Teresa Sayward
12 April 2012
When I get the opportunity to do research I like to take advantage and look into something I don't know much about. Politics is not my filed of expertise, but I am certain that I disagree with a lot of views of the Republican party. For this reason I looked at different article of Republican women and one stood out to me, Teresa Sayward. There aren't too many recent articles about her. She recently retired after what seems to be successful years of service as the New York State Assemblywoman. She was more recently referenced in the news because of a comment she made about voting for Obama in the upcoming elections.
With a focus on woman leaders I found it interesting how the articles described her and her role as a leader. In the articles referring to her position as an assemblywoman she was praised for a job well done. What was notable was the exact actions and characteristics she was praised for. Sayward is recognized in the article in Lake Placid News for "listening", being "available to her constituents", and being "a model of ethics". The other article in The Post-Star states she will be remembered for her "advocacy", "compassion", and "commitment". We have discussed in class how more woman leaders will bring different traits and practices into those roles. In the arena of politics Teresa Sayward was praised as a woman leader for her advocacy, her involvement, and her ethics.
She has proven to be a good representation of a woman leader by her defense in saying that she might vote for President Obama in the upcoming elections. We have defined a good woman leader as someone that listens and empowers others. As a republican she is concerned with the recent debates on women's healthcare and the stand that the Republican Party has taken on the debate. I would identify her as a transformative leader because she justifies wanting to vote for Obama by saying "Good government is a lot of diverse people coming together with a lot of ideas. And you have to meet in the middle, and sometimes you don't get everything you want. But if you get something that's going to help the people, I don't think you can remain closed minded." She still supports the main Republican ideals of less government and less taxes, but she is aware of the mainstream social issues and has defined herself as a legitimate leader in oprder to address these issues.
Teresa Sayward is a great example of how women can lead in a different way than men. Eagly and Carli mentioned many of the traits and characteristics that Sayward has in the way that women lead differently. I attempted to search an article with negative comments about her to have a better understanding of who she is. However, all of the articles I found commended her on a job well done. She had a successful career in office and she did this without being corrupt and by being involve (physicallly there in the community) which is similar to the prototype that Eagly and Carli say woman leaders are likely to be.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Campus Engagement Events Assignment
The Vagina Monologues
07 April 2012
The Vagina Monologues at UCF was an amazing event. I will admit it felt like it took a little long to start, but it was well worth the wait. Outside of the event venue they had a table to set up to raffle some items and receive donations. Down to the small details of vagina necklaces and lollipops I really enjoyed the event. There was some trouble with seating, but that was due to the big turn out of people that attended the event. The only part of the event I did not like was the representative from Fairvilla talking to the audience before the event. It had not been up a week prior to this that the same representative gave a 2 hour lecture in my Sexual Behaviors class on the same subject, therefore hearing the same information within such a short time span was unpleasant. Regardless of the lecture she gave us I do feel like she should have shortened her presentation.
Asides from the seating and the presentation by the Fairvilla representative everything else was amazing!This is the first time I have attended any presentation of the Vagina monologues and I can honestly say it is something that I would be interested in doing every time it comes a long. On of my interests is minority women issues. One of my favorite monologues was the one of the black women. They talked about the exploitation of their bodies and the work that is still left to truly respect the black vagina. A point that they made is the worth of their vagina's. How they birthed the slaves that gave their priceless bodies and labor for no pay. They also touched on international issue. I liked these monologues because they are topics that are often overlooked. As a woman I know my issues here in my space, but I rarely consider the issues of other women across the world. My favorite of these monologues was with four women of all ages and ethnicity that came to America to find the American dream, but instead they were raped and abused. Mentioning all the different types of women on of the monologues was of two transgender people. I like the inclusion of this because it does not restrict the term woman to the common binary in our culture of female and male. What I still remember from that monologue is how they retell the experience of becoming a woman and still not being accepted because they were different.
These monologues brought light to a lot of important issues. I truly enjoyed how everything was done. This event was a great closing to the events at UCF for the month of the woman.
07 April 2012
The Vagina Monologues at UCF was an amazing event. I will admit it felt like it took a little long to start, but it was well worth the wait. Outside of the event venue they had a table to set up to raffle some items and receive donations. Down to the small details of vagina necklaces and lollipops I really enjoyed the event. There was some trouble with seating, but that was due to the big turn out of people that attended the event. The only part of the event I did not like was the representative from Fairvilla talking to the audience before the event. It had not been up a week prior to this that the same representative gave a 2 hour lecture in my Sexual Behaviors class on the same subject, therefore hearing the same information within such a short time span was unpleasant. Regardless of the lecture she gave us I do feel like she should have shortened her presentation.
Asides from the seating and the presentation by the Fairvilla representative everything else was amazing!This is the first time I have attended any presentation of the Vagina monologues and I can honestly say it is something that I would be interested in doing every time it comes a long. On of my interests is minority women issues. One of my favorite monologues was the one of the black women. They talked about the exploitation of their bodies and the work that is still left to truly respect the black vagina. A point that they made is the worth of their vagina's. How they birthed the slaves that gave their priceless bodies and labor for no pay. They also touched on international issue. I liked these monologues because they are topics that are often overlooked. As a woman I know my issues here in my space, but I rarely consider the issues of other women across the world. My favorite of these monologues was with four women of all ages and ethnicity that came to America to find the American dream, but instead they were raped and abused. Mentioning all the different types of women on of the monologues was of two transgender people. I like the inclusion of this because it does not restrict the term woman to the common binary in our culture of female and male. What I still remember from that monologue is how they retell the experience of becoming a woman and still not being accepted because they were different.
These monologues brought light to a lot of important issues. I truly enjoyed how everything was done. This event was a great closing to the events at UCF for the month of the woman.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Campus Engagement Events Assignment
16 March 2012
Re-defining THE Woman
The event started by the showing of an animated video of pre-civil war era and the bidding of a black female slave. Most of the topics of this event related to the issues in our society concerning the image of women of color. The first video was very appropriate in addressing the history of black women in American society. In the discussion of the image of women of color it is important to understand that terms like "bad bitch" or "barbie" as they relate to the black woman's body are prevalent now, but they exist due to the past experiences of black women in America.
Although the event started of with a great clip to open conversation, I found it to take a less educational and informal turn. Issues brought up after this was the definition of a "bad bitch", ride or die vs fool, and the definition of "barbie". The intentions of these separate topics was to redefine how the terms are viewed and as women redefine each of these terms to be more positive. My problem with this is that the term "bad bitch" should not be accepted. It is limited to mostly negative connotations. The topic of ride or die vs fool was a bit disappointing to me as well. During this part of the event different pictures of famous couples were projected on a screen. At this point the audience would term the female a ride or die or a fool. This opened up a bit of conversation of what the audience thought a woman's role is in a relationship and what the deal breakers should be. Along with this selected audience members coupled up to do skits of different scenarios that represented women that were ride or die or fools. Again I'm not too sure how this helps redefine the woman of color in a positive light. The last topic of barbie represents the doll in a positive light and how she was created to inspire little girls to be all they can be.This would be in opposition to the "barbie" model that Nicki Minaj has created. What stood out to me is that they failed to address the problems of body image that effect many young girls and women and how barbie may not be the best role model.
The intentions behind this event were to re-define the woman, which I believe is very necessary. I believe what was missing is a more thorough understanding of women's issues and how it effects various aspects of our social world. Women of color are more than just "bad bitches" "ride or die" "barbies" no matter how many times these terms are redefined.
Re-defining THE Woman
The event started by the showing of an animated video of pre-civil war era and the bidding of a black female slave. Most of the topics of this event related to the issues in our society concerning the image of women of color. The first video was very appropriate in addressing the history of black women in American society. In the discussion of the image of women of color it is important to understand that terms like "bad bitch" or "barbie" as they relate to the black woman's body are prevalent now, but they exist due to the past experiences of black women in America.
Although the event started of with a great clip to open conversation, I found it to take a less educational and informal turn. Issues brought up after this was the definition of a "bad bitch", ride or die vs fool, and the definition of "barbie". The intentions of these separate topics was to redefine how the terms are viewed and as women redefine each of these terms to be more positive. My problem with this is that the term "bad bitch" should not be accepted. It is limited to mostly negative connotations. The topic of ride or die vs fool was a bit disappointing to me as well. During this part of the event different pictures of famous couples were projected on a screen. At this point the audience would term the female a ride or die or a fool. This opened up a bit of conversation of what the audience thought a woman's role is in a relationship and what the deal breakers should be. Along with this selected audience members coupled up to do skits of different scenarios that represented women that were ride or die or fools. Again I'm not too sure how this helps redefine the woman of color in a positive light. The last topic of barbie represents the doll in a positive light and how she was created to inspire little girls to be all they can be.This would be in opposition to the "barbie" model that Nicki Minaj has created. What stood out to me is that they failed to address the problems of body image that effect many young girls and women and how barbie may not be the best role model.
The intentions behind this event were to re-define the woman, which I believe is very necessary. I believe what was missing is a more thorough understanding of women's issues and how it effects various aspects of our social world. Women of color are more than just "bad bitches" "ride or die" "barbies" no matter how many times these terms are redefined.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Service Learning Blog 4
YWLP Basketball Tournament: 18 February 2012
05 April 2012
The day of the event went very smoothly. When I got there most things were set up. There were some last minute changes that were dealt with accordingly. Most of the events I spent by the court watching the games and completing small tasks. For the most part I made sure that the players participating had some Powerade bottles. I kept the tables at each extent of the court with some bottles. Then after the game put up some chairs, cleaned up, and took some items to the cars.
As I mentioned in my previous blog Batliwala's work addresses the idea of sharing powers. From the bake sale, to the game, to the entertainment of the attendees I feel like we came together and took charge of different aspects of the tournament as a whole. To relate the event back to other class discussions I also liked to see the different UCF communities come together. Some of the participants I noticed were from different organizations at UCF-- although I don't know which. In a sense it reminded me of the work we read on the black beauticians. It was not beauticians in the same salon but beauticians from different regions coming together. I enjoyed seeing the different communities come together for a good cause and support raising money for the LOL project.
Again the most I got out of it was the great joy and pride from seeing the event be such a success. I also remember that in the beginning of the event my name was mentioned as a sign of gratitude and I was overjoyed. I had some friends come together and help me make this event successful. Asides from helping for a good cause I had some friends that came through for me and helped with the event. This was not only a good experience for me, but it also showed me the people in my life that were supportive by either helping or simple attending. Finally seeing everything come together brought up some skills and abilities that I did not know I had.
05 April 2012
The day of the event went very smoothly. When I got there most things were set up. There were some last minute changes that were dealt with accordingly. Most of the events I spent by the court watching the games and completing small tasks. For the most part I made sure that the players participating had some Powerade bottles. I kept the tables at each extent of the court with some bottles. Then after the game put up some chairs, cleaned up, and took some items to the cars.
As I mentioned in my previous blog Batliwala's work addresses the idea of sharing powers. From the bake sale, to the game, to the entertainment of the attendees I feel like we came together and took charge of different aspects of the tournament as a whole. To relate the event back to other class discussions I also liked to see the different UCF communities come together. Some of the participants I noticed were from different organizations at UCF-- although I don't know which. In a sense it reminded me of the work we read on the black beauticians. It was not beauticians in the same salon but beauticians from different regions coming together. I enjoyed seeing the different communities come together for a good cause and support raising money for the LOL project.
Again the most I got out of it was the great joy and pride from seeing the event be such a success. I also remember that in the beginning of the event my name was mentioned as a sign of gratitude and I was overjoyed. I had some friends come together and help me make this event successful. Asides from helping for a good cause I had some friends that came through for me and helped with the event. This was not only a good experience for me, but it also showed me the people in my life that were supportive by either helping or simple attending. Finally seeing everything come together brought up some skills and abilities that I did not know I had.
Service Learning Blog 3
Week 3: (Feb 12th- Feb 17th)
05 April 2012
The last week before the basketball tournament the first thing I did was meet with my friend Josh to get an outside opinion of what we need to work on. Josh has his own non-profit organization and has participated in basketball tournaments before. We discussed the details of the event for about 2 hrs. We set up some rules for the games and made a checklist of things that needed to get done before the tournament. Part of getting the checklist together was contacting Maria and Kelly. Another meeting during the week was with the girls working on the event. Our main focus was to get more teams to sign up.
In the text of Batliwala, Feminist Leadership for Social Transformation, we read ideas of a system that is less like a hierarchy and more like a circle of shared powers. Maria and Emily without a doubt have done an immense amount for the basketball tournament and then the LOL project. I did notice some other girls, as well as I, tried to relieve some of the work from them. Although we did work more as a hierarchy, I did notice from these events that working through more of a power circle would divide the stress and responsibility within everyone. If more of the individuals involved accept more power within an organization then that individual should feel more responsible/accountable. Putting what we have learned to play it shows that there is no clear cut way to do things. There were a lot pf people involved in making the event a success. I believe we had a mix of a hierarchy as well as a circle of shared powers. The event turned out a success and ran very smoothly.
The opportunity I received from this experience was to be part of such an amazing team. Before this I have had little experience with putting an event of this magnitude together. It was an amazing experience because it truly showed me that with hard work things can be done.Seeing this event come together gave me a lot of pride and happiness. It was a great sense of achievement and I gained a good amount of experience through the planning if the YWLP Basketball Tournament.
05 April 2012
The last week before the basketball tournament the first thing I did was meet with my friend Josh to get an outside opinion of what we need to work on. Josh has his own non-profit organization and has participated in basketball tournaments before. We discussed the details of the event for about 2 hrs. We set up some rules for the games and made a checklist of things that needed to get done before the tournament. Part of getting the checklist together was contacting Maria and Kelly. Another meeting during the week was with the girls working on the event. Our main focus was to get more teams to sign up.
In the text of Batliwala, Feminist Leadership for Social Transformation, we read ideas of a system that is less like a hierarchy and more like a circle of shared powers. Maria and Emily without a doubt have done an immense amount for the basketball tournament and then the LOL project. I did notice some other girls, as well as I, tried to relieve some of the work from them. Although we did work more as a hierarchy, I did notice from these events that working through more of a power circle would divide the stress and responsibility within everyone. If more of the individuals involved accept more power within an organization then that individual should feel more responsible/accountable. Putting what we have learned to play it shows that there is no clear cut way to do things. There were a lot pf people involved in making the event a success. I believe we had a mix of a hierarchy as well as a circle of shared powers. The event turned out a success and ran very smoothly.
The opportunity I received from this experience was to be part of such an amazing team. Before this I have had little experience with putting an event of this magnitude together. It was an amazing experience because it truly showed me that with hard work things can be done.Seeing this event come together gave me a lot of pride and happiness. It was a great sense of achievement and I gained a good amount of experience through the planning if the YWLP Basketball Tournament.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Service Learning Blog 2
Week 2: (Feb 5th- Feb 11th)
25 March 2012
The second week of working with YWLP for the Basketball Tournament I talked to a Powerade representative and had a meeting with Meredith, her father, Maria, Emily on Saturday to finalize the details of the event. I met up with the Powerade rep by coincidence. I was at an event supporting some friends and they were giving away Vitamin water. I'm usually shy, but I thought it would be great to have them there. After talking to him a little about YWLP and the basketball tournament, he then gave me the Powerade reps contact information. As for the meeting I had we were able to get a lot done. At the meeting we talked about who was playing at the event and how many more teams we needed. We also planned the times of performances and giveaways. We bounced a lot of ideas off of each other. We made sure everyone had tasks and we made lists of all the things that we needed as well of a schedule leading up to the event. We basically created the blueprint for the basketball tournament.
I like how we came together as women and put together a sports event, an area that is seen as more of expertise to men. We've mentioned in class that the answer is not to flip the scripts and have only women in power. Meredith's father's input and assistance was very well needed. I also had a friend that I would contact from time to time since he had participated in several tournaments. I will admit at times I felt like we were in over our head, but I was determined to assist Maria and Emily because I wanted YWLP to have a successful Event. I love that everyone in YWLP was so positive and dedicated in raising money for our campaign against bullying.
Honestly, it is amazing for me to have worked with these ladies to put the event together. Being a part of this team has not only given me a lot of confidence, but now I know that I have the ability to to take on a project of this magnitude. This event really showed me a lot about myself. This really prepared me to help with other organizations I'm involved in and will be involved with in the future.
25 March 2012
The second week of working with YWLP for the Basketball Tournament I talked to a Powerade representative and had a meeting with Meredith, her father, Maria, Emily on Saturday to finalize the details of the event. I met up with the Powerade rep by coincidence. I was at an event supporting some friends and they were giving away Vitamin water. I'm usually shy, but I thought it would be great to have them there. After talking to him a little about YWLP and the basketball tournament, he then gave me the Powerade reps contact information. As for the meeting I had we were able to get a lot done. At the meeting we talked about who was playing at the event and how many more teams we needed. We also planned the times of performances and giveaways. We bounced a lot of ideas off of each other. We made sure everyone had tasks and we made lists of all the things that we needed as well of a schedule leading up to the event. We basically created the blueprint for the basketball tournament.
I like how we came together as women and put together a sports event, an area that is seen as more of expertise to men. We've mentioned in class that the answer is not to flip the scripts and have only women in power. Meredith's father's input and assistance was very well needed. I also had a friend that I would contact from time to time since he had participated in several tournaments. I will admit at times I felt like we were in over our head, but I was determined to assist Maria and Emily because I wanted YWLP to have a successful Event. I love that everyone in YWLP was so positive and dedicated in raising money for our campaign against bullying.
Honestly, it is amazing for me to have worked with these ladies to put the event together. Being a part of this team has not only given me a lot of confidence, but now I know that I have the ability to to take on a project of this magnitude. This event really showed me a lot about myself. This really prepared me to help with other organizations I'm involved in and will be involved with in the future.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Service Learning Blog
Week 1 (29 Jan- 04 Feb)
15 Mar 2012
The first week working on my service learning I used to contact businesses and people to inform them about the event and ask the to donate. I called most of the stores in the Knight's Plaza. I also contacted the Sweets, in Waterford. A couple of these stores I had to follow through and email the corresponding store managers directly with a short message and the flyer and donation letter attachments. Asides from contacting some businesses I also spoke to a couple friends to see if they were available to donate their time. One of my friends offered his time and equipment to DJ at the event and a co worker offered to sing as part of the entertainment. This work allotted to about 1.5 hrs. My plan from this point was to contact some more friends that would dedicate their time and/or get the word out about the event.
This first week I believe I took more of a traditional stance on leadership. I had to effectively use my communication skills to convince businesses to donate to our event. Although, I did not lead in the traditional sense of being in charge of any specific task. Like in the reading of Huerta and Chavez I can closely relate the work I did to Chavez's traditional style of women leadership. This text explains a traditional woman leader to be supportive and to complete necessary but menial work.
My experiences during the week reminded me that as an individual you do not have to be in the forefront to be a leader. In the same breath having completed these tasks I felt like I had the ability and time to do more. The first week of helping with the YWLP basketball tournament served as an eye opener for me. I never took time to realize the connections I have made in college and the network of people I know. Not only was I surprised, but the interactions gave me more confidence and a sense of accomplishment. It was truly a great first week!
15 Mar 2012
The first week working on my service learning I used to contact businesses and people to inform them about the event and ask the to donate. I called most of the stores in the Knight's Plaza. I also contacted the Sweets, in Waterford. A couple of these stores I had to follow through and email the corresponding store managers directly with a short message and the flyer and donation letter attachments. Asides from contacting some businesses I also spoke to a couple friends to see if they were available to donate their time. One of my friends offered his time and equipment to DJ at the event and a co worker offered to sing as part of the entertainment. This work allotted to about 1.5 hrs. My plan from this point was to contact some more friends that would dedicate their time and/or get the word out about the event.
This first week I believe I took more of a traditional stance on leadership. I had to effectively use my communication skills to convince businesses to donate to our event. Although, I did not lead in the traditional sense of being in charge of any specific task. Like in the reading of Huerta and Chavez I can closely relate the work I did to Chavez's traditional style of women leadership. This text explains a traditional woman leader to be supportive and to complete necessary but menial work.
My experiences during the week reminded me that as an individual you do not have to be in the forefront to be a leader. In the same breath having completed these tasks I felt like I had the ability and time to do more. The first week of helping with the YWLP basketball tournament served as an eye opener for me. I never took time to realize the connections I have made in college and the network of people I know. Not only was I surprised, but the interactions gave me more confidence and a sense of accomplishment. It was truly a great first week!
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