the newsletter of the Almost every woman | know has a problem with eating. Although eating disorders affect both women and men, women are much more apt to suffer from anorexia nervosa and bulimia (binging and purging). | will discuss these problems as stemming from a common cause (following Boskind-Lodahl | will refer to the problem as ‘bulimarexia’). Bulimarexia is an emotional problem but it is ultimately a social problem which must be seen in light of the position of women in society. How can you tell if you or someone you know ve anorexia or bulimia? Bulimia is characterized by eating binges followed by purging (fasting, vomiting, or abuse of laxatives) and may occur in women of normal, above, or below normal weight. Symptoms of anorexia, although a woman may not have all of them, include: severe weight loss (25% of body weight); ammenorhea (interruption of menstrual cycle); obsession with food; denial of hunger; bizarre, often ritualistic eating patterns; hyperactivity and denial of fatigue; devotion to work or studies; binging and purging. There is a thin line between anorexia and bulimia— common symptoms include withdrawal and depression, a desire to eat unrelated to hunger and distorted body image. Bulimarexics have a desire to be thin as well as a strong urge to eat. Binges often accompany feelings of anger, panic and emptiness and result in feelings of shame, guilt, and self-loathing. The young woman torn between two roles—achievement, independence and discipline and the passive dependent female role-has no feeling of power or self-worth and she gets her self- validation from men. Cultural and social pressures combine to make the image of these women rest on acceptance by men and consequently they are obsessed with their body image. Because they depend on male approval, bulimarexics are particularly vulnerable to rejection. Often a male rejection, real or perceived, starts the cycles of fasting and binging. Unable to express their feelings of rage and inadequacy because they fear social sanctions against strong emotion, bulimarexics binge to release this anger. Food fills the emptiness of worthlessness and lack of identity they feel. Shame and fear of rejection once again take over and purging follows as a reassertion of control. Anorexics continue to diet in hopes of approval for their slim (though often emaciated) bodies. S108 ALAR “tea TEU CONST yu TONNE! BRETT PTET HE TENTIN oR e848 AER SEN ety Bulimarexia uses tremendous amounts “of energy and leads to social isolation. Food becomes a fetish and a way of filling up without needing others. Fears of rejection lead to: problems with sexuality and close relationships. The bulimarexic feels she must be attractive, successful and independent yet she feels helpless. Bulimarexic behavior makes her feel further isolated and unworthy yet food is her only release from the struggle to fulfill a role. Women who are bulimarexic or who have less severe eating problems need to feel their own sense of identity and worth. These needs cannot be fulfilled by a dependent love relationship or by a male therapist who replaces the male approval. Bulimarexics need to see that other women have the same problem and that they are not awful or shameful; they need to talk, to share their rage and feelings of inadequacy. A female therapist can act as a role model for young women struggling to achieve a sense of power. Women can get help with eating problems at Psychological Services at Swarthmore or by contacting the American Anorexia Nervosa Association (AANA) in Philadelphia at the Philadelphia Child Guidance Center, 34th St. and Civic Center Blvd. The AANA has a hotline for people who need to talk at (215) 387-1919 and the Center can provide counseling, self-help groups, information, and referrals. My own experience with this problem has made clear to me the need for women to have a safe place to talk about their fears and to feel as if they are not out of control or bad. | urge women to contact me or psychological services for more information or help with bulimarexia. Bulimarexia is ultimately a social problem. As women we get double messages about how we ought to lead our lives—we are not given a space to be our selves. We need as models women who have a sense of their own worth as women, not only as successfu! or attractive to men. Ultimately we need a society which does not first tell a woman to achieve, judge her by her body—and then stifle her anger. Sources: Marlene Boskind-Lodahl, “Cinderella’s Stepsisters: A Feminist Perspective on Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia,’ Signs 1976, vol. 2, no.2, pp 342-356. Hilda Bruch, Eating Disorders (New York: Basic Books, 1973). Pam Dorries eS VYYVVVVVYVYVY) Pry) — >. ra yO er —— e A ELSE Staff Kate Bond Wendy Cheek Pam Dorries Susan Elliot Nancy Goldston Jackie Haskins Wendy Hoben Debbie Hollander Fran McMillian Mary Meinicke Wendy Merson Donna Mullarkey Eliza Newlin Holly Scheider Ruth Sergel Amy Sinden Susanna Stern Juliet Sternberg Lise Wagner The Alice Paul Women’s Center is located on the second floor of Sharples |. In addition to this newsletter, we maintain a library, have regular staffing hours, and meet regularly for political work and support. Common Speaking is typeset by our staff members on Student Council equipment, coordinated by Bill Cohen. It is set in Chelmsford type sizes 9 and 11 and is printed by The Bailey Printing Co. of Delaware County. The views expressed in this publication are solely those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of either the staff or of the members of the Alice Paul Women’s Center. shah babhbbb hh bab PPbb hb bbab! TUS f Center laws The Women’s Center meetings of January 23rd and 30th and of February 6th and 13th made the following decisions concerning projects that involve the Center as an organization with the community and concerning the way in which meetings are run: Meeting Time: Meetings will take place as usual from nine p.m. until eleven p.m. in Sharples |. (The first hour of the meeting pertains to the Center’s “business,” that is, to such decisions as are listed below. After a break, there is a fifty minute discussion of a topic phrased the week before. Discussion draws collective theorization about women’s issues and experience). Phone Number at Sharples 1: 447-7380 Staffing Hours:The Women’s Center is staffed Monday, Tuesday and Thursday every week from seven-thirty p.m. to nine-thirty p.m. and on Saturdays from two p.m. to four p.m. Library: Located on the top floor of Sharples I, the library is catalogued and open to the college community. Books are due every two weeks. New Books: How to Stay Out of the Gynecologist’s Office, This Bridge Called My Back: Writing by Radical Women of Color. Coffee House: Regularly open every Saturday from nine p.m. to one a.m. Two women staff and coordinate the entertainment, food and drink for each week. These positions rotate. Contact People: Wendy Cheek and Eliza Newlin. a | Sih lo Ns Decisions About Proc- ess: Meetings will be run according to the following changes in process: 1) the “facilitator” is responsible for getting the center key and starting the meeting on time, 2) she is responsible for opening the meeting with, an explana- tion of her function as “facilitator” and of the rules of procedures if people are present who have never been to a Center meeting before, 3) late- comers will get a chance to “check-in,” that is, introduce themselves, only between items of business, 4) if people arrive in the middle of a discussion, it is the facilitator’s responsibility to make sure that a brief summary of the issues occur, 5) -the discussion topic for the following week will be decided at some time during the first hour of the meeting and it is an automatic item of the agenda, 6)people leaving at the end of the business portion of the meeting or people coming into the discussion portion of the meeting are given the opportunity of making personal commentary, that is, the opportunity of “checking-out”’ or “checking-in.” Discussion Topics: Jan. 23— “Brainstorming of Ideas for the Weekend to Celebrate the Center’s Tenth Anniversary; ” Jan. 30—‘“The Feminist in a Class on Feminism; ” Feb. 6—“Feminism and Issues of Non-Registration for the Draft; ” Feb. 13—“The Relation Between Joking and Physical Assault.” 2) Women’s Workshop For Choosing a Major: Women majoring in most disciplines at Swarthmore spoke about their experience to an audience gathered the 16th of February. Contact Person: Deborah Hollander. Admissions Handbook to Political Groups on Cam- pus: The Center collectively authored the statement for the Handbook. It describes the Center’s political goals, projects and the process by which it is run. Escort Service: Several women met with hired escorts at dinner on February 21st to discuss 1) more lighting on campus, 2)available escorting as soon as it grows dark, and 3) women escorts. Contact Person Lise Wagner. — Common Speaking: Newletter “coordinators” (that is people with responsibility for recruiting assistance in production) change every issue. Coordinators for next issue will be decided on March 15th. Revue of the current issue will occur on that date. Network of Pennsylvania Women’s Centers: Planning and letter-writing is underway to facilitate communication between women’s centers. Contact Person: Kate Wilson. Tenth Anniversary Week- end: Planning is underway for a weekend of intensive celebra- tion of the tenth anniversary of the Center’s founding. Projects include: photography and art exhibits; discussions with alumnae members of the Women’s Center, about Women’s Studies, political action and the history of the Center; an all-women’s party; a documentary film of Simone de Beauvoir; and a concert given by Canadian feminist musician, Ferron, which the Center is co-sponsoring. Contact People: Ann Dibble, Suzanne Perkins, Amy Sinden, Susanna Stern and Kate Wilson. Wendy Cheek (tice Pauls Coffee House When | returned to Swarthmore after a year away, one ofthe things | most looked forward to was rejoining the Women’s Center. | had not had access to such a place during my time off, and | appreciated its existence more than ever. Here was the ideal way to involve myself once again in the community, as well as experiment with ideas in a non-academic setting. Beyond the personal sphere, however, | sensed the need among members for more integration with Swarthmore as a whole, for activities drawing students from all interest groups. Wendy Cheek and | discussed various projects, such as a Women’s Music Cooperative, aimed at providing entertainers with a supportive atmosphere in which to perform. We also felt there was a need for feminists to discuss their political views, as well as express their artistic talents. The most effective way to meet all these needs seemed to be to open a coffee house. This would have other advantages as well. For instance, feminists not directly involved with the center, in addition to students unfamiliar with but curious about women’s issues could become acquainted with the Women’s Center in the coffee house setting. A coffee house would also provide students with a place in which to relax and converse without having to compete with loud music and crowds. Alice Paul’s Coffee House was accordingly opened below the Women’s Center in Sharples | towards the end of the fall semester. Initially the responsibility of Wendy and myself, the Coffee House is now staffed on a rotating schedule involving the efforts of a growing number of women. Given its framework, the Coffee House has the capacity to continue providing the campus with entertainment, refreshment, and political inspiration for years to come. Eliza Newlin aig A Mm al 4 Now If You Are True Instead Of Real: Being ’Racially Incorrect’ Two Stories: Wilmington, DE 1978 Five years ago they started busing for desegregation in Wilmington, Delaware. | was a junior in a private high school. My sister was to enter the 7th grade in a public junior high school after being in private school all her school life. New Castle County had tried to avoid desegregation for years, but in 1978 they had to through with it. My sister was in the unfortunate position of being a stranger to most of the kids in the neighborhood, they assumed she was one of the Black kids from the ‘inner city.’ But the ‘inner city’ kids thought she was strange too. She didn’t dress right. She didn’t talk right. She listened to the wrong music. To ‘inner city’ Blacks she acted white; to white suburbanites she looked Black. She got it from both sides. She couldn’t win. Swarthmore College, 1982: They’re having the schedule unveiling meeting at WSRN-FM. I’m jazz music director—the first Black that’s been on WSRN’s board in at least three years. For a while there | was one of two Black Dj’s, but looking at the crowd | see progress has been made; at least six Black faces are out there. When it comes time to give my priorities as jazz director | make a plea for reviewing jazz album, a plea for help in strengthening the station’s experimental music connections, and a plea for reviewing ‘soul’ albums. (A lot of Black music is received by WSRN, buta lot of it gets ‘lost’ because there are no interested parties to review it). After the meeting, a Black man comes up to me and says: ‘I’ll review the FUNK records—! don’t know WHERE you got SOUL from!’ My first response is to feel guilty. After all, | made a grave mistake; | said SOUL instead of FUNK. My other sin is that | am a black DJ doing new music. Then | get angry, | amas black as he is— only different. There is a pain that you feel when you hear that you’ve been talked about by your own kind. It’s worse than the pain you get when somebody you barely know calls you a nigger; at least you can avoid them. You accept a little support from your black peers, but in order to get it there are rules that you have to follow: listen to the right music, sit in the right place, talk to the right people. All the rules are pretty superficial. Nobody cares about YOU particularly. True, there is a black bourgeoisie that’s swallowed the dominant white male whole. They’re the kind that will invest their hard-earned dollars in Kruggerands without ‘batting an eyelash. They are the people that have forgotten where they ‘came from.’ But all black people don’t come from the same place. BES SOS OSS SSS OS SOS SS ettotoetesss 2s eS BESSeS OSS OSS PSESSLRS OS SESSIONS 3s S SRSSoO SSO OSS BS OCS NAG Soave SS RES RIGS: WesereN 235¢ 25209 BESSABGOS $2 RSPSSLGOCS | came from a house in suburbia with a two car garage. | graduated from a high school that if the three of us got sick it was an all-white school. | listened to Joni Mitchell and Yes during high school. | had Delaware mall kid accent you wouldn’t believe. But | never forgot | was black; the world wouldn’t let me. There were always things | couldn’t do. | never was integrated into the high school social scene because interracial dating was out. There was always a wall I ran into. No matter how free | thought I was, there was still ‘the wall,’ there were still places | couldn’t go. Very seldom was oppression cut and dry; it mostly was the subtle kind that creeps under your skin and stays there. So what did | do? | had two choices. | could have created a black world all my own; in high school that would have meant that! hada quiet universe of five people, thrée of whom were members of my immediate family. | could have immersed myself in white society which meant I would have to be alone. Not only wouldn’t whites on the whole not accept me as completely human, my black peers would disown me. | would be a woman without a country. So what do | do? | operate on the assumption that | am human and can be anything | damn well please. There’s a whole world out there, so | might as well explore it. Sometimes this means integrating recitals at Lang; other times it means attending a SASS meeting. I’ve decided to be true to myself instead of really black. If that’s being an oreo, so be it. Didion on Women. Both the cover of The White Album and that of Slouching Towards Bethlehem advertise their contents as ““Nonfiction.”’ These essays are not creations of Joan Didion’s imagination, but factual accounts of first-hand experiences. Naturally her personal judgement of the people, places and events described cannot be omitted, in fact it forms the core of her writing. There are times, however, when we wonder whether Didion’s personal bias is not encroaching on the factuality of the account. Occasionally a statement or event stands out which sounds implausible, causing us to glance once more at the cover and reaffirm that this is, in fact, “Nonfiction.” Certainly Didion’s writing would lack its power, its ability to shock the reader into recognition, if the voice of her own personality were suppressed. However, one ‘wants to believe that the events described actually occurred, and this becomes difficult when the narrative tends toward overstatement or oversimplification. This tendency is particularly marked when Didion addresses the question of women. In her essay “The Women’s Movement” from The White Album her invective threatens to run away with itself. Her first criticism of feminism is based on a quotation from Time magazine, which expresses confidence that the movement will successfully bring about “fewer diapers and more Dante.” Didion rightly belittles this statement, remarking on the forcelessness of the image of “idle ladies sitting in the gazebo and murmuring, ‘lasciate ogni spreranza.’ ”’ But she wrongly assumes that a quotation from a _ relatively conservative magazine can be held up as representative of feminist thought. Here Didion makes her first mistake, that of allowing her conception of the women’s movement to be shaped by the stereotypes imposed upon it by men. Though Didion maintains that the extremist views she parodies were shared by “Even the brightest movement women,” her examples, which range from assertions that “many women” had their toes amputated as a result of wearing pointed shoes to accounts of sleeping “huge portions” of the day to forestall wrinkling, make this seem unlikely. Not only are even the “brightest” feminists mired in such trivializing and radicalism, but the majority are also lesbians. - eee AY 5 Didion bases this assumption on the lesbian accounts which appeared “from time to time in movement literature.” She leaps from a critique of these articles which appeared, as she says, occasionally, to an attack on the “several million women too delicate to deal at any level with an overtly heterosexual man.” Where does she come up with her figures, her quotations? | have no objection to her satirizing the women’s movement. Perhaps taking such liberties is considered necessary to the writing of satire. But if not, | have trouble with the classification of her work as “Nonfiction.” Didion runs into trouble not only in her characterization of the feminist movement, but