Many Voices

A newsletter/blog from the Luann Dummer Center for Women

 

Table of Contents

Note from the Director 

Fall Semester Intern Reflections

Climate Knowledge Collective

Care and Connection and Other Campus Collaborations

Feminist Community and Zine Making

Feminist Self Care in Practice and Tracing Gender Representation Through Time in St. Thomas Media

Gender Justice, Fiber Arts, and Student Access to Menstrual Products

Minnesota Aurora FC and Community Coffee Hour

Women Career Panel at DFC

New Food Shelf at the LDCW

Upcoming J-Term Events

 

Note from Dr. Liz Wilkinson, LDCW Director 

Hi and welcome to a year of Activism! In All the Ways! our theme for 2025-26! (and, yep, to combat the trying times, we are leaning into all the exclamation marks!) 

Thanks for keeping up with the action at the LDCW! We had an amazingly busy and wonderful Fall 2025 semester, so I’d love to give you some highlights of the over 90 – yep, 90+ – events we either hosted or supported from September through December.  

With many thanks to WGSS Chair, Dr. Dalma Martinovich-Weigelt, in October we paired with the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies department to bring María José Iturralde to campus for workshops with students, faculty and staff to teach us some necessary “unlearning” and “re-worlding.” In the evening, Iturralde, better known as Chochi, presented a talk entitled, “Collective Re-Worlding through Feminine and Indigenous Power: A Path to Thriving Biodiverse Ecosystems,” on how indigenous women in the Amazon Rainforest of Ecuador are leading a transformative movement of ecosystem restoration and community revival. The over 100 audience members left with renewed energy for smart and joyful action, locally and globally, to protect our shared world.  

Our LDCW Coordinator, Arianna Wegley, and I flew to Puerto Rico in mid-November for the National Women’s Studies Association Conference. The day-long workshops for Women Centers’ faculty and staff gave us a necessary, if bleak, look at what a lot of out sister centers are facing. The number of attendees were half of what they had been last year, and many who were there talked either of funding struggles or let us know that their programs, some almost 50 years old, were being eliminated. All of us at the LDCW continue to acknowledge what a gift we have in our endowment from Dr. Luann Dummer. We literally would not be here without her.  

Later in November, the LDCW had an opportunity to support UST’s Finding Forward initiative by sponsoring the reception following the conversation between President Rob Vischer and Minnesota Lynx head coach, Cheryl Reeve. Reeve brings a decidedly feminist approach to coaching. Super exciting for all of us WNBA fans! Go Lynx! 

We also continued to broaden our impact with students, staff, and faculty through intern initiatives and program partnerships: Tuesday Coffee Hour, Care and Connection student gatherings, Platonic book club, FemCom meetings and events, internships with the MN Aurora FC, Climate Knowledge Collective, and Gender Justice, skin care and wellness initiatives, a Queer in Business job panel, free fruit through BrightSide Produce, and WGSS Friday Feminist Forums. None of this would be possible without LDCW Coordinator, Arianna Wegley! 

And now…Spring! We have so much more to look forward to! 

During J-term, we will be hosting Ms. Magazine for a four-day Writers in Residency event. This residency echoes one we did this past summer that resulted in two of us being published by Ms. digital: “Sleep Is a Feminist Issue: Why Women’s Rest Is Political” by Dr. J. Roxanne Prichard and “‘Los Angeles Is for Everyone,’ ‘Pay Us What You Owe Us’: The Long History of Women Athletes Leading the Resistance” by me, Dr. Liz Wilkinson.  

In February, we’ll have a Spring Semester open house kickoff (more info to come) to spread the word about ongoing programs and, more importantly, March Women’s History Month! 

Elaine Welteroth (former Editor-in-Chief of Teen Vogue) and Dr. Janell Hobson (Writer/Editor for Ms. Magazine) headline our March Women’s History Month event on March 5. The LDCW is proud to sponsor this conversation between two journalism powerhouses, particularly in these times when journalism, an essential part of our democracy, is being challenged. Please click here to register!  

Finally, keep in touch! Email us with questions and ideas, stop by the Center for a cuppa and a chat, sign up for our email list, spread the word about the LDCW, and we’ll see you at our fantastic upcoming events! 

Fall Semester Intern Reflections

Climate Knowledge Collective

By L.G. 

