Women's Studies Conference Approaches

By Danny Wild, Sports Editor

The annual Women's Studies conference, sponsored by the SUNY New Paltz women's studies program, conference services and the village of New Paltz will take place on the SUNY New Paltz campus on Oct. 18.

The all-day event is organized to eradicate all forms of domination and beliefs to keep the connections between feminism and other movement for social justice and sustainable cultures alive.

This year the town of New Paltz will sponsor the conference. Amy Kesselman, part of the board heading the conference, said, "We asked the town for sponsorship because of the new governing board. The new village council realized that people want their voice to be heard and want to connect with the town of New Paltz."

The conference's keynote speakers are Nancy Naples, Julia Walsh and Cynthia McKinney. Naples is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Connecticut and an author of several books on feminism and social change. She will be speaking about the connection between the feminist movement and other social movements. Walsh, a student activist and an elected member of the New Paltz Village Board of Trustees, will be speaking about her work with the village and the United Nations. McKinney, a former Congresswoman from Georgia, will be speaking about her steps towards advocacy for voting, human rights and for helping to strengthen ties between the United States and the global community.

Some of the workshops include, "From Experience to Action in the Classroom and the Therapy Session,""Grassroots Women's Movements in Chile and the Philippines," and "Trapping: Stories of Women Power, and Clothing."