UD Receives Grant Funds from American Association of University Women
Dec 10, 2014 | Kristi Lynch
The University of Dubuque has been awarded a $4,300 Campus Action Project Grant from the American Association of University Women (AAUW), sponsored by Pantene.
A team of UD faculty, staff, and students applied for, and were awarded the grant, intended to fund a student-led project that works to address gender stereotypes and biases with the goal of empowering women.
“From street harassment, pregnancy discrimination, to genderized toys, stereotypes and biases based on gender are alive in our society in many ways,” stated Anne Marie Gruber, grant team member and assistant director for library instruction and public services. “Funding from this grant will allow us to host an event that will bring these topics to light.”
The grant team will host a signature event, Melting Gender Roles: Stirring up Awareness, on Wednesday, April 8 at 7:30 p.m. in Peters Commons on the UD campus as part of Healthy Relationship Week programming. The event, designed primarily for an undergraduate student audience but open to the public, will include a panel discussion with leaders in career fields non-traditional for their genders, a short performance by the Courage and Social Action (CASA) theater troupe, and hands-on activities hosted by the grant team, student organizations, and academic as well as co-curricular departments.
UD’s grant team is led by Dr. Tabitha Bartelme, mental health counselor, and includes faculty/staff Anne Marie Gruber, assistant director for library instruction and public services; and Liza Johnson, director of personal empowerment; as well as student-leaders Shauna Schmitt, Joseph Larson, Melissa Gilstrap, and Zach Pickel.
Student-leaders have the opportunity to participate in all aspects of the grant process, including grantwriting, project management, and assessment. One student-leader from UD will be selected to present the project at the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders (May 28–30, 2015) in College Park, Maryland.
Student-leader Shauna Schmitt indicated, “Being able to be a part of this grant committee and to have the Melting Gender Roles activity on campus will be something that can bring light to everyone's eyes. I've been waiting to find the right initiative to come along that deals with what I believe strongly in – and this is it.”
AAUW is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization with more than 170,000 members across the U.S., as well as 1,000 local branches and over 800 college/university partners. The association was founded in 1881 by Ellen Richards, the first U.S. woman awarded a chemistry degree, and a student she mentored, Marion Talbot. For more information, see http://www.aauw.org/
This project is made possible through support provided by American Association of University Women (AAUW) and the Pantene Shine Strong Campaign. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of AAUW.
