Upcoming events with a gender-equity focus

CATEGORIES: March 2023, Voices

The Catt Center is pleased to promote two upcoming events focused on gender equity issues on university campuses—“Strategies for Implementing Child Care and Family Support in Campus Communities” and “50 Years of Title IX: Reflections and Lasting Impacts on Women’s Sports.”

Child care and family support

On Thursday, March 30, all members of the Iowa State community—undergraduate and graduate students, staff and faculty—are invited to join the virtual discussion “Strategies for Implementing Child Care and Family Support in Campus Communities,” centered around strategies and mitigation of equity issues faced by campus communities due to inadequate child care and caregiver support.

Led by Dr. Autumn Green, an applied sociologist with the Urban Institute and a University of Michigan fellow, and Dr. Wendy Wagner Robeson, a senior research scientist at the Wellesley Centers for Women and the director of the Work, Families and Children Research Group, this event is a continuation of a January 26 event on the same topic, with this discussion focused on implementing child care and family support in campus communities.

“Availability of childcare was identified as an important issue for the retention of women faculty, especially in the Midwest,” said Cinzia Cervato, Morrill professor of geological and atmospheric sciences and the lead principal investigator of the ADVANCE project. “In 2019, when the ADVANCE Midwest Partnership project started, the waiting list for an infant spot at one of ISU’s childcare facilities was 400 families long, and the expected wait time was about 3 years. This presentation will share some strategies to improve the situation and better support faculty with caregiving responsibilities.”

The event is part of the ADVANCE Midwest Partnership – Joining Forces, a partnership of four research-intensive institutions funded by NSF ADVANCE. The four partners are Iowa State University, Michigan Technological University, North Dakota State University, and Western Michigan University.

You can register for the event at Strategies for Implementing Child Care and Family Support in Campus Communities — Session II Registration.

50 years of Title IX and women’s sports

On Saturday, April 15 from 2-4 p.m. at the Ames Public Library, a group of past and present Iowa State women will share their stories of the impact of Title IX on their own participation in sports as athletes and as administrators in the panel discussion “50 Years of Title IX: Reflections and Lasting Impacts on Women’s Sports.”

Panelists will include Jan Beran, emerita professor of health and human performance; Cindy Fredericksen, member of the first ISU golf team from 1971-1973 and one of the Cyclone’s first varsity women’s athletes; Calli Sanders, senior associate athletics director for sports administration since 2003; and Ellen Thornwall, member of the 1974-1975 Iowa State softball team. The panel will be moderated by Lindsey Long, Iowa State University assistant athletic director. Additional panelists may be added.

“We treasure the opportunity to tell women’s stories and to celebrate the anniversary of this landmark legislation,” said Karen Kedrowski, Catt Center director.

The event is co-sponsored by the Ames Public Library, Ames Public Library Friends Foundation, Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics, Iowa State University Library and Iowa State University Athletics. For more information – including a link to participate virtually – visit the Ames Public Library website.