In an effort to further promote Stevens as a breeding ground of strong, determined women, the Stevens Women’s Programs hosted its second annual Women’s Empowerment and Leadership Conference this past Saturday. Those who registered were greeted by programmers Jessica Smith and Taylor Carden upon their arrival, who distributed complimentary notebooks to participants. Title IX Coordinator and Assistant Dean of Students Kristie Damell welcomed the formally-clad women to the conference before stepping aside for Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Marybeth Murphy to give a welcoming statement. Murphy summarized her own experiences as she progressed through higher education to where she is now, currently in charge of 14 departments with over 200 employees. “Stevens can guide women along their journeys,” said Murphy.
Vice President Murphy was followed by the keynote speaker, Liz Funk. Funk is the author of “Supergirls Speak Out,” a book that addresses the issue of women feeling unprecedented pressure to make perfectionism look easy. Funk spoke of the need for highly driven females to adopt stress-reducing habits as a part of their lifestyles to prevent burnout. “When we see our phones at 2%, we plug them into the charger right away,” said Funk. “We need to take this concept and apply it to ourselves.” Funk initiated a conversation among participants and many of the audience members were willing to share their own pressures, habits, and relaxation methods.
Participants had a choice to choose between two workshop breakout sessions. The first titled “Understanding Gender Roles and Building Confidence” was led by Miah Register, Co-founder and President of Johnson-Register Alliance. Register structured the workshop as a group discussion, asking the women in the room to think of adjectives associated with males and females. It was strange to see that many of the adjectives for women were not all positive. Register, who holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and Legal Studies, discussed how morals derive from law, which has in many ways been associated with patriarchal society. Register offered insight into various realms where women are underrepresented or exploited, such as in STEM and the media.
The second workshop was led by ’99 alum Marissa Brocks, who currently works for Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. Brock’s workshop was centered on achieving work, life, and family balance. As a mother of three with a new job and a new home, Brocks stressed the importance of setting priorities, knowing limits, and identifying support networks. Brocks asked the women in the room to consider the roles they play. Some answered “student” or “daughter,” but no one mentioned individual. “We all forget this role,” said Brocks. “We have nothing to give if we don’t take care of ourselves.”
Before transitioning into the afternoon session, the women made their way over to Jacobus Lounge for a networking lunch. Participants had the opportunity to take professional headshots, converse with the workshop leaders, and discuss lessons learned from the morning session.
The participants walked back to EAS, prepared for the afternoon session. Another two workshops were offered: Dr. Yettieve Marquez-Santana’s “Tools Needed for Effective Student Leadership” and Dean Damell’s “Bystander Intervention and Sexual Assault Prevention.” The former introduced the importance of setting personal, professional, and academic goals. Dr. Marquez Sanata, Director of Residential Life at New York University, also gave attendees tips about avoiding procrastination and understanding the importance of personal wellness.
As Title IX Coordinator, Dean Damell had much to say in a short amount of time regarding bystander behavior and sexual assault prevention. Damell went over the steps of bystander intervention and initiated dialogue among the women in attendance. “Assume no one else is going to get involved,” said Damell when discussing the assumption of personal responsibility in problematic situations. The group also discussed the definition of consent and the measures one can take to reduce incidences of sexual assault and violence. Damell encourages all students “[to have] a back-up plan for everything” and to understand what consent truly means.
The conference ended with a final presentation from Kristie Haskell, founder of Pivot-Point Strategy and Solutions. Haskell, an ’85 M.S graduate, focuses on career-life planning and works with individuals of all different ages to reach their goals. She interacted with the audience, posing a series of questions that focused on personal strengths and concerns for the future. Haskell also had participants envision themselves 15 years in the future, and argued that futures should be perceived as “facts, rather than hopes” as a way to make them more defined and attainable.
Programmers Taylor Carden and Jessica Smith were not aiming to have each participant leave with an overall message. “We just had more of a hope that each person would take away at least one thing,” said Carden and Smith. “A broad purpose behind all our events [is] to foster a healthy and supportive environment for women of Stevens.” The two women responsible for putting the conference together worked with Dean Damell and Leah Johnson, a graduate assistant in Student Life who, according to Carden and Smith, “has been an amazing addition to the Women’s Programs team.” Damell and Johnson pulled presenters from their networks who best represented the overall themes of the conference.
The mission of Women’s Programs is to increase awareness and sensitivity to issues facing not only women, but all genders. Women’s Programs design events that provide opportunities for the Stevens community to engage in dialogue on gender-related issues and further students’ interpersonal, social and professional development. Students interested in engaging with Women’s Programs can view their OrgSync page or email the programmers at wprograms@stevens.edu.