During my time at LDCW, I cooperated on a long-term project starting last year with an organization called the Climate Knowledge Collective, also known as CKC. In CKC, we were able to watch oral histories about climate activists fighting climate change and the initiatives they take. These stories mostly featured women, as they are often the most affected by climate change. 

We shared our opinions on each respective video we watched, discussed quotes that we thought were significant in relation to women, and selected audio clips that felt relatable to CKC’s mission: “Our focus is to revolutionize access to climate solutions by amplifying the lived realities of women and marginalized communities facing climate change.” 

After completing the oral histories documentary, we wanted to focus on promoting the organization on our campus. We started by hosting a boba event where we displayed those quotes for students to read and learn from. We are also collaborating with LDCW’s social media team to promote CKC on our Instagram page. 

For next semester, we are planning to host more events, conduct surveys, and increase promotion through social media. 

 

Care and Connection and Other Campus Collaborations

By S.B. 

This fall, my work at the Luann Dummer Center for Women was shaped not only by my  Independent Project, Care and Connection, but also by meaningful collaborations with organizations on campus that were directly connected to my goals and values. 

The Care and Connection series, consisting of six events, was designed to foster a safe,  welcoming, and supportive environment for students from all backgrounds on our campus. Events ranged from art workshops and blackout poetry to engaging games such as Self-Care Scattergories and Concepts and Conversations. We also hosted an open study hour in collaboration with Queer Straight Alliance as we approached finals week. 

All events, and the Care and Connection series, shared the same vision: establishing the Center as an open and available space for all students. The current state of the world has made the, for lack of a better word, “outside” world scary and unsafe for a lot of folks. I wanted to do something about that within my power and remind people that they are not alone. They are still loved and people care about them. Care and Connection was the tool I used to do that, and I was very happy with the outcome. Throughout the semester, attendance grew five times in size. Friendships were formed that went beyond the events, and that is the most rewarding experience I’ve had through Care and Connection.  

In addition to my independent work, I collaborated with LGBTQIA+ staff and faculty on National Coming Out Day and Trans Day of Remembrance. These events were focused on supporting one of the most attacked minorities in our current time and remembering the powerful history of Trans Pride and those who have dedicated their lives to ensuring equality for all people, regardless of their gender identity or sexual preferences. Both events were quite successful. We had a wall of kindness that was filled out by students, faculty, and staff at the events in addition to a resource poster that you can come and visit at the Center! 

Overall, I’m very grateful for a successful fall semester and I’m looking forward to bigger and better events in the spring! 

 

Feminist Community and Zine Making

By J.K. 

This fall, I have been working on creating a resource for the Luann Dummer Center for Women detailing a history of feminism. I created a zine, which will now be available in the Center for all. The zine goes over each wave of feminism and discusses many prominent feminists. I really enjoyed being able to create something for others while using my own skills and interests. Feminism is constantly evolving and changing, but it is important to remember those who came before us and built the foundations for our society today. 

In addition to my personal project, I have also been running the Feminist Community. We had weekly events on Thursdays during convo hour and got to meet some great new feminists. Some of our events included a relaxation hour, karaoke, movie nights, sensory bottle making, letter writing, and vision boards. As always, we love seeing new people in the Center and creating a safe space for all. 

 

Feminist Self Care in Practice and Tracing Gender Representation Through Time in St. Thomas Media

By E.V. 

This fall semester I have been interning at the Luann Dummer Center for Women my second year and it has been a meaningful part of my semester. From hosting the “Glow Up, Rise Up” skincare event back in October, creating social media content, to working on a long-term research project, I’ve had a BLAST. Here is what I have been up to as an intern at the center!  

One of my highlights was facilitating a skincare self-care event that connected everyday practices to larger feminist ideas. I wanted attendees to see that caring for oneself is not selfish, but an active root in empowerment and resistance to systems that often devalue women’s well-being. Seeing attendees engage with the content, conversations, and with each other was enjoyable, where we can reward ourselves and share our experiences. This event was successful, gaining over 50 attendees, very similar to a very similar event I hosted last May during my first year at the Luann Dummer Center for Women.  

