monday, March 3rd is the kickoff event for Women's Herstory Month! A pretty cool looking female comedy show is being put on featuring Chicks and Giggles, "a stand up group featuring the best female comics in New York. You'll be totally vadged out." Vadged out?! I'm there. It's at Kimmel, 4th floor, doors open at 7, and tickets are FREE at Ticket Central! Could be fun! If a few girls are interested in going together, comment here, and get something worked out!

We are famous!

2008-02-21T18:50:00.003-05:00

The videos Liz, Julie, and Rachel made for Chris from College Dems are UP! No matter who you support, I think this is a pretty cool idea!

Click HERE to check us out!

Wednesday's Meeting

2008-02-21T15:10:00.004-05:00

For those of you who haven't been reading your emails...

Wednesday's big highlights were falafel AND the inclusion of 3 boys (excuse me, men) into our meeting!

Duncan, from Students Creating Radical Change stopped by to talk about some of their work on getting more disclosure from NYU, specifically on budgetary issues! This affects all of us to the tune of many, many dollars, but also because of possible serious gendered discrepancies on salary! He's going to keep us updated on further events, but for all those interested in demanding more knowledge about the allocation of their tuition dollars, who would like to attend a meeting, they meet Tuesdays, at 7:15, in Kimmel, sooomewhere on the 8th floor.

Also, Chris, from College Democrats came in to record some people's thoughts about Hillary and the reasons why they support her. Liz, Julie, and Rachel all made brief videos, so look for a link to those very soon!

This Saturday is a day long Teach-In at Kimmel about our civil liberties and the ways in which many of them are being taken away. It's optional (of course), and people can stay as long as they want! A few people are interested in going, so keep your eyes open for more information on that as well!

Annnd, brief NOW/FilmAid film week update: We officially have one night reserved in Silver! Diana is working on getting us more! Collaboration with FilmAid is being worked on, and as soon as we have more dates secured, we can seriously get down to work on making this happen, and making this an event for all of us to be super proud of!

But don't forget! March is Women's Herstory Month! So, let's do something fun! It can even be something that's just for us! What do YOU want to do?! We'll hear some ideas on Tuesday ( I hope!).

Finally! Next week is a Tuesday meeting! I can't wait to have a reunion with our busy-on-Wednesday-nighters. Tuesday meetings are at 8 in the lobby, but there's a really interesting discussion at Think Coffee (on Mercer right below W. 4th) about women's bodies and their rights at 7 pm! So, the plan for right now is to meet there at 7, and, if it's too crazy, head over to Kimmel for our meeting at 8. If you can't make it at 7, give Liz a call around 8 to see if we'll be at Think or at our normal position in the 9th floor lobby.

Keep checking the website and your email for more fun and exciting things!

Welcome to our new website!

2008-02-21T14:40:00.000-05:00

This is exciting!

Basically, this blog serves as sort of a go-to place for info on our upcoming events, plans in the works, pictures, and what goes on at meetings. This will be especially helpful for those of us who can't make it every other week to stay up to date! Also, how legit will we sound when people ask us about our website? "Do you have a website?" "Um, of couuuurse we do!" You can personalize that for yourself...I plan to brag about it.