Friends of OWL
Dear OWL
Members,
We have some exciting news: A Friends of OWL group has finally
been approved through Princeton's alumni office! This means
that the undergrad members of the Organization of Women Leaders
(OWL) can now reach out to alums, send out fundraising requests
once a year, and have a ready-made database of people to contact
for mentorships or speaking requests.
In the year(s) since you have graduated, this five-year-old
organization, an infant when compared with some of Princeton's
more famous organizations, has continued to enact great changes
in the Princeton community. In only five years OWL has:
*Raised important questions facing women at Princeton, creating
dialogue, change and sometimes a little controversy. OWL's
weekly discussions have posed the questions, "What Does
a Feminist Look Like?," "The Election of USG Presidents:
How to Choose Between a Man and Woman?" "Can You
Be A Conservative and a Feminist?" and "How Will
We Balance Work and Family?" OWL has also invited others
to address campus controversies, from "The CAKE Pleasure
Workshop: What is the State of Female Sexuality in the 21st
Century?" to "Women In The Ivory Tower: A Panel
with President Shirley Tilghman."
*Attracted dozens of successful women to visit the campus
as speakers, panelists, and discussion leaders, through monthly
speaker events, monthly book club seminars, and the annual
conference. Speakers have included Patricia Ireland, the former
President of NOW; the founder of the Women's World Bank; the
President of the American Medical Association; an Army officer;
the CEO of Bobbi Brown cosmetics; and the women of Princeton's
first co-educated class. The annual conference has covered
a broad-range of topics concerning modern women, such as international
women's rights, breaking the glass ceiling, women's health
and the role of women in the media and public service. Held
on a weekend each spring, the conference provides Princeton
students, as well as young women from local high schools and
visitors from around the country, to spend a day with our
distinguished guests.
*Served as a bridge in the campus community, enacting a Bicker
Bill of Rights in conjunction with the eating clubs, joining
forces with the Women's Center and Department of Women and
Gender Studies, and working with Vice President Dickerson
to ensure that McCosh Health Center is adequately staffed
and educated in women's health. Before OWL, McCosh relegated
women's health to the corner of the third floor; now the women's
health division is large and bright, conveniently and prominently
located on the ground floor of the renovated center. Additionally,
OWL helped bring skilled staffers to the SECH and SHARE teams
and prompt an administration task force on the issue of training
and equipping the health center to utilize rape kits.
*United the men and women of Princeton. The year before OWL
existed, 12 women marched in the annual Take Back the Night
march, and they were subjected to taunts and jeers. With the
foundation of OWL, TBTN took on a new power, and for the last
five years no less than 200 men and women have marched together
through the campus, chanting in unison and shining their candles
on Princeton's most dangerous corridors.
*Established relationships with the broader community, working
with WomenSpace, a domestic violence shelter in Princeton,
raising money for women in Afghanistan in conjunction with
The Feminist Majority, and establishing Girls' Empowerment,
a program that connects Princeton women to local middle school
girls.
Being a Friend will require no effort on your part. You will
receive a no-obligation fundraising request each year, an
invitation to the annual conference, and periodic updates
on OWL's pursuits and victories. The undergraduate OWL officers
may also be in touch to include you in OWL's work as a speaker
or mentor.
The undergraduate OWL members and officers, and the Friends
of OWL alumni officers, are pleased to invite you to be a
member of the Friends of OWL organization. Just send an email
to owl@princeton.edu and you will be added to the list! Please
show Princeton that women's issues continue to be important
by adding your name and support to this effort. Thank you
for your continued support of women at Princeton.
Sincerely,
The OWL Undergrad and Alumni Friends Officers
Questions/Comments:
send an email to owl@princeton.edu
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Box 2570
24 Frist Campus Center Princeton University Princeton, NJ 08544
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