Dear GWS and LGBTQ+ Studies Alumni,
As we launch this new newsletter, we want to do more to celebrate all that you have done since graduation and help you connect with other alumni doing similarly great things in the world. To do this, we’re asking all alumni to fill out a survey sharing any accomplishment, milestones and other updates you would like to share with us and other alumni. Did you get a master’s degree or PhD recently? We want to know! Did you get a job or a promotion? We want to share that with the whole alumni community! Have you done something you’re really proud of in the world? Let us celebrate with you! We’ll publish these updates from alumni in upcoming newsletters and you can even let us know if you would like a more extended feature in our alumni spotlight. We know that all of you are using the knowledge and skills you gained with your graduate degree, your undergraduate major, certificate, and/or LGBTQ+ Studies certificates to make the world a more just place for women, trans and gender non-conforming people, people of color, queer people and disabled people. We are regularly inspired by the informal updates we receive from you and want to make this a more formal, permanent process for the GWS and LGBTQ+ Studies community. We look forward to reading about your lives and impact on the world after your time with us.
In solidarity,
GWS Alumni Committee
Letter from GWS Chair, Janet Hyde
"Greetings to all of you! I am serving as chair of the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies this year, taking the reins from Professor Aili Tripp...Even in the midst of the twin pandemics of COVID and racism, there is much good news to report." Read Dr. Janet Hyde's full letter here.
Letter from L&S Dean, Eric Wilcots
"In June, I was honored to assume the role of Dean of the College of Letters & Science, during one of the most challenging times in my 25 years at UW-Madison. As we wrestle with a global pandemic, social unrest and economic turmoil all at once..." Read Dean Wilcots' full letter here.
Event with Sarah Deer and Bonnie Clairmont
The video of the event, titled "Confronting Sexual Violence in the Settler Colonial University" and hosted by the Care Initiative can be found here.
#QuarantineLooks and #PleasureActivism
Professor Sami Schalk debuted a video essay about her work in disability justice and pleasure activism.
Day With(out) Art
Professor Jill H. Casid had a conversation with multidisciplinary artist Kang Seung Lee about “Living with more than one Virus: Art as a Praxis of Radical Care.”
The Black Lives Matter Movement
In their work on and off campus, GWS department members show up in support of Black Lives Matter. Clockwise from top right: James McMaster, Sami Schalk, Annie Menzel, Phoebe Dressler Menzel, Adrian Whitney Purnae, Jill Casid, Anna Campbell, LiLi Johnson.
Student Spotlights
Are you curious to learn more about what it is like to be a student in our classrooms? Each semester, we highlight the work of a few GWS and LGBTQ+ Studies students. Dig into the archives and read about undergraduate students' experiences and future goals. GWS student Andrew Briceno (class of 2020) is pictured above.
Alumni Spotlights
We love to celebrate the work of GWS and LGBTQ+ Studies alumni. See all that the community has accomplished on our Alumni Spotlight page (GWS alum Hope Tyson, class of 2012, is pictured right). Do you have news to share with folks? Fill out our quick survey. If you’d like, we will be in touch to find out how you’d like us to highlight your triumphs.
UW Circle of Care Virtual Study Abroad
As a result of COVID-19, the last eight months have been challenging, strange, and often virtual. We’d like to share one example of what the virtual academic experience looks like. Last summer, GWS instructor, Dr. Araceli Alonso journeyed (virtually) with a group of students to Spain, Morocco, and Nigeria to examine the enormous challenges posed by human trafficking and migration. Students met with women who had survived multiple forms of abuse as they migrated from Nigeria to Morocco and Spain. This summer’s course was different for many reasons, but the experience resulted in new connections between students, instructors, survivors, and NGOs as the group discussed the global impact of Black Lives Matter and the death of George Floyd. Read more on the GWS website.