Alongside event planning, I’ve been making steady progress on my year-long project examining media gender representation at St. Thomas. By exploring archival materials, including The Aquinas, early campus newsletters provided online, and historical publications and images from our library’s online research, I’ve been able to trace how women have been portrayed at St. Thomas for the past couple of decades. From the limited and often stereotypical roles assigned to women in the early 1900s to the more complex representations seen today, the evolution is significant. Yet, there are still gaps and tensions that reflect broader cultural shifts and ongoing challenges.  

This work has allowed me to reflect on the past and present, seeing how far we’ve come while also recognizing the work that remains. My time at the Luann Dummer Center for Women continues to deepen my understanding of feminist practice, community building, and the significance of creating spaces that care, empower, and educate all. I’m looking forward to next semester as we continue to work on fun and engaging events and content! 

 

Gender Justice, Fiber Arts, and Student Access to Menstrual Products

By R.H. 

This semester, I worked as an advocacy intern for Gender Justice. I spent some of my time onsite at their office, and some in the LDCW working on various projects for them. I have had the opportunity to conduct research and sit in on meetings, and I have learned a lot about gender-related policies and activism. I will continue my internship with Gender Justice in the spring, and am excited to continue working and learning there, as their mission and work match my interests very closely. 

I have also worked this semester on implementing some programming at the LDCW. I led several fiber art hours during the business week—these events were lovely, but faced some attendance issues, and I will be working on finding a new, optimized time to hold them during the spring semester. I have also continued to work on gathering data on menstrual products on campus with the Student Period Products Advisory Committee and will carry this out into the spring semester as well. 

 

Minnesota Aurora FC and Community Coffee Hour

By E.N.

When I started working with the Minnesota Aurora, I was a photographer and videographer. But as the season came to a close and us summer interns filled out our end-of-year feedback forms, I knew I wasn’t ready to leave. I have spent the last four months transitioning into the marketing communications department. The only problem? Aurora didn’t actually have a marketing manager in September. 

What first started as a disappointment turned into an opportunity. I’ve been able to follow Aurora’s journey from end of season, to hiring, and am now working with our marketing manager to build out Aurora’s marketing plan in real and lasting ways. This has meant helping create promotional materials for holiday merch drops, writing real content for the website, and exploring the future of Aurora’s brand. As my team is growing, so am I. 

In the Center, though, I have also been working on building a campus community through the Women’s Center. We’ve been using social media to increase visibility for our causes and services, and have seen a clear increase in both daily and event attendance. I’ve also been hosting a Community Coffee Hour every Tuesday, where anybody is free to stop in for coffee or tea, with a side of good conversation. It’s been so popular I can’t seem to keep supplies in stock. 

I felt that my first year was largely spent learning about St. Thomas and the Center. I am so grateful and proud that this year I’ve been able to help physically build our community, and I can’t wait to see everyone in the spring! 

 

Women Career Panel at DFC

By L.R. 

I have been focusing on helping connect the Center to the Dougherty Family College, which is located at the Minneapolis campus. The population of the Dougherty Family College is mainly female, and connecting the students with the Center would bring them a lot more resources.  

It’s been hard to connect the two campuses, but I’m making substantial progress. For Women’s History Month this upcoming March, the Center will be hosting a “women in the workplace” career panel on the Minneapolis campus in hopes to get more interaction with the Dougherty Family College students, and also to find out what support they would like from the Luann Dummer Center for Women. Hopefully this panel will help sustain an ongoing relationship between the Luann Dummer Center and the Dougherty Family College. 

 

New Food Shelf at the LDCW 

By Arianna Wegley

The Luann Dummer Center for Women has launched a food shelf that will be available to students during our regular open hours, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. during J-Term. We encourage international students, especially, to make use of this resource. 

The LDCW is already widely known as a welcoming space where students can find fresh fruit, snacks, coffee, tea, and quick meal options. Having a dedicated food shelf is a practical and important way for the LDCW to support our campus community and help students get essential resources this winter. 

We would like to thank the many generous staff, faculty, and students who have donated to the food shelf! If you would like to make a donation of any shelf-stable dry goods, simply drop by during our open hours. 

The LDCW is located at the O’Shaughnessy Education Center in Room 103 (St. Paul Campus).   

 

Upcoming J-Term Events 

Ms. Magazine Writers Workshop for Faculty and Staff 

January 20-23, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.