The annual Women's Conference, in honor of National Women's History Month, will be held on Friday, March 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with the theme of "Our History is Our Strength" to generate discussion and reflection on gender studies and women's issues.
According to Rosario Reyes, associate dean of students, registration, brunch and the keynote speaker will be in the University Center Main Lounge. The workshop sessions will be in the Nursing Building and Jubilee Hall.
This year's keynote speaker will be Fairfield University associate professor of history, Dr. Danke Li. Li is also the co-director of the women's studies program at Fairfield University.
According to the article, Li is an expert on women in early and modern Asian societies. Her book, "Echoes of Chongqing: Women in Wartime," is the first book both in and outside China about Chinese women's experiences during China's Resistance War against Japan in the Chongqing region.
A sub-committee selected Li from nominations they received during the planning process, Reyes said.
Reyes described the conference as an "opportunity to celebrate women, learn about women from an international perspective, a time to discuss different views and networking with our campus community on women issues."
She said their target audience is approximately 250 attendees. The conference is open to all members of the University community.
"We have selected ten wonderful sessions for them," Reyes said. "This is also the one experience where we gather not only our student population but also our employees, we hope that everyone understands that celebration of women is done by everyone, not just women and this is the time for Seton Hall Community to support us."
The conference will also benefit a battered women's shelter in Essex County this year as its service project. The main collection for donations will take place on March 25, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Main Lounge. They are looking for donations of: shower curtains, silverware, pots and pans, bathroom rugs, etc.
According to Reyes, there is a sub-committee that researches and selects the community service organization. Last year's organization was Dress for Success. However, their office in Newark has since closed.
Registration will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the Main Lounge. A 20-minute Yoga session for Health and Stress Management will be held at 10 a.m., in which attendees will participate in a chair or floor yoga session, conducted by Victoria Eftychiou from the College of Nursing.
At 11 a.m. the official invocation brunch will begin, followed by a welcome address by President Esteban.
The keynote address will begin promptly at 11:15 a.m. Following the keynote speech, the Woman of the Year Award, the On Shoulder's We Stand Award and the Women's and Gender Studies Annual Essay Contests winners will be announced.
Students and faculty can register to attend the conference at: www.shu.edu/go/women. Fees to attend are $5 for Seton Hall students, $10 for non-Seton Hall students and senior citizens (65 or older), $20 for Seton Hall faculty or staff and $30 for any general admission.
A complete list of items to donate to the battered women's shelter in Essex County can be found on the conference website.
Brittany Biesiada can be reached at brittany.biesiada@student.shu.edu.
