by T. Dickinson
At a dinner organized by the Women’s Studies Advisory Council, Senator Kassebaum spoke to an enthusiastic room of over 100 Women’s Studies supporters at the Manhattan Country Club on Thursday, March 31. Attending the talk were members of the Women’s Studies Advisory Council, community supporters of Women’s Studies, students, faculty, staff, administrators, community leaders, and families of students.
Senator Kassebaum delivered a passionate speech about contemporary politics and the importance of women who take responsibility for community and political life. Women at all levels of politics have demonstrated their ability to be good negotiators who help converge diverse views, Senator Kassebaum said. Women have the skills to get past the divisiveness of today’s politics and to be leaders who move change forward. Senator Kassebaum argued that women are the key component in changing the paradigm of dishonesty that has dominated recent politics. “I think that women have always been the backbone of our republic,” Kassebaum Baker stated.
Kassebaum shared the knowledge she gained as a former U.S. Senator for Kansas from 1978 to 1997 and as an official who has been involved in school board politics.
The Women’s Studies Advisory Council’s annual event serves as a community educational event and a fundraiser for scholarships in Women’s Studies. Community members, students and faculty thank Senator Kassebaum Baker for participating in this annual event, which helps students pursue their degrees in the Department, which now is called Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies.