Spring 2012 - Clarion University

Cathy Joslyn guided as
CU students designed
the panels. Pittsburgh
African American Quilters
quilted their work and
attendees signed the gift
that celebrated 10 years
of women’s conferences.
the finaL
Momentum
anne l. Day, Ph.D.
retired Faculty, history
First Chair, status of women
subcommittee
Jane Elmes delivered the keynote address to inaugurate the first Clarion University Women’s Conference
on April 14, 1984, a regional PASSHE Women’s Consortium gathering. As she concluded her remarks, Jane
reminded the audience of a simple truth: “The initial drive to leadership, and that final momentum, must come from
within.”
I recalled Jane’s comment as I began to write my recollections of that first conference because her words
still resonate with me today. Telling the story of the first Women’s Conference and the eventual founding of the
Women and Gender Studies Program, comes after I look within myself to consider my role in those early days of
struggling and dreaming.
At the request of Dr. Francene McNairy, then chair of the newly formed Affirmative Action Commission,
I chaired the original Status of Women Subcommittee, charged by the university to identify and address the
concerns of women on campus. We met for the first time on December 9, 1983, to assess the needs of campus
women, design long - and short-terms goals to meet those needs, and to identify programs and funding to meet
the goals.
The power within and dedication of the fourteen women and one man who met that day was incredible
and palpable. After much discussion and debate, we chose four specific goals to work toward: (1) identify and
secure a location to establish a returning adult center; (2) identify and secure a location for a women’s center;
(3) organize and implement diverse programs designed to raise the consciousness of the university about the
concerns of women; and (4) monitor and eliminate the use of discriminatory and/or sexist language in campus
communications. It looked so simple and clear on paper!
Both the 1984 and 1985 Clarion Women’s Conferences, our first attempts at providing diverse
programming, dealt with the theme of leadership. However, in 1985 we moved away from the regional consortium
model to stand on our own. We wanted to build an annual conference focused on women’s issues relevant to
our own university and community. The buzz phrase was “participatory workshops,” and the raising consciousness
was fast and furious. As the conference chair, I was not alone. My support group cared as deeply as I did and
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