Eight years ago, Professor Jeffrey
Haus started a Jewish Studies progra r

P-

(

from scratch at Kalamazoo College.

AIM

Today, K offers an array of classes, including
modern Hebrew, and other opportunities fo

Empowerment Program

students, such as study abroad in Israel.

MSU Hillel's Jewish Women's Forum hosts Sen. Whitmer
on gender equality.

"It's been very rewarding, especially when
we can trace students' post-graduation career
entry directly to our program."

Marisa Meyerson } jewish@edu writer

Professor Haus says Jewish Studies at K has
contributed to campus intellectual and
cultural life, and raised the College's profile
beyond the campus.

A side benefit for him has been advising
the Jewish Student Organization and other
K students.

"I am a Jewish Studies professor and
an academic, but also a mentor
who plays a facilitating role,"
he said.

• Li

I

State Sen. Gretchen Whitmer, top row, center, with female
students and MSU Hillel staff at a women's empowerment
event

y definition, empowerment is the
act of making people stronger and
more confident, especially in con-
trolling their life and claiming their rights.
On Oct. 27, dozens of students gathered at
Michigan State University Hillel to do exactly
that.
The Jewish Women's Forum (JWF) at
MSU Hillel was honored to host State Sen.
Gretchen Whitmer, D-Lansing, through a
grant from the Jewish Women's Foundation
of Metropolitan Detroit, which sponsors
events that promote female empowerment
in the workplace and in daily life.
Attendees were fortunate to have a
friendly and personal dialogue with Sen.
Whitmer as she sat amongst the students
and facilitated a discussion about legisla-
tion impacting women's rights in Michigan.
This format was not only more interesting,
but also relatable, and made room for each
student to voice concerns and ask questions
they may not otherwise have found answers
to.
The JWF, an affiliate group of the Jewish
Student Union at MSU Hillel, strives to
provide inclusive, engaging and educational
programming for young Jewish women. As
the chairwoman of the JWF, Brianna Dines
was profoundly impacted by Sen. Whitmer's
speech.
"It was a really influential experience, and
I am so grateful that I had the opportunity
to learn about legislation that is currently
affecting me," Dines said. "I've also learned
about ways that I can ensure my voice is
heard. The focus was on women in the
workforce because, as college students, this
is something that will be affecting us in the
future.
"Sen. Whitmer shed light on the reality

B

that women are unfortunately still denied
equal pay, and shared the importance of
advocating for ourselves to ensure we are
treated as equals when we enter the work
environment."
Like Dines, the entire JWF Committee left
the event feeling as though they had been
personally challenged to make a difference
for the present and future women in the
workforce. By educating themselves, they
now feel more confident in their abilities
to confront anyone who denies them equal
rights simply because they are women.
Sen. Whitmer's message didn't just hit
home for female students. Nate Strauss,
president of the Jewish Student Union, also
found the conversation influential.
"As a male student attending the
Empower event, I thought that it was not
only educational, but also really important,"
Strauss said.
"I think a lot of the times when we think
about feminism, women's rights or gender
equality, we forget that men can help, too,
and it's really important for men to recog-
nize gender equality and strive for it to be
more important in the world. After hear-
ing Sen. Whitmer's story, I was even more
excited and even more ready to fight for
gender equality in my life, in Michigan and
in the world."
To continue to empower students
across college campuses, there will also
be Empower events at Eastern Michigan
University, Western Michigan University,
Grand Valley State University and Central
Michigan University. @

Marisa Meyerson of Farmington Hills is

a first-year student at Michigan State

University in East Lansing.

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November 20 • 2014

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