of individual women as well. In her vehement assault on Doris Lessing, she focuses on the very elements which most dominate her own style. Even more than her writing style, Didion objects to Lessing’s attitude toward literature, her determination to see writing as something more chan simply an “artistic problem.” She contrasts Lessing with Flaubert who, though he certainly approached Madame Bovary as an artistic problem, told us more about the bourgeoisie than any Marxist. Lessing’s failure, she insists, is her preoccupation with the problems of society and culture. Didion denounces her as “a woman of determinedly utopian and distinctly teliological bent assaulted at every turn by fresh evidence that the world is not exactly improving as promised.” nd yet, what could better describe Didion’s own attitude toward writing? She is constantly exposing the absurdity of social trends and of the California culture. Her unfortunate attack on Lessing smacks of the defensiveness of one female author toward another characterized as brilliant, powerful, and an unqualified success. This kind of subjectivity detracts from the credibility of Didion’s equally unflattering portraits of women like Joan Baez and Georgia O'Keeffe. On the other hand, a perfectly factual report is not what this author is after. She seems untroubled by the apparent discrepancy between events and her portrayal of them, confessing that she has little “instinct for reality” and joking abut her inaccurate recollections of family events. In the preface to Slouching Towards Bethlehem she makes no bones about admitting that her presence always runs counter to the best interests of those she interviews. In this moment of candor, we get a sense of Didion’s personality which is this time believable. “Since | am neither a camera eye,” she writes, “nor much given to writing pieces which do not interest me, whatever | do reflects, sometimes gratuitously, how | feel.’”’ Perhaps it is not necessary for a writer to justify his or her point of view. It may be dangerous, however, to profess factuality while leading the reader down the garden path of one’s imagination. , Eliza Newlin. The oozing sand--why must it fill my highly-heeled summer shoes? Why must I stand so lady-like, so stiff and starched on the endless summer beach. Why can’t I run across the sand; why can’t I splash about the sea? If | could do what | always wish | would tear my stiff harnesses off and run free above the sand | know why this lady-like position must be me. It must be because of my generation. -Cathy Tong This poem is by the twelve year old friend of a Women’s Center member. Resources and Services Hers, Mid-Atlantic (Higher Education Resource Services). 3601 Locust Walk—Univ. of Pennsylvania Phila., PA 19104 243-5426 This is a national group interested in improving opportunities and the status of women working in higher education. This group offers leadership and management training, which concentrates on the development of skills, and career networking. Jewish Employment and Vocational Services. Center for Career Services 1624 Locust St., 6th Fl. Phila., PA 19103 893-5900 This non-profit, non-sectarian agency provides job placement for semi-skilled, skilled, and professional persons. There is counseling and _ vocational testing, and counseling for women interested in returning to work. Also available are resume workshops and workshops to develop assertivenes skills for job interviews, and for examining career development. The fee may be adjusted, depending on income. Lifelong Learning Center. Free Library of Philadelphia Logan Square 567-4352 3-5 p.m. weekdays This agency offers free workshops in career planning at the Central Library and three regional libraries. Included in the workshops are the Career Directions Series, Skills Identification, Resume Writing, Job Interviewing, and Skills and Career Resources. To receive workshop descrip- tions, schedule, and registra- tion postcard, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to the address given above. New Jobs For Women. 1605 Catherine St. Phila., PA 19146 545-2700 This agency offers free skills training in building trades or electronics in order to prepare women to enter these traditionally male fields. Unemployed women or those in low-paying, or part-time jobs, living in Philadelphia, are eligible for the services. Counseling and job develop- ment and placement for trainees are provided, in addition to an hourly stipend while in the program. Available are small grants for transporta- tion, child care, special tools, and equipment. Options For Women. 8419 Germantown Av. Phila., PA 19118 242-4955 Career and educational counseling is available from this agency. Workshops for employed women in career development, as well as interviewing and job search counseling for employed and unemployed women. There is a free orientation, weekly, and services are available in Chestnut Hill and Center City. Pennsylvania Bureau of Employment Security. 238-7600 This agency provides free placement service and processes claims for unem- ployment compensation. There are local offices. Resources for Women, Christian Association Bldg: Univ. of Pennsylvania 3601 Locust Walk Phila., PA 19104 243-5537, weekday mornings only Available from this group is a Job Bank ($5 registration) and employment counseling. There are life and career planning workshops offered for a nominal fee. Urban League of Philadelphia Skills Bank. 1930 Chestnut 5t., Suite 200 Phila., PA 19103 561-0700 All applicants receive free employment services. There are some job placement, counseling/training programs available. Professional applicants must bring 5 copies of current resume. Interviews are held Mon.-Thurs. 