Raspberry to
offer his
"Perspectives
on America"
Syndicated
columnist speaks
here tonight
Columnist William Raspberry
will speak tonight at 8 p.m. in
the Reed Lecture Hall, the third
speaker in Penn State-Behrend's
1990-91 Speaker Series "Shaping
the Future: Taking
Responsibility in the 1990'5."
A syndicated columnist in 175
newspapers nationwide --
including the Erie Morning News
-- Raspberry's columns address
the latest ideas surrounding
today's critical social issues.
Raspberry was a pre
ministerial student working his
(continued on page 3)
The Collegian
Thursday, October 25,1990
Women's Film Series challeges
students' views of women's problems
b Mid Clim
The Collegian
For the past two years the
Women's Film Series, sponsored
by Student Services, Women
Today and the Women's Studies
course, has provided students and
staff with a challenging view of
modern women's problems,
according to David Shields,
assistant dean of Student
Services.
. "The series is designed to be
controversial, to stimulate
discussion and raise issues that
women may or may no have to
facer, said Shields.
The series is sponsored by
Penn ;State's Equal Opportunity
Programming Commit Giant.
which allocates money to a wide
variety of diversity-related
progratns.
"EOM funding supports a lot
of programing that is not
typically funded by the university
or helps bring programs up to
speed that were formerly
underfunded." said Shields. Here
at Behrend the grants not only
support the Women's Film Series
but a week-long orientation for
minority students and the
Minority Advanced Placement
program.
According to Shields, another
strong point with the Women's
Film Series is the strong faculty
involvement.
"We have tremendous faculty
support for this program. Dr.
Diana Hume George (professor of
English) has been most
instrumental in providing support
and is doing an incredible job
with the series."
This year's series is entitled
"Swept Away: Women on the
Edge:
"The films selected are
supposed to show
women who are put in
extreme situatkms and
how they deal with
them"
37iroi!!.n•I
Coordinator of Student
Orgad2atkin and Program
Elwel(4m=nt
"The films selected are
supposed to show women who
are put in extreme situations and
how they deal with them," said
Maureen Finn, coordinator of
student organizations and
program devekvment.
Monday night's controversial
film, "Winter Tan," focused on
one woman's attempt to take a
"vacation from feminism" and
*41.1,01'0 ,
se • ttieflirri• ••••
search for her own identity
through her sexual experiences in
a foreign land.
Mauricia, the main character
of the film, journeyed to Mexico
to get away from her idea of
feminism. She viewed feminism
as the pure and high minded state
that followed the politics of
gender. While in Mexico,
Mauricia's views changed as she
tried to find her own identity
through different sexual
relationships.
Mauricia consistently focused
on man's demeaning treatment of
women as as she tried to evaluate
her own ideals. Her reformed idea
at the end of the film was one
that viewed feminism as
promiscuity for pleasure.
The after-film discussion was
led by Finn and Penn State-
Behrend• student Michelle
McLaughlin.
Topics in the discussion
ranged from the effect and
purpose of the vulgarity in the
film to the idea that men use
women and taunt them in
relationships.
The main theme of the
discussion centered around the
idea that the main character
Mauricia was, according to one
student, "trying to balance out
her feminism" by doing a little
soul-searching and evaluating her
stance on the treatment of women
(continued on page 3)
Vol. XXXIX No. 8
Ferraino says
advertising
reinforces
stereotypes
Have negative
effects for women
Diana Ziemniak
for The Collegian
As a precursor to the Women's
Film Series, "Swept Away:
Women On The Edge," Deanna
Ferraino, the sexual assault
coordinator of the Meadville
Center for Women's Services,
spoke to students about the
powerful effects advertising has on
society.
Ferraino spoke about the
alarming increase of sexual
violence in the United States. She
said that a quarter of women in
college have been raped. "That
means they have been involved
with sexual intercourse under force
or without their consent," she
added
She explained that a major
source of apathy and
misunderstanding surrounding
sexual violence stems from
culturally accepted attitudes
imbued by advertising.
As a part of the program,
Ferraino presented the film, "Still
Killing Us Softly," to show the
significant role advertising plays
in reinforcing stereotypical
representations of men and
women.
Ferraino told the audience that
advertisers use sophisticated
techniques to sell their products.
She hoped the viewer would gain
insight regarding the devices used
by advertisers that can shape
perceptions about gender roles.
In the film, various ads were
analyzed. The film's narrator, Jean
Kilbourne, emphasized that
advertisers commonly present
women as sex objects. "These ads
are designed to send out powerful
messages to be passive and
submissive," Kilbourne said.
The film also drew attention to
ads that depict men as being in
control and invulnerable.
She remarked that these ads
produce accumulative unconscious
attitudes about ourselves. "Look
underneath the messages of the
ads," Kilbourne said.
She explained that ads contain
a casual attitude about sex with no
responsibility. According to
Kilbourne, the ads contribute to a
climate already there, and they
create a climate that makes
violence more acceptable.
(continued on page 3)