en ree ter

 

March 19, 2003

™ wa ates

Op-Ed

 

the other press

 

Day Event

Heather Barnes
DSU Pride Liaison

I'd like to start out by thanking the
Douglas College Women’s Centre and its
volunteers, and the Douglas Students’
Union for organizing this event. I'd also
like to give warm thanks to those who
nominated me for the Unsung Heroine
award. Friday, March 7 in the Lower
Cafeteria there was a dinner event held in
celebration of International Women’s
Day, March 8. The event featured guest
speakers, the Unsung Heroine Awards,
and a delicious Indian dinner.

The evening was, for all intents and pur-
poses, a success. After a musical introduc-
tion, Julie Horncastle (the Douglas
Students’ Union Women’s Liaison) and
Kim Longmuir, (the Women’s Centre
Coordinator) welcomed the crowd of over
60 women and men from the college and
community at large.

Susan Witter, president of Douglas
College, spoke about the importance of
integration of community and education

http://otherpress.douglas.bc.ca

International Women’s

for women. This short spiel was followed
by Karen McAthy, Campaigns
Coordinator of the Canadian Federation
of Students, who stressed the importance
of solidarity between women everywhere
in this “new era” of campus closures, sky-
rocketing tuition fees and disappearing
social services for women.

Next up was the Honourable Joyce
Murray, MLA for New Westminster and
Minister of Land, Air and Water
Protection. Ms. Murray highlighted,
among other things, that the diversity in
the room “span[ed] all hair colours’—a
jab at the students in attendance who had
dyed hair. She also noted the forthcoming
“Services for Women” provincial website
database, which will list all (remaining)
social services for women.

To dole out the Unsung Heroine
Awards, Kuljeet Koor from Radio Punjab
took to the podium. Ms. Koor enlight-
ened the guests on the necessity of educa-

tion for women globally, in particular
young women, as reflected in her own
childhood experiences in India. Awards
were given to Shaun Tyakoff (Faculty),
Chris McDouell (Staff), Yasmin Irani
(Community), and Ashley Laughlin and
myself as students. In a show of what I felt
was poor judgement, Ms. Koor couldn't
seem to resist referring to us as “cus-
tomers” of the college.

Dinner followed, interspersed with door
prizes donated by the community. After
dessert, Lorrie Williams, New
Westminster City Councillor, showed an
extensive slideshow of her Canadian
Harambee Education Society work in
Africa. With help from her vocal mother
(who, at one point, scolded Yasmin Irani
that she was being “awfully loud,” to
which I sarcastically replied that a woman
should be seen and not heard), she regaled
us with tales of just how fulfilling it is to

be Lorrie Williams.

   
 
  
   
      
  
  
   
  
   
      
  
   
  
     
    
       
    
   
  
  

To conclude the event, students Chaara
Crooke and Susie Easton delighted thd
room with a few renditions of acoustid
rock and roll songs, after which tha
anthem “Bread and Roses” was sung.

Many of the remaining guests helped ta
clean up afterward, and despite the sur
prising amount of disparaging remarks
aimed at students by the communi
guests, the students in attendance pitched
in for their share.

In the end, the Women’s Centre and the
DSU ended up holding a successful cele
bration of women. But I thought the
evening’s atmosphere was surprisingl
tinged with prejudices and ageism
Hopefully, these particular close-minded
ignorant community “leaders” will realise
their folly in time for Diversity Week
(March 17-21).

 

Third Degree

Kim Meier
Shadow Photographer

Absolutely NOT!

 

~

No. I believe the TAs have the
right to fight for as much money

as they can.

I have friends at UBC who have
been really inconvenienced by the
strike, so yeah, I guess it was right.

      
      

 

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