9-11 a.m. Call 988-0881 for training information. V.1.C.S. (Vocational Informa- tion’ through Computer Systems). .Free Library of Philadelphia Logan Square Phila., PA 19103 686-2860 Computer Based Info. Center 843-9803 Northeast Regional Library 686-1776 ext. 75-531 Northeast 843-7433 West Phila. V.I.C.S. offers free computer- ized vocational information. Descriptions included in this material are job requirements, training, schools, and scholarship information. Each individual may have up to 3 careers researched All information is taken from Women’s Resource Guide to Philadelphia & Vicinity prepared by the Women’s Switchboard, 1981. (0 myion vol. Ly no.4 A Fermupst Look at Anorexia Almost every woman | know has a problem with eating. Although eating disorders affect both women and men, women are much more apt to suffer from anorexia nervosa and bulimia (binging and purging). | will discuss these problems as stemming from a common cause (following Boskind-Lodahl | will refer to the problem as ‘bulimarexia’). Bulimarexia is an emotional problem but it is ‘ultimately a social problem which must be seen in light of the position of women in society. How can you tell if you or someone you know has anorexia or bulimia? Bulimia is characterized by eating binges followed by purging (fasting, vomiting, or abuse of laxatives) and may occur in women of normal, above, or below normal weight. Symptoms of anorexia, although a woman may not have all of them, include: severe weight loss (25% of body weight); ammenorhea (interruption of menstrual cycle); obsession with food; denial of hunger; bizarre, often ritualistic eating patterns; hyperactivity and denial of fatigue; devotion to work or studies; binging and purging. There is a thin line between anorexia and bulimia— common symptoms include withdrawal and depression, a desire to eat unrelated to hunger and distorted body image. Bulimarexics have a desire to be thin as well as a strong urge to eat. Binges often accompany feelings of anger, panic and emptiness and result in feelings of shame, guilt, and self-loathing. The young woman torn between two roles—achievement, independence and discipline and the passive dependent female role-has no feeling of power or self-worth and she gets her self- validation from men. Cultural and social pressures combine to make the image of these women rest on acceptance by men and consequently they are obsessed with their body image. Because they depend on male approval, bulimarexics are particularly vulnerable to rejection. Often a male rejection, real or perceived, starts the cycles of fasting and binging. Unable to express their feelings of rage and inadequacy because they fear social sanctions against strong emotion, bulimarexics binge to release this anger. Food fills the emptiness of worthlessness and lack of identity they feel. Shame and fear of rejection once again take over and purging follows as a reassertion of control. Anorexics continue to diet in hopes of approval for their slim (though often emaciated) bodies. penn the newsletter of the Alic € Paul Women's Center a ETA EERE ERROR a eA, eee Pere an cement oan eee ot ee ae ewe Bulimarexia uses tremendous amounts of energy and leads to social isolation. Food becomes a fetish and a way of filling up without needing others. Fears of rejection lead to-problems with sexuality and close relationships. The bulimarexic feels she must be attractive, successful and independent yet she feels helpless. Bulimarexic behavior makes her feel further isolated and unworthy yet food is her only release from the struggle to fulfill a role. Women who are bulimarexic or who have less severe eating problems need to feel their own sense of identity and worth. These needs cannot be fulfilled by a dependent love relationship or by a male therapist who replaces the male approval. Bulimarexics need to see that other women have the same problem and that they are not awful or shameful; they need to talk, to share their rage and feelings of inadequacy. A female therapist can act as a role model for young women struggling to achieve a sense of power. Women can get help with eating problems at Psychological Services at Swarthmore or by contacting the American Anorexia Nervosa Association (AANA) in Philadelphia at the Philadelphia Child Guidance Center, 34th St. and Civic Center Blvd. The AANA has a hotline for people who need to talk at (215) 387-1919 and the Center can provide counseling, self-help groups, information, and referrals. My own experience with this problem has made clear to me the need for women to have a safe place to talk about their fears and to feel as if they are not out of control or bad. | urge women to contact me or psychological services for more information or help with bulimarexia. Bulimarexia is ultimately a social problem. As women we get double messages about how we ought to lead our lives—we are not given a space to be our selves. We need as models women who have a sense of their own worth as women, not only as successfu! or attractive to men. Ultimately we need a society which does not first tell a woman to achieve, judge her by her body—and then stifle her anger. Sources: Marlene Boskind-Lodahl, “Cinderella’s Stepsisters: A Feminist Perspective on Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia,” Signs 1976, vol. 2, no.2, pp 342-356. Hilda Bruch, Eating Disorders (New York: Basic Books, 1973). Pam Dorries VVVV TPT VY: PYVVIPTUVY Staff Kate Bond Wendy Cheek Pam Dorries Susan Elliot Nancy Goldston Jackie Haskins Wendy Hoben Debbie Hollander Fran McMillian Mary Meinicke Wendy Merson Donna Mullarkey Eliza Newlin Holly Scheider Ruth Sergel Amy Sinden Susanna Stern Juliet Sternberg Lise Wagner The Alice Paul Women’s Center is located on the second floor of Sharples |. In addition to this newsletter, we maintain a library, have regular staffing hours, and meet regularly for political work and support. Common Speaking is typeset by our staff members on Student Council equipment, coordinated by Bill Cohen. It is set in Chelmsford type sizes 9 and 11 and is printed by The Bailey Printing Co. of Delaware County. The views expressed in this publication are solely those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of either the staff or of the members of the Alice Paul Women’s Center. hhh hhbbbbbhS Bb DEAD R PAAR ADRADA | Center Nas — The Women’s Center meetings of January 23rd and 30th and of February 6th and 13th made the following decisions concerning projects that involve the Center as an organization with the community and concerning the way in which meetings are run: Meeting Time: Meetings will take place as usual from nine p.m. until eleven p.m. in Sharples |. (The first hour of the meeting pertains to the Center’s “business,” that is, to such decisions as are listed below. After a break, there is a fifty minute discussion of a topic phrased the week before. Discussion draws collective theorization about women’s issues and experience). Phone Number at Sharples I: 447-7380 Staffing Hours:The Women’s Center is staffed Monday, Tuesday and Thursday every week from seven-thirty p.m. to nine-thirty p.m. and on Saturdays from two p.m. to four p.m. Library: Located on the top floor of Sharples I, the library is catalogued and open to the college community. Books are due every two weeks. New Books: How to Stay Out of the Gynecologist’s Office, This Bridge Called My Back: Writing by Radical Women of Color. Coffee House: Regularly open every Saturday from nine p.m. to one a.m. Two women staff and coordinate the entertainment, food and drink for each week. These positions rotate. Contact People: Wendy Cheek and Eliza Y Vo ©) a Ly i uo Decisions About Proc- ess: Meetings will be run according to the following changes in process: 1) the “facilitator” is responsible for getting the center key and starting the meeting on time, 2) she is responsible for opening the meeting with, an explana- tion of her function as “facilitator” and of the rules of procedures if people are present who have never been to a Center meeting before, 3) late- comers will get a chance to “check-in,” that is, introduce themselves, only between items of business, 4) if people arrive in the middle of a discussion, it is the facilitator’s responsibility to make sure that a brief summary of the issues occur, 5) the discussion topic -for the following week will be decided at some time during the first hour of the meeting and it is an automatic item of the agenda, 6)people leaving at the end of the business portion of the meeting or people coming into the discussion portion of the meeting are given the opportunity of making personal commentary, that is, the opportunity of “checking-out” or “checking-in.”” Discussion Topics: Jan. 23— “Brainstorming of Ideas for the Weekend to Celebrate the Center’s Tenth Anniversary; ” Jan. 30—“The Feminist in a Class on Feminism; ” Feb. 6—“‘Feminism and Issues of Non-Registration for the Draft; ” Feb. 13—“The Relation Between Joking and Physical Assault.” M2) { Women’s Workshop For Choosing a Major: Women majoring in most disciplines at Swarthmore spoke about their experience to an audience gathered the 16th of February. Contact Person: Deborah Hollander. Admissions Handbook to Political Groups on Cam- pus: The Center collectively authored the statement for the Handbook. It describes the Center’s political goals, projects and the process by which it is run. Escort Service: Several women met with hired escorts at dinner on February 21st to discuss 1) more lighting on campus, 2)available escorting as soon as it grows dark, and 3) women escorts. Contact Person Lise Wagner. Common Speaking: Newletter “coordinators” (that is people with responsibility for recruiting assistance in production) change every issue. Coordinators for next issue will be decided on March 15th. Revue of the current issue will occur on that date. Network of Pennsylvania Women’s Centers: Planning and letter-writing is underway to facilitate communication between women’s centers. Contact Person: Kate Wilson. Tenth Anniversary Week- end: Planning is underway for a weekend of intensive celebra- tion of the tenth anniversary of the Center’s founding. Projects include: photography and art exhibits; discussions with alumnae members of the Women’s Center, about Women’s Studies, political action and the history of the Center; an all-women’s party; a documentary film of Simone de Beauvoir; and a concert given by Canadian feminist musician, Ferron, which the Center is co-sponsoring. Contact People: Ann Dibble, Suzanne Perkins, Amy Sinden, Susanna Stern and Kate Wilson. Wendy Cheek 3 (tice Pauls Coffee House When | returned to Swarthmore after a year away, one of,the things | most looked forward to was rejoining the Women’s Center. | had not had access to such a place during my time off, and | appreciated its existence more than ever. Here was the ideal way to involve myself once again in the community, as well as experiment with ideas in a non-academic setting. Beyond the personal sphere, however, | sensed the need among members for more integration with Swarthmore as a whole, for activities drawing students from all interest groups. Wendy Cheek and | discussed various projects, such as a Women’s Music Cooperative, aimed at providing entertainers with a supportive atmosphere in which to perform. We also felt there was a need for feminists to discuss their political views, as well as express their artistic talents. The most effective way to meet all these needs seemed to be to open a coffee house. This would have other advantages as well. For instance, feminists not directly involved with the center, in addition to students unfamiliar with but curious about women’s issues could become acquainted with the Women’s Center in the coffee house setting. A coffee house would also provide students with a place in which to relax and converse without having to compete with loud music and crowds. Alice Paul’s Coffee House was accordingly opened below the Women’s Center in Sharples | towards the end of the fall semester. Initially the responsibility of Wendy and myself, the Coffee House is now staffed on a rotating schedule involving the efforts of a growing number of women. Given its framework, the Coffee House has the capacity to continue providing the campus with entertainment, refreshment, and political inspiration for years to come. Eliza Newlin nena EA uh ano” Tie 7 «4 i Lf Now If You Are True Instead Of Real: Being ’Racially Incorrect’ Two Stories: Wilmington, DE 1978 Five years ago they started busing for desegregation in Wilmington, Delaware. | was a junior in a private high school. My sister was to enter the 7th grade in a public junior high school after being in private school all her school life. New Castle County had tried to avoid desegregation for years, but in 1978 they had to through with it. My sister was in the unfortunate position of being a stranger to most of the kids in the neighborhood, they assumed she was one of the Black kids from the ‘inner city.’ But the ‘inner city’ kids thought she was strange too. She didn’t dress right. She didn’t talk right. She listened to the wrong music. To ‘inner city’ Blacks she acted white; to white suburbanites she looked Black. She got it from both sides. She couldn’t win. Swarthmore College, 1982: They’re having the schedule unveiling meeting at WSRN-FM. I’m jazz music director—the first Black that’s been on WSRN’s board in at least three years. For a while there | was one of two Black DJ’s, but looking at the crowd I see progress has been made; at least six Black faces are out there. When it comes time to give my priorities as jazz director | make a plea for reviewing jazz album, a plea for help in strengthening the station’s experimental music connections, and a plea for reviewing ‘soul’ albums. (A lot of Black music is received by WSRN, buta lot of it gets ‘lost’ because there are no interested parties to review it). After the meeting, a Black man comes up to me and says: ‘Ill review the FUNK records—! don’t know WHERE you got SOUL from!’ My first response is to feel guilty. After all, | made a grave mistake; | said SOUL instead of FUNK. My other sin is that | am a black DJ doing new music. Then | get angry; | am as black as he is— only different. There is a pain that you feel when you hear that you've been talked about by your own kind. It’s worse than the pain you get when somebody you barely know calls you a nigger; atleast you can avoid them. You accept a little support from your black peers, but in order to get it there are rules that you have to follow: listen to the right music, sit in the right place, talk to the right people. All the rules are pretty superficial. Nobody cares about YOU particularly. True, there is a black bourgeoisie that’s swallowed the dominant white male whole. They’re the kind that will invest their hard-earned dollars in Kruggerands without ‘batting an eyelash. They are the people that have forgotten where they ‘came from.’ But all black people don’t come from the same place. I came froma house in suburbia with a two car garage. | graduated from a high school that if the three of us got sick it was an all-white school. | listened to Joni Mitchell and’ Yes during high school. | had Delaware mall kid accent you wouldn’t believe. But I never forgot | was black; the world wouldn’t let me. There were always things | couldn’t do. | never was integrated into the high school social scene because interracial dating was out. There was always a wall | ran into. No matter how free | thought I was, there was still ‘the wall,’ there were still places | couldn’t go. Very seldom was oppression cut and dry; it mostly was the subtle kind that creeps under your skin and stays there. So what did I do? | had two choices. | could have created a black world all my own; in high school that would have meant that! hada quiet universe of five people, three of whom were members of my immediate family. | could have immersed myself in white society which meant I would have to be alone. Not only wouldn’t whites on the whole not accept me as completely human, my black peers would disown me. | would be a woman without a country. So what do | do? | operate on the assumption that am human and can be anything I damn well please. There’s a whole world out there, so | might as well explore it. Sometimes this means integrating recitals at Lang; other times it means attending a SASS meeting. I’ve decided to be true to myself instead of really black. If that’s being an oreo, so be it. Didion on Women Both the cover of The White Album and that of Slouching Towards Bethlehem advertise their contents as “Nonfiction.” These essays are not creations of Joan Didion’s imagination, but factual accounts of first-hand experiences. Naturally her personal judgement of the people, places and events described cannot be omitted, in fact it forms the core of her writing. There are times, however, when we wonder whether Didion’s personal bias is not encroaching on the factuality of the account. Occasionally a statement or event stands out which sounds implausible, causing us to glance once more at the cover and reaffirm that this is, in fact, “Nonfiction.” Certainly Didion’s writing would lack its power, its ability to shock the reader into recognition, if the voice of her own personality were suppressed. However, one wants to believe that the events described actually occurred, and this becomes difficult when the narrative tends toward overstatement or oversimplification. This tendency is particularly marked when Didion addresses the question of women. In her essay “The Women’s Movement” from The White Album her invective threatens to run away with itself. Her first criticism of feminism is based on a quotation from Time magazine, which expresses confidence that the movement will successfully bring about “fewer diapers and more Dante.” Didion rightly belittles this statement, remarking on the forcelessness of the image of “idle ladies sitting in the gazebo and murmuring, ‘lasciate ogni spreranza.’ ” But she wrongly assumes that a quotation from a relatively conservative magazine can be held up as representative of feminist thought. Here Didion makes her first mistake, that of allowing her conception of the women’s movement to be shaped by the stereotypes imposed upon it by men. Though Didion maintains that the extremist views she parodies were shared by “Even the brightest movement women,” her examples, which range from assertions that “many women” had their toes amputated as a result of wearing pointed shoes to accounts of sleeping “huge portions” of the day to forestall wrinkling, make this seem unlikely. Not only are even the “brightest” feminists mired in such trivializing and radicalism, but the majority are also lesbians. . m Cam Dari raras fo. 5 Didion bases this assumption on the lesbian accounts which appeared “from time to time in movement literature.” She leaps from a critique of these articles which appeared, as she says, occasionally, to an attack on the “several million women too delicate to deal at any level with an overtly heterosexual man.” Where does she come up with her figures, her quotations? | have no objection to her satirizing the women’s movement. Perhaps taking such liberties is considered necessary to the writing of satire. But if not, | have trouble with the classification of her work as “Nonfiction.” Didion runs into trouble not only in her characterization of the feminist movement, but of individual women as well. In her vehement assault on Doris