Katy Weseman, program assistant for Gender Studies and volunteer member of Northwestern’s LGBT support network, has seen some big changes this year. Weseman, who has worked in the Gender Studies program office since September 2006, will get her masters degree in higher education administration and policy when she graduates from the SESP program this June. The part-time student and full-time staff member discusses policy adjustments, a fresh office and a new director.
What’s your favorite part about working in the Gender Studies program?I think it’s the variety of things that I get to do. I get to help with events and meet famous people who come to speak. And, of course, interacting with faculty and students, which is really fun.
?Is there anything you wish more people knew about Gender Studies?I think Gender Studies as a field often gets overlooked because it isn’t one of these dominant fields like History or English or Biology; it’s something people don’t have exposure to in high school. Our introductory classes are really important in drawing people in. ??
Have there been any recent changes to the Gender Studies program?Our directorships are on a three-year rotating basis. Ann Orloff, who is a professor in Sociology and Gender Studies, just took over this fall. The great thing about having this rotating appointment is faculty and classes are interdisciplinary. Our previous director was in English and Gender Studies, and Ann brings a different skill set.
What else are you involved with on campus?Pretty much since I started working here, I’ve been a volunteer member of the LGBT Support network. One of our great successes, which can’t be attributed entirely to the Support Network, was the university, after much petition, agreed to include gender expression and identity in their non-discrimination policy. Still, there are a lot of issues that transgender students have to jump through, like the registrar’s office won’t change your name unless you have a legal name change. So, if they haven’t legally changed their name, on all of their paperwork and rosters they have their name that they don’t go by popping up all the time. So there’s still work to be done, despite the success. ??
What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened in this office?We had a visiting professor in the fall, Holly Hughes from University of Michigan who is also a famous performance artist, who has a really boisterous laugh. And she’s hilarious, and greatly enriched the program. Having her presence in the office toward the beginning of the program provided for constant entertainment. A Gender Studies major, Mugsie Pike, was enrolled in Hughes’ class and has a similarly boisterous laugh. The two of them laughing together in the office was like a comedy sketch.
