Panel discusses the accomplishments of women at SMU Thursday evening in McCord Auditorium. (Kathleen Strauss/The Daily Campus)
Five panelists from various departments gathered in McCord Auditorium to celebrate 100 years of women’s achievements at SMU for Part One of the series, “Telling Our Story: 100 Years of Women at SMU.”
A key theme of the speeches was the advancement of women’s rights from the past to the present. The panelists included Joan Gosnell, Sandy Tinkham, Bonnie Wheeler, Ann Early and Stacy Cherones. They spoke to a group of about 30 community members, students, faculty and staff on Thursday.
Joan Gosnell, the university’s archivist, highlighted 50 years of women’s achievements at SMU from 1915 to 1965. She discussed SMU’s Staff Club, Women’s Club, also known as the Faculty Wives Club, and Mother’s Club. The Women’s Club focused on self-improvement and loans/scholarships for students, and the SMU Mother’s Club began in 1926 because women wanted to give the students a place to feel at home with “motherly attention.”
Sandy Tinkham, former director of the Women’s Center at SMU, talked about the inception and development of SMU’s Women’s Center over the years.
At the time that it began, women were told that they were at college to become “better mothers and wives.” Over the years, the women’s center has grown to serve different functions, such as support women’s organizations around campus and provide classroom presentations and resources on gender issues. The main challenges to the women’s center are staff and funding, but Sandy is committed to “keep on working.”
Bonnie Wheeler, associate professor of English and director of medieval studies, spoke on the commission on the status of women. It was formed in early 1976 with faculty and staff and only one undergraduate student.
Ann Early, the third director of Women’s Studies at SMU, gave the history of SMU’s women’s studies. The program began in 1973.
At the time, “there were great limitations on what women were expected to be: teacher, nurse, or secretary,” Early said.
She shared about teaching “The Nature of Man,” which ironically began the impetus to create a women’s studies division at SMU.
“Women’s studies is a major item that belongs in every area of educational curriculum in the whole world,” Early claimed.
Lastly, Stacy Cherones, a Ph.D. candidate in religious studies and co-founder of the Graduate Women’s Organization (GWO), discussed the role of the GWO in helping female graduate students find a balance between the demands of graduate school and social life. The club seeks to generate opportunities and provide social support for women in graduate school.
Val Erwin, Program Adviser for SMU’s Women’s Center shared her thoughts on the event. “I thought it was an interesting event. I enjoy learning about the history of the university and how it affects women,” she said.
“I thought it was a new experience, learning about the history of SMU, and I’m proud of how far we’ve come,” first year Rachel Anderson said.