Lessing, she focuses on the very elements which most dominate her own style. Even more than her writing style, Didion objects to Lessing’s attitude toward literature, her determination to see writing as something more shan simply an “artistic problem.” She contrasts Lessing with Flaubert who, though he certainly approached Madame Bovary as an artistic problem, told us more about the bourgeoisie than any Marxist. Lessing’s failure, she insists, is her preoccupation with the problems of society and culture. Didion denounces her as “a woman of determinedly utopian and distinctly teliological bent assaulted at every turn by fresh evidence that the world is not exactly improving as promised.” nd yet, what could better describe Didion’s own attitude toward writing? She is constantly exposing the absurdity of social trends and of the California culture. Her unfortunate attack on Lessing smacks of the defensiveness of one female author toward another characterized as brilliant, powerful, and an unqualified success. This kind of subjectivity detracts from the credibility of Didion’s equally unflattering portraits of women like Joan Baez and Georgia O'Keeffe. On the other hand, a perfectly factual report is not what this author is after. She seems untroubled by the apparent discrepancy between events and her portrayal of them, confessing that she has little “instinct for reality” and joking abut her inaccurate recollections of family events. In the preface to Slouching Towards Bethlehem she makes no bones about admitting that her presence always runs counter to the best interests of those she interviews. In this moment of candor, we get a sense of Didion’s personality which is this time believable. “Since | am neither a cameraeye,” she writes, “nor much given to writing pieces which do not interest me, whatever | do reflects, sometimes gratuitously, how | feel.” Perhaps it is not necessary for a writer to justify his or her point of view. It may be dangerous, however, to profess factuality while leading the reader down the garden path of one’s imagination. ~ se TS , Eliza Newlin. ( A Generation Early The oozing sand--why must it fill my highly-heeled summer shoes? Why must | stand so lady-like, so stiff and starched on the endless summer beach. Why can’t I run across the sand; why can’t | splash about the sea? If | could do what | always wish | would tear my stiff harnesses off and run free above the sand | know why this lady-like position must be me. It must be because of my generation. -Cathy Tong This poem is by the twelve year old friend of a Women’s Center member. Resources and Services Hers, Mid-Atlantic (Higher Education Resource Services). 3601 Locust Walk—Univ. of Pennsylvania Phila., PA 19104 243-5426 This is a national group interested in improving opportunities and the status of women working in higher education. This group offers leadership and management training, which concentrates on the development of skills, and career networking. Jewish Employment and Vocational Services. Center for Career Services 1624 Locust St., 6th FI. Phila., PA 19103 893-5900 This non-profit, non-sectarian agency provides job placement for semi-skilled, skilled, and professional persons. There is counseling and_ vocational testing, and counseling for women interested in returning to work. Also available are resume workshops and workshops to develop assertivenes skills for job interviews, and for examining career development. The fee may be adjusted, depending on income. Lifelong Learning Center. Free Library of Philadelphia Logan Square 567-4352 3-5 p.m. weekdays This agency offers free workshops in career planning at the Central Library and three regional libraries. Included in the workshops are the Career Directions Series, S«ills Identification, Resume Writing, Job Interviewing, and Skills and Career Resources. To receive workshop descrip- tions, schedule, and registra- tion postcard, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to the address given above. New Jobs For Women. 1605 Catherine St. Phila., PA 19146 545-2700 This agency offers free skills training in building trades or electronics in order to prepare women to enter these traditionally male fields. Unemployed women or those in low-paying, or part-time jobs, living in Philadelphia, are eligible for the services. Counseling and job develop- ment. and placement for trainees are provided, in addition to an hourly stipend while in the program. Available are small grants for transporta- tion, child care, special tools, and equipment. Options For Women. 8419 Germantown Av. Phila., PA 19118 242-4955 Career and educational counseling is available from this agency. Workshops for employed women in career development, as well as interviewing and job search counseling for employed and unemployed women. There is a free orientation, weekly, and services are available in Chestnut Hill and Center City. Pennsylvania Bureau of Employment Security. 238-7600 This agency provides free placement service and processes claims for unem- ployment compensation. There are local offices. Resources for Women, Christian Association Bldg. Univ. of Pennsylvania 3601 Locust Walk Phila., PA 19104 : 243-5537 weekday mornings only Available from this grouip is a Job Bank ($5 registration) and employment counseling. There are life and career planning workshops offered for a nominal fee. Urban League of Philadelphia Skills Bank. 1930 Chestnut St., Suite 200 Phila., PAA 19103 561-0700 All applicants receive . free employment services. There are some job placement, counseling/training programs available. Professional applicants must bring 5 copies of current resume. interviews are held Mon.-Thurs. 9-11 a.m. Call 988-0881 for training information. V.I.C.S. (Vocational Informa- tion through Computer Systems). .Free Library of Philadelphia Logan Square Phila., PA 19103 686-2860 Computer Based Info. Center 843-9803 Northeast Regional Library 686-1776 ext. 75-531 Northeast 843-7433 West Phila. V.I.C.S. offers free computer- ized vocational information. Descriptions included in this material are job requirements, training, schools, and scholarship information. Each individual may have up to 3 careers researched All information is taken from Women’s Resource Guide to Philadelphia & Vicinity prepared by the Women’s Switchboard, 1981.