University of Nebraska Kearney - Blue and Gold Yearbook (Kearney, NE)

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I I ( We wanted to know the strengths and weaknesses in women’s studies, f Becker-Theye Jm seed planted three years ago may reach full bloom in a Women’s Stud- Aies minor program for introduction next year. The seed was nurtured again last year by the Third Annual Conference on Women’s Studies “The Worlds of Mari Sandoz,” hosted by KSC in Septem- ber. Helen Stauffer, English professor, portrayed Mari Sandoz in a question and answer session. She and other speakers offered insight into writings, phi- losophies and surroundings of Mari Sandoz. One of the factors that influenced the decision to begin a Women’s Studies minor was the involve” ment of students and faculty in past conferences, ac- cording to Betty Becker-Theye, dean of the School of Fine Arts and Humanities. “We developed the Women’s Conference in 1986 because we wanted to know the strengths and issues in women’s studies on this campus,” she said. Nearly 750 colleges and universities in the United States offer such programs. “Women’s studies programs have a solid national record,” Becker- Theye said. A 15-member committee from various depart- ments worked for over a year on developing the mi- nor. Students with majors in pre-law, pre-medicine, business, counseling, science, education, social sci- ence, arts and humanities will benefit from this minor since it informs, challenges and directs men and wom- en students toward a more equitable assessment of society, according to the statement of purpose for the minor. It will focus on the contributions women have made in society, and about women’s roles. Karen Bloomfield, Kearney junior, is considering the minor. “It’s wise to go back and look at why we are as we are today, to see what worked and what didn’t work,” she said. She feels men and women should both be in the classes for better communication skills. “The very people who should be in there are the men,” she said. Jane Jensen, Minden senior, said, “It (the wom- en’s studies) is essential to give historical and literary studies based on both women’s and men’s perspec- tives.” In their studies, students will investigate as- sumptions about women in academic roles and ex- Helen Stauffer (with hat) as Mari Sandoz, (in uniform) as Elizabeth Custer in her riding habit 18 Women’s studies

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horizon? € Things are turning around again. There are great opportunities for agri- business majors, f Obia studies farm impact Lewis ing sooner and continued later than usual. Thus farmers remained concerned about the 89 crops due to a warm, dry fall amd mild winter with temperatures in the 60s as late as December. By the end of December Nebraska’s normal snow- fall would be 29 inches but was only an average of 2 inches, according to the National Weather Bu- reau. Depleted soil moisture was not being re- placed. Lewis agrees that the farm economy is better now than six or seven years ago. He said that land values have regained up to 20 percent of what was lost, and debts are not as bad due to rewriting of loan papers. He predicts great opportunities for agri-busi- ness majors as Nebraska seeks to revitalize its rural base by finding new ways to use agricultural prod- ucts. Businesses which process the output of agricul- ture: food processing, beef packaging, conversion of agricultural products to biodegradable plastics, grain products to fuels and as bases for paints and varnishes will seek agri-business majors, he said. Students heard the folklore of the Dirty 30s from parents and grandparents and learned its les- sons in the classroom. They remembered the drying winds, the lack of rain and the intense heat of sum- mer 88 and felt the impact on their own lives. By John Shultz and Pam Wood Photo by Michelle Thompson The real impact of the trou- bled farm economy is yet to be assessed, but one KSC pro- fessor is making a notable contri- bution. Dr. Godson Obia, geography pro- fessor, is researching farm bankruptcies in Nebraska and their impact on rural communities. Chapter 12 farm bankruptcy was intended to help farmers who didn’t have enough resources to pay their debts reorganize to reduce debts to a level they can pay, said Obia. Designed to help family farms on the brink of fore- closure, it offers them an opportunity to continue farming, but doesn’t guarantee success. Obia’s objective is to look at spatial variation of bankruptcies, finding in what counties and regions farmers are filing the most bankruptcies. Many farmers don’t file for bank- ruptcy because it is a taboo. It is seen as a failure to them, he explained. Obia said he takes the listing of bankruptcies filed in court, organizes them into eight agricultural regions, then finds the number of bankruptcies for each year and an overall total. With this information, Obia makes up graphs and charts of results. Eventually, Obia wants to do a sta- tistical analysis to see the relationship between bankruptcy and all factors of agricultural production in Nebraska. He will compare the number of bankrupt- cies to farm income, the number of farms, population and taxes. Obia said he wants to see how bank- ruptcies affect rural areas, including checking for depression among farmers who filed for bankruptcy. In March Obia presented a paper on his research to the Association of Ameri- can Geographers in Baltimore, MD. He has been asked to submit his research for pub- lication. His study was made possible by a grant from the KSC Research Services Council. By Carol Doerr Statistics and graphs compiled by Dr. Godson Obia give a paper pic- ture of farm bankruptcies. Photo by Linda Major Farm economy 17 m incomes by reducing yields by as much as 30 to 50 percent of the previous year’s for dryland acres, ac- cording to Ralph Anderson, Buffalo County exten- sion agent. Reduced farm income meant more students became eligible for financial aid in the form of scho- larships, grants, loans and work study, according to Jim Armagost, financial aid director. Even as students adapted to the effects of the drought of 88, they wondered about its future im- pact. Modern conservation and irrigation saved crops from the full damage of the 88 drought, An- derson said. Most Nebraska farms have irrigation on some or all fields, but farmers had to start irrigat- Working in the dusk and dust, the dryland farmer harvested what was to many a disappointing yield. Photo by Mark Bates

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o wm plore intellectual areas that are changing about gender, according to Kathryn Benzel, associate pro- fessor of English and chair of the committee. Courses for the minor will involve several de- partments, Benzel said. Courses will be in literature, history, sociology, biology, and humanities. The departments are cooperating to create new courses for the minor, according to Benzel. Some new courses would be Women and the Mass Media, Women’s Health Perspectives, and Senior Seminar in Women’s Studies. Some existing courses on campus already deal with women’s studies and have been implemented in the minor. One of these is Sociology of Women. “I learned how society treats women now and how women were treated in the past. Society still treats women as if they are to stay home and raise children,” said Kris Larsen, Hastings junior. By Pam Wood Helen Stauffer, as Mari Sandoz, meets Caroline Sandoz Pifer, Mari’s sister and Ron Hull of Sandoz Heritage Foundation during the Third Conference on Women's Studies, courtesy photos n a short, dark wig and a black hat, Helen Stauffer, English professor, set the stage for Mari Sandoz to speak at the Third Annual Conference on Women’s Studies. In these props, Stauffer assumed the role of Mari Sandoz, and spoke from her viewpoint. “I wasn’t really acting, I was just conveying the thoughts of Mari Sandoz,” she said. Stauffer has studied the works and life of Mari Sandoz for many years and first portrayed her at a Great Plains Chautauqua festival in Nebraska. The festival is a traveling series of presentations that pro- vides recreation and educational presentation to resi- dents throughout the state. The Great Plains Chautauqua program has re- ceived national recognition by the National Endow- ment for the Humanities as as exemplary model of state programs in the Humanitites. As a Great Plains Fellow, Stauffer has played the roles of Mari Sandoz and Elizabeth Custer in the se- ries. The hardest part of the performance was speak- ing in front of friends and Mari Sandoz’s sister. San- doz’s father was an oppressive patriarch. “I was worried about some of the things I said about their father,” Stauffer said. “But when I looked at her sister, she didn’t seem upset with me.” Stauffer identifies with Sandoz’s interest in Western history and the history of the Plains Indians, having studied these topics for several years. Speaking about these topics in the role of a noted author is a “wonderful teaching device because it gives a sense of authority,” she said. “It’s a real responsibility,” Stauffer added. “You have to be true to the person’s ideas and characteris- tics.” “She (Sandoz) was independent and thought if you really want to do something you can do it no mat- ter what sex you are,” Stauffer concluded. Stauffer: Woman of many faces By Lisa Reese Women’s studies