She knew that OSU’s College of Education had a strong program in College Student Services Administration, and she was offered an assistantship that paid for her education.

The combination made OSU her ideal choice, and Azhderian said she’s fallen in love with the school since she arrived.
But one thing Azhderian discovered that OSU lacked was a thriving network of support specific to female graduate students.

“There’s a real need here for that niche,” she said, and after becoming inspired by an internship at the OSU Women’s Center, Azhderian decided to take on the creation of such a network herself.

The Graduate Women’s Network will provide advocacy for female graduate students, networking opportunities, and the chance to advance knowledge and skills that can lead to a more successful graduate level experience.

“Graduate school is a funny time, in some ways I have not felt as supported,” as much as she was during her undergraduate experience, she said. During graduate school, women may have a more difficult time finding peer support, funding for education, and finding advice about things like job searches, health care and sometimes, operating in fields predominated by men.

Although the group is in its early stages, Azhderian is already organizing activities including brown bag lunches, speaker panels, and workshop opportunities for graduate students to come together in more informative ways.

As a graduate student herself, Azhderian finds that female students will seek out support in their own departments, but she envisions the network as crossing departmental and college lines, to provide a broader net of support to students from all areas.

“The big focus right now is providing advocacy and support,” for female graduate students, she said.

The program will be housed in the Women’s Center. For more information, see http://oregonstate.edu/womenscenter/gwn.html

~ Theresa Hogue

Phuong Thi Lan Nguyen said she "will fly" when violence against women and children ends.

The Oregon State University’s Women’s Center has just produced a “Calendar of Hope,” which features OSU students, staff and faculty talking about a very special dream. Each was asked to compete the phrase, “When Violence Against Women and Children Ends… I will…” For every woman asked, the answer was different, but equally enthusiastic.

Rietveld, Women’s Center Director, got the idea during a visit to the University of Connecticut, where she was performing a program review. During a visit to their women’s center, a student proudly showed her a calendar they’d created, which featured a portrait of the student and her mother.

“I could see the  pride in her face,” Rietveld said. The idea was so exciting, and the question itself so thought-provoking, that Rietveld asked the staff of the center if she could duplicate the idea at OSU, and they agreed.

Everyone featured in the OSU calendar has a strong commitment to women and children’s issues, and Rietveld made sure that a broad representation of women appeared on the pages.

“I wanted people who celebrated women,” she said. In fact, she had so many people respond to her request that some of the pages feature more than one participant.

Linda Anderson, sexual assault support services coordinator, and her baby, Kalea Anderson-Kriegler, appear in the calendar.

The calendar features stunning black and white portraits taken by one of two student photographers hired for the project,  Daron Jackson and Katie Holloway. The project was completed by Samantha Reining, a Women Studies intern who found the project both challenging and rewarding. She said learning new programs to design the calendar wasn’t always easy, but the end result is worth it.

“I really love it, it’s beautiful,” she said. “I’m giving it out as Christmas presents.”

Patti Watkins is featured with other Women Studies Faculty on the March 2010 page. The faculty members agreed that when violence against women and children ends, “We will retire.”

Watkins said the calendar is a good reminder that women and children still aren’t safe in the world, and there are restrictions to their freedom that would be lifted if violence disappeared.

“What the sayings (in the calendar) communicate is ‘I can do this, I can be safe in this way.’ It’s a nice way to communicate that and raise awareness.”

Student photographer Daron Jackson has been taking photographs since she was 14, and said she began identifying as a feminist at a young age, inspired by her stepmother.

“She’s a really strong woman, she taught me things about how to be in this world,” Jackson said. So the opportunity to be a part of the calendar project was exciting to Jackson.

“It was amazing,” she said. “I’ve never been a part of anything like this.”

Mehra Shirazi, a women studies instructor, with Mayha, said she will embrace true peace when violence against women and children ends.

She said as she was taking the photos, and thinking about how each woman answered the question, she struggled to come up with her own answer.
“I will just be at peace,” she said. “I will appreciate the fact that I’m safe.”

Models include Christina Blanchard, Laura Cristal Magãna, Mehra Shirazi, Stephanie Duckett, Alisha DeVogele, Kimberly Nickerson, Katie Parker, Linda Anderson, Lani Roberts, Parcella Provence, Allison Davis-White Eyes, Angie Tissi, Angi Baxter, January Bourassa, Mary Zelinka, Alia Beyer, Helen Shin, Susan Shaw, Patti Watkins, Janet Lee, Phuong Lan Nguyen, Donna Champeau, Mirabelle Fernandes-Paul, Carrie Giese, Jessica Waldo, Gail Cole, Brittany Vreeland, Robin Klein, Alicia Petersen & Molly Statham.

Calendars are available at the Women’s Center for $15 and checks should be payable to the OSU Foundation.
The proceeds from the calendar sales will be used for sexual violence education at OSU and programs will be decided by the Sexual Violence Prevention & Education Office, Sexual Assault Support Services and the Women’s Center.  The calendar features helpful information for anyone in the OSU community who the calendar features helpful information for anyone in the OSU community who might need to refer a student or colleague to support/advocacy , medical, educational and reporting options if she/he is a survivor of domestic violence,  sexual assault or abuse.