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Next week, from March 6 to 12, marks the fourth annual Women’s Week at the U.
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During this celebration the Office for Equity and Diversity has planned a series of lectures, keynote addresses and workshops aimed at discussing the role of women in leadership and society. While most of the events are free and open to the public, several events require registration, such as the Women’s Leadership Summit on Tuesday.
Among the events is a keynote address by Judy Smith on Monday at 12 p.m. in the Union Ballroom. Smith is the inspiration behind the character Olivia Pope on the television show “Scandal.” She will discuss her rise to leadership as a woman of color, as well as some of the high-profile legal cases she’s handled. Among her most famous clients are Bill Clinton (during the Monica Lewinsky scandal), Clarence Thomas and Paula Deen.
On Wednesday there is a mentoring luncheon in the Union Saltair Room at 11:30 a.m. The event will allow U students to meet successful female leaders from the U and the Salt Lake community, including Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Sandi Pershing, Dean of Students Lori McDonald and Kate Conyers of the Salt Lake Legal Defender Association.
The final event of Women’s Week will be a presentation by Rebecca Kling, who will address students and community members about being allies to the transgender community.
Neelam Chand, spokesperson for the U’s Office for Equity and Diversity, said the week should be viewed as a celebration of women and their allies.
“[We have] worked hard to provide resources that will empower women at the U,” Chand said. “We like to present challenging topics and use our resources as a platform to facilitate respectful conversation.”
Chloe Holzman, a junior in ballet, said she thinks it’s wonderful the U is taking a week to honor women.
“In today’s world it is easy to forget that women still have struggles and obstacles to overcome,” she said. “It is a unique and inspiring opportunity to be able to converse with successful women in the community and listen to how they have accomplished what they have.”
Chand said if there is one event students should attend during Women’s Week, it would be Smith’s keynote.
“[She] has a lot of wisdom to share, not only as a woman but also a person of color, about her path to success,” Chand said. “We wanted to bring someone to campus that students would recognize. ‘Scandal’ is a huge hit and we think that many students will not only be fascinated by her journey, but relate to it.”
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