Women’s History Month Presentation Today

In celebration of Women’s History Month, the college is hosting several events during the month of March and providing multiple opportunities to recognize the achievements and challenges of women.

“Kalamazoo Valley Community College Women: Reflections on the Pandemic,” takes place on March 25 from 12:30 to 3 p.m. via Zoom. It will feature an eclectic blend of speakers, media and experiences. Presenters will share creative works including: photography and creative writing; social science research; reflections on their daily lives, reflections on mental health concerns; care-giving and other work/life issues; women in the academy; pedagogical concerns and strategies, and struggles with maintaining connection with friends and colleagues. All presenters are faculty and employees of Kalamazoo Valley Community College and their talks will relate to women’s experiences during the pandemic. Event hosts will be Kalamazoo Valley faculty member Rebecca Durkee and counselor LaSonda Wells, Ph.D., LPC, NCC and Amber Walker, MA, LPC, CAADC, LLMFT.

Each speaker will talk for up to 15 minutes and participants will be encouraged to share their thoughts and questions with presenters and other participants. Participants are welcome to attend all or part of the event, as schedules allow.

Tentative schedule:
12:30 p.m. - Welcome: Dr. L. Marshall Washington, Ph.D.
12:40 p.m. - Intro: Rebecca Durkee
12:45 p.m. - Keynote: LaSonda Wells, Ph.D., LPC, NCC and Amber Walker, MA, LPC, CAADC, LLMFT
“Identifying and Combating Superwoman Syndrome”

Marjorie Hansen Shaevitz first coined the term Superwoman Syndrome in 1984 but due to the onset of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic; the syndrome has been more evident and highlighted. The presenters will identify the symptoms of Superwoman Syndrome, the impact it has, especially for women of color and those less privileged and provide ways for combating it through intentional self-care.

1:15 p.m. - Meredith Holland
“Psychological Considerations of Moms in the COVID-19 Pandemic”

This talk will briefly discuss how mothers have coped during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Discussion will focus on how mothers have been impacted by changes in working schedules and distance learning. Additionally, the mental health issues that mothers are dealing with and a brief discussion of potential coping strategies mothers could employ will be covered.

1:30 p.m. - Skylar Bre’z, Ph.D.
"Life Happens:" In Need of a Pandemic Pass

This presentation will discuss the practice of offering students a "Life Happens" pass this semester, that gives a 24-hour extension on assignments, no questions asked. By a large percentage, female students are using this pass. Many acknowledge being overburdened by the demands of schoolwork, parenting, and employment. Skylar’s presentation will focus on some of the unique stressors women are facing at this time, blending historical modern contexts, and current data on women leaving the workforce to take care of families.

1:45 p.m. - Christine Pruis, Ph.D.

“Connecting over coffee...even when your mug is empty”

Hear about how one faculty member combined her love of coffee and podcasts to co-develop a virtual interview-style faculty development series designed to create connections during the era of remote learning. Each virtual coffee break began with a coffee-focused ice-breaker, followed by a casual interview of guests. Christine will highlight why and how the virtual coffee chat collaboration began and provide some stories of successful connections established due to its occurrence. She will also discuss her self-doubt which nearly prevented the development of this series, and which is currently preventing its continuation. So bring your own mug - full or empty - and join this conversation about developing much needed colleague connections during COVID-19.

2:00 p.m. - Tracey Corbett

“COVID’s Impact on Printmaking Creativity”

As a hobby photographer for 25 years, I have countless digital photos living in my laptop. In 2019, I decided to register for some printmaking classes and actually do something with them. I participated in a few classes on printmaking techniques including encaustic, vellum and cyanotype. Teachers and classmates were encouraging and supportive, as this was the first time in years that I'd shown anyone my photography in any form. I was feeling confident and fulfilled by the creativity, environment, camaraderie, and pieces produced. I eagerly signed up for additional classes in early 2020...then COVID arrived and everything abruptly stopped. I'll share my initial reaction and response to the COVID shutdown and how I was able to keep some creative momentum going, despite the unprecedented quarantine.

2:15 p.m. - Julie Stotz-Ghosh, Ph.D.

"Long Wave Goodbye"

Poetry and Photography centered on the experiences of loss and learning during the pandemic, focused on the roles of daughter and mother.

2:30 p.m. - Cheryl Almeda, Ph.D.
“Reading My Way to Health and Community in the Time of COVID”

My presentation will largely surround the text Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World by Maryanne Wolf (2018). She is the highly acclaimed author of the text Proust and the Squid which examined how reading “has transformed our thoughts and emotions as a species.”

In Reader, Come Home, Wolf looks at the processes we have traditionally used for print reading - titled “deep reading” - and contemplates how those are proving to be the same or different in the digital world. She considers the digital information that is saturating our culture and wonders how we will form independent judgements. Finally, she examines the “chain of digital influences” that may create vulnerabilities in our democracy unseen during the print era. Personally, I plan to provide meaningful bits and pieces of Wolf’s text and tie it to what I was reading during the pandemic, where I recognized my pitfalls and struggles with reading at this unique moment in history, and how I used reading to build community and sustain friendships and my own healthy sense of self.

2:45 p.m. - Nicole Bauman

TBD

Students can sign up to participate at https://forms.gle/T9QQd8AQozeqyDtz8. The registration form for faculty and staff can be found at https://p2.kvcc.edu/staffdev/registrations/create?event_id=1004.

At the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, which is operated by Kalamazoo Valley Community College and is governed by its Board of Trustees, stories about local women abound both gallery exhibits and through the museum’s online database at Online Database.

Check out the Leta Snow story in the Bronson Park area of the History Gallery. She was the founder and longtime leader of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra. Also in the History Gallery, learn about Lucinda Hinsdale Stone, who taught at the Kalamazoo Literary Institute and now Kalamazoo College. She believed in men and women being educated equally and started her own school.

In the museum’s Douglass Community Center area, Juanita Goodwin and Vivian King share their recollections of the center.