ORWAC Newsletter June 2008 no. 2

Bernadette M. Calafell, Newsletter Editor

From the President
Greetings everyone. After one year of serving as President, I have thoroughly enjoyed what I have been a part of. Reflecting on this past year, it has truly been an exciting time for ORWAC as there are so many wonderful things going on! Whether I think about sponsored panel sessions at WSCA 2008, our hip-lookin' website, intriguing scholarship being published in Women's Studies in Communication, advertising exchanges with other journals, awards and recognitions given, grants announced, award increases, or election--WHEW! that's a lot--ORWAC is rockin'!

As I embark on my second year as President, I look to an equally exciting and productive year. If there are things that youíd like to see ORWAC undertake, please feel free to contact me. Until then...read on and catch-up on all that has happened since our last newsletter.

In collaboration,
Michelle

Feminist Scholarship Award and Top Student Paper
This year's recipient of the Feminist Scholarship Award is Sherianne Shuler, Creighton University. Dr. Shulerís essay entitled "Autoethnographic Emotion: Studying and Living Emotional Labor in the Scholarly Life" was chosen for its innovativeness, riskiness and rigor. In particular, the critical eye that she turns on herself in regard to the construction of an academic life provokes interesting discussion about the ways in which we each proceed in such a life; moreover her use of auto-ethnographic methods and scholarship is particularly important in light of various interpretations and understandings that persist about auto-ethnography. This year's officers of ORWAC congratulate Dr. Shuler for her fine scholarship. Her essay was published in Women's Studies in Communication, fall 2007 (vol. 30). She received a check for $500.00 as well as a desk clock engraved with the year and award title.

Kira S. Jones, University of Montana, was awarded the Top Student Paper for her paper "Reconstituting Activism through Consciousness Raising: An Exploration of Women's Responses to the 'Think Before You Pink' Campaign." Reviewers noted that Kira's paper was "thoughtful, well researched," contained solid analysis and provided "an interesting perspective" to the "public issue of breast cancer" that is congruent with ORWAC's mission." At WSCA, she received a check for $500.00 and a plaque.

ORWAC 1st Annual Research Development Grant
At the recent WSCA conference, Michelle A. Holling, ORWAC President, announced to members the implementation of the first annual "Research Development Grant" to resounding support. ORWAC will award two grants: one that supports graduate students and another that supports instructors or tenure/track faculty. Each grant offers a maximum of $1,000.00 for scholars conducting feminist research or creative projects that privilege and advance understandings about the intersectionality and complexity defining women's lives. Grant applications were distributed at WSCA as well as posted to the ORWAC website. A due date of June 1st was set giving scholars about three and one-half months to submit their applications, which have been rolling in. Look to our winter newsletter and/or the next WSCA conference to hear who received grants!

ORWAC CFP for WSCA 2009!
ORWAC invites submissions for program proposals and competitive papers for the Western States Communication Association conference, to be held in Mesa, AZ, February 13-17, 2009. ORWAC seeks submissions that speak to the conference theme of "Mixing Metaphors" as it intersects with ORWAC's emphasis on research regarding women, feminism, gender, intersectionality, oppression and social change. Of particular interest are panels and papers that address contemporary issues such as transnational feminism, border issues, citizenship, globalization, 2008 presidential campaign to which contrasting perspectives and approaches are brought to bear are strongly encouraged.

A few notes: When submitting papers please know that ORWAC does not accept works in progress; Papers should not have been presented previously at another conference, be accepted for presentation or publication, or have been published (WSCA Policy); Panel submitters are strongly urged to devise panel sessions that are innovative and reflect direct connections to the conference theme.

Please visit the WSCA website at www.westcomm.org for submission guidelines. All student submissions should be marked as such for consideration of the Top Student Paper award. Submissions must be received no later than September 1, 2008 in order to be considered. Forward attachments saved as a Word document and submit electronically to: mholling@csusm.edu. Inquiries about submission should be directed to Dr. Michelle A. Holling. Contact information: office phone 760/750-8576; Dept. of Communication, California State University San Marcos, 333 S. Twin Oaks Valley Road, Craven Hall, San Marcos, CA 92096-0001.

"I Say Hello, You Say Good-Bye."
At our business meeting at the WSCA conference in Denver/Boulder in February we thanked Heather Hundley for her four years of service as the Treasurer and Individual Membership Director of ORWAC. Michelle Holling, President of ORWAC, presented Heather with a beautiful plaque for all her hard work and service to the organization. We wish Heather all the best in her role as 1st Vice President of WSCA.

Greetings From the New ORWAC Treasurer, Valerie R. Renegar
Hi! I'm Val and I am the new ORWAC Treasurer. I am honored to serve our organization and have been an active member for the last 8 years. I am an associate professor at San Diego State University, and I completed my doctoral work at the University of Kansas in 2000. Thus, I am still reveling in their recent final four Jayhawk basketball victory. My research and teaching are centered on contemporary feminist rhetoric and third wave feminist rhetorical theory. Here are some random facts about me: My favorite city is Paris, I am originally from Texas, I have a cat named Lucy, in a different life I would be a long-haul truck driver, I am a vegetarian, and I love HGTV. I look forward to serving our organization in this important role for the next four years!

ORWAC Officers
President
Michelle A. Holling
California State University San Marcos
mholling@csusm.edu

Vice President
Bernadette Marie Calafell
Secretary
University of Denver
bcalafel@du.edu

Treasurer-Individual
Valerie Renegar
Membership Director
San Diego State University
vrenegar@mail.sdsu.edu

Web Spinner
Brenda Allen
University of Colorado, Denver
Brenda.J.Allen@cudenver.edu

Advertising Exchange
Stacey Sowards
Institutional Membership
University of Texas at El Paso
ssowards@utep.edu

WSIC Editor
Cindy L. Griffin
Colorado State University
cindy.griffin@colostate.edu

WE HAVE A NEW LOGO!!!
By Stacey Sowards
ORWAC sponsored a logo and advertisement contest for student participants this year, in order to update our logo and create an advertisement for exchanges with other journals. The submissions were very strong, resulting in difficult decisions by the ORWAC executive board.

The winner of the logo contest was Lilian Pozos from California State University, San Marcos. For the winner of the advertisement contest, we selected two winners, to create a combined advertisement. The winners were Glen Zubias and Roselyn Reynoso, both from the University of Texas at El Paso. The winning logo and advertisement will be used on the ORWAC website as well as in our advertising exchange with other journals, such as Hypatia and Chicana/Latina Studies: The Journal of Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social.

Because the submissions were strong, we also selected several runner up awardees. For the logo contest, runners up included Ashley Pinkerton, from California State University, San Marcos, Glen Zubias, from the University of Texas at El Paso, Melissa Martinez, from the University of Texas at El Paso, and Carlos Fuentes, from the University of Texas at El Paso. The runner up awardee for the advertisement contest was Carlos Fuentes from the University of Texas at El Paso.