B U S I N E S S N A M E

Volume 2, Issue 1

Intersections

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All Work and No Play Will Make You Stressed: 15 Ideas for Self Care

Self‐care is not about

self‐indulgence, it’s about

self‐preserva on.

–Audre Lorde

1. Write in a Journal

2. Do one thing everyday that you

enjoy

3. Remember to breathe

4. Surround yourself with posi ve

friends and family

5. Treat yourself every now and then

6. Visualize a place that calms you

when you get stressed

7. Spend me outside

8. Unplug for periods of me

9. Remember you are only one person,

and you can only do so much

10. Try new things

11. Go on adventures

12. Take a nap

13. Get your heart rate up, whatever

way you enjoy

14. Meditate and just be s ll

15. Remember that it is okay to vent

Interpersonal Violence includes but is

not limited to a range of interactions such

as bullying, manipulation, stalking and

sexual assault. One key to preventing

interpersonal violence is creating a

community‐wide agreement which states

that we all have a part to play in stopping

abuse before it happens. This summer,

the Women’s Center launched a campus‐

wide Sexual Assault Free Environment

(SAFE) awareness campaign aimed at

helping students identify the warning

signs of potential stalking behavior along

with sexual and relationship abuse.

You may have seen the campaign’s SAFE

bathroom stickers in the stalls around

campus. Not only do these stickers help

students spot the red flags of potential

danger, they also inform them of crisis

support and reporting options. This

includes anonymous reporting via the

Women’s Center’s website. Public service

messages countering social myths that

support sexual assault have also been

posted on the ODU shuttle busses and in

the residence halls. Finally, sexual and

dating violence support numbers are now

listed on the free ODU mobile app

available for iPhones and Android cell

phones.

This summer’s SAFE awareness

campaign was inspired by the growing

student movement for safety, respect,

and gender equality sweeping our nation.

Now this movement is taking hold at ODU

and there is more than a change of season

in the air this fall. Keep your eyes out for

the many prevention events student

groups have planned for this year and

become a change maker yourself by

getting involved.

Striving to have a Sexual Assault Free Environment at ODU By: Wendi White

Mee

t Our

Sta

ff

Gretchen Edwards-Bodmer, Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator

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Gretchen Edwards‐Bodmer is the Public Rela ons & Marke ng Coordinator at the Women’s Center here at ODU. She received her Bachelors in Women’s Studies with a minor in Communica on as well as her Masters in Humani es and Graduate Cer ficate in Women’s Studies from ODU. She has worked at the Women’s Center since 2005. Gretchen is also a writer and photographer. You can check out her blog where she talks about gender roles, stereotypes, body image and social jus ce issues as well as raising her two sons to be good men at GrrrlWithBoys.blogspot.com. Her wri ng has also been featured on GoodMenProject.com, About‐Face.org, HashtagFeminism.com, FabulousMomBlog.com and BonfireImpact.com (a website created by former ODU football player Ronnie Cameron). You can check out her photography on her Etsy page etsy.com/shop/GWBPhotography.

My grandmother died of ovarian cancer when she was about 60, so it hit her later in life. I was just a baby when she was receiving treatment. My grandmother was ac ve and healthy and had the same doctor for many years. She went to her doctor about pain and bloa ng in her lower abdomen but he just said "oh you girls just don't drink enough water" (#sexism). When the pain didn't go away he said it was gallstones. When they went in to remove her gallbladder they did a large incision and no ced that she had stage 4 ovarian cancer. They told her that with chemo she would live 2 more years, but without it she would only live 6 months. She did chemo but lost the ba le 11 months later. She got to live longer than her mother who died at the age of 30 of ovarian cancer, but 60 is s ll too young. I've heard wonderful stories about what an amazing woman she was and it really saddens me that I only had her for the first few years of my life, most of which I don't remember.

My mother had a benign tumor on the outside of her uterus at the age of 50. Because of her family history her doctor recommended a full hysterectomy. She wanted to talk with other women about the surgery and the a er effects, but because of HIPPA regula ons her doctor couldn't connect her with his pa ents. She did find online support, but that was in 1998 so there wasn't as much out there as there is now. Despite no knowing much about the a er‐effects, I'm glad that she agreed to the full hysterectomy. Now I don't have to worry about her as much. She is definitely a wonderful role model for self‐care. She was having problems with her hips a couple years ago and went ahead and had them both replaced. Now she's walking around like nothing ever slowed her down. When something is not 100% with her health, she takes care of it. She doesn't ignore it and hope it will go away. This is the main reason why I really listen to my body when it does new or different things. This will hopefully come in handy if I start to exhibit any of the symptoms of ovarian cancer, or any other ailment for that ma er. […] It's important that we know our bodies, listen to them, and talk with our doctors when we feel something might be wrong. I know people worry about being thought of as a hypochondriac, but it's be er to be safe than sorry. If your doctor brushes you off, find a new one. Ask your friends who they go to and trust.

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. For more on the signs and symptoms, visit ovarian.org.

An Excerpt from GrrrlWithBoys “#Selfcare: Doctors, Heredity and Ovarian Cancer”

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Student V

oices: Brenna P

erez

#FemSites ODU Women’s Center

1000 Webb Center Norfolk VA 23529

757‐683‐4109

Follow Us On Social Media:

“oduwomenscenter”

Why Her Vote Counts: November 4th General Election

#FemMusic

#FemMovies

On November 4th the polls will be open in Virginia and across the country for the General Elec on. This means that seats in both the U.S. State Senate and U.S. House of Representa ves will be on the ballot. These elected officials make crucial decisions that shape our country and our daily lives. Yet turnout at the polls for non‐presiden al elec ons are historically low, especially amongst young women voters. With fewer people cas ng their vote during non‐presiden al races, the elec ons are decided by a smaller group of people. If more young women made their voices heard at the polls in these elec ons, their message would be much more powerful and influen al. Sta s cs show that the older the voter, the more likely they are to vote. This means that elected officials will be inclined to give more considera on to the concerns and demands of older genera ons since they are the ones who put these legislators into office. An ideal government is one that has input from all of its cons tuents and gives due deference to the needs of society as a whole.

It is me for our elected officials to make issues that reflect the concerns of young women a priority. This will only be done if young women become more ac vely engaged in the poli cal process. It is me to make our presence known. Issues such as climate change, investment in early childhood care and educa on, as well as women’s health are major issues that should be a priority for our na on. We must rally for more women to exercise their right to vote.

There is a measured difference in the way women and men vote called the gender gap. The gender gap has the poten al to be very influen al and was decisive in the outcome of the 2012 Presiden al elec on, with women cas ng 8 million more votes than men. Young women voters must add their votes into the mix and work towards a government that is more reflec ve of the will of all its people. Women make up half of the US popula on but are s ll severely underrepresented in our Congress, as well as in our state and local legisla ve bodies. Women currently hold

18% of the U.S. House of Representa ves and 20% of the U.S. Senate in the 113th Congress. Currently all members of Virginia’s U.S. House and U.S. Senate are held by men. Let’s consider women candidates in the upcoming elec on to bring some diversity and equal representa on to Virginia.

Going into the November 4th Elec on, there will be new obstacles to overcome. Virginia has enacted a new voter ID law that will be in effect for the upcoming elec on. This law requires all voters bring a valid form of photo ID that is less than 12 months expired to the polls on the day of the elec on. Virginia issued student photo IDs will suffice this requirement. Although remembering to bring a valid photo ID adds an extra step in the process to poli cal par cipa on, we cannot let these hurdles deter us from making our voices heard.

With par san poli cs causing gridlock in Congress, it is easy to get discouraged and feel like avoiding poli cs all together. However, if we feel the system is broken, then it is me to do something about it to get our government

produc vely func oning again. Remember, women ages 18‐24 are the least likely age group among women to turn out at the polls. Our voices are currently not being heard as loudly as they should be. All voters must demand more from the candidates, vote in every elec on, and keep in contact with their legislators to hold them accountable for their ac ons (or inac ons). It is me for young women to fully exercise their right to vote which was fought hard for and won by our foremothers 94 years ago this August. We can begin by making our voices heard at the polls on November 4th.

You must be a registered voter to par cipate in the November elec on. The voter registra on deadline is October 14th. Visit the Virginia State Board of Elec ons web‐site, sbe.virginia.gov, to check your registra on status/access online voter registra on, see a full list of acceptable forms of ID, find polling loca ons, submit an absentee ballot,

Brenna Perez is a junior at ODU studying for a Bachelor’s in Biology with a Poli cal Science minor. She intends to pursue a career in wildlife conserva on. Beyond her interests in scien fic fields of study, she proudly iden fies as a feminist who strongly values social equality for all.

Originally Posted on Tumblr. Views expressed in student ar cles

do not necessarily reflect the views of the

Old Dominion University Women’s Center.

#FemBooks

“Girl in a Country Song”

‐Maddie and Tae

Misadventures of Awkward Black

Girl—by Issa Rae

Coming to ODU 10/30 7:30pm

North Café, Webb Center

Na onal Ovarian Cancer Coali on

Ovarian.org

Full Frontal Feminism

By Jessica Valen , of

feminis ng.com

Thi

ngs

We’

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iggi

n’ #

Fem

Cul

ture