YaleWomen Global Newsletter | December 2017
YaleWomen Global Newsletter | December 2017
- YaleWomen Receives 2017 AYA Board of Governors Award for Most Creative Use of Technology and Social Networking Media
- Anita Hill: A Hero for Our Times
- YaleWomen Chapter Spotlight: YaleWomen DC Hosts Salons
- YaleWomen Interviews New Director of the Asian American Cultural Center Joliana Yee
- Sailing Lessons: A Conversation with Laura Grondin '85, Treasurer & Past Chair of YaleWomen & CEO & President of Corporate Member Virginia Industries
- YaleWomen Webinar Explores Sex & Gender Equity in Health Research with Dr. Carolyn Mazure
- Do you know about the Yale Women Faculty Forum?
- YaleWomen Council Member Anne Boucher '80 Receives the Yale Medal
- Women Entrepreneurs at Yale (WