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

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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

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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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Honor societies add prestige to KSC s growing influence esides providing an opportunity for leadership and growth» KSCs four national honor societies prove the fact that KSC is growing in numbers and in- fluence. Mortar Board became KSCs fourth honor society in 1988. Lon Weber, vice president for academic affairs, said he feels that having the honor societies available speaks to the quality of KSC. The honor societies provide a way to recognize students who have distinguished themselves by al- lowing them to be members, he said. The further recognition of the institution by these societies... sends a message beyond the bound- aries of our state that our institution is growing in the quality aspects that further reinforces that we deserve recognition as a state university.” These are the kind of quality honor societies that are found on state university campuses,” Weber said. KSCs honor societies include Phi Eta Sigma, the honor society for freshmen; the Xi Phi chapter of Mor- tar Board, a senior honorary; Nebraska Alpha Phi Theta Kappa, the transfer student fraternity; aiid Spurs, a sophomore honorary. Phi Eta Sigma membership is based on grade point averages for the first semester of one’s freshman year, or an accumulative GPA of 3.75 for the freshman year. Membership is by invitation only, and special programs include fund-raising projects, fall initiation and scholarship awards. Nebraska Alpha Phi Theta Kappa is open to transfer students who were members of Phi Theta Kappa at their previous institutions, according to Wayne Samuelson, director of admissions. Mem- bers are selected on the basis of academic achieve- ment, Kim Sitzman, president of KSC's Nebraska Al- pha Phi Theta Kappa, said the chapter mainly helps make the transition to KSC easier. Some of their activ- ities include helping with Transfer Day in the spring and helping other state chapters organize the regional conference. The chapter usually has about 25 mem- bers. Spurs is open to sophomores who have a 3.0 over- all GPA, according to Leah Lindner, president. The organization strives to serve KSC and the community through various service, social and fund-raising pro- jects. f These are the quality honor societies found on state universities, f Weber KSC also has another special organization, but it’s not for students. Sigma Xi is made up entirely of faculty, and its purpose is to promote scientific re- search, according to Dr. David Clark, president. Two types of members are in the organization. Associate members have to demonstrate potential in order to be elected, and full members have carried out legitimate and primary research. Membership in Sigma Xi is made up of about 30 KSC faculty and about 12 faculty members from other institutions and research centers in Nebraska, he said. The organization has only been at KSC for three years, and is Nebraska’s most recent chapter. Sigma Xi meets about twice a semester, and speakers are usually invited to discuss topics of scientific interest, Clark said. By Diane Moravec