Days: Mon. March 20th-21st, 2006

Our first Roundtable discussion, which took place on Monday, involved the concept of "Feminization of Poverty (made by Elizabeth Glancy, professor--Valdosta St. University, GA)/Gender Rights (K. Wolsborn, professor of political science--College of Saint Benedict, MN)/Classical Mythology (Elise Garrison, associate professor of classical studies--Texas A&M Univ., TX)/At the Top of Your Field (Gloria Bogdan, professor--California St. University, Fullerton, CA)." We pondered the issues of poverty and single-parent families. The families struggle to survive with women as heads of households. The lack of economic support is great. A discussion of the power of words included the book "Wizard of Earthsea" (by Ursula K. Leguin), using your potential via the full meaning and usage of a word. Existential questions of concensus reverses conformative. The village of women and children, the support of the community, the Native American culture, the Americas' hidden archealogical history, the power of thanks, and no longer needing to look back over our shoulders.

Today (Tuesday the 21st), we discussed gender bias in American courts. A new fairness strategy has been created to explore gender bias in language and actions. The next presentation entitled "Women in Power by Literature" (this presentation was made by Patricia Genz, professor of department of languages and literature--Southern Maryland), described bringing in students voices to the Roundtable discussions. The idea of living one's experiences in relationship to books inspires us and changes us. In the telling of a story, one can either lose themselves or find themselves. When true issues are overwhelming and violent, the reader can become the victim, the warrior, the conqueror, or the writer of their own destiny. Then, we reviewed the principles of U.S. Family Law. The old Biblical ideologies of the Bible in defining the family have grown old and disfunctional. The Courts are not ready for the individual to define their own family. The individual family is in conflict with legal definitions and terminology. Do these laws protect families, or do they destroy them? The individual seems ready to define marriage, but the courts are far behind.
This presentation was made by Elaine Martin, political science.

The last discussion on Women and Equal Leadership researched women of power in college communities. Issues of stress, lack of suppport, and lower salaries were a common factor. The common denominator for a successful female college staff was the value of a strong, personal family-life.
This presentation was made by Leslie Navarro, associate professor.

The hottest topic of the day was Roe vs. Wade potential scenarios: the west and east coast could become the only legal states to provide pro-choice options. The second scenario involved drastic results including women needing to seek options in other countries. The issue of protecting the mother as the primary person vs. the rights of the fetus is an important issue. The most significant statement was that the choice to have an abortion is up to the individual soul of the woman, that this is not a good or a bad choice, and needs to be kept neutral in order for the individual woman to keep possession of her soul.
This presentation was made by R. Haskins, professor of Reproductive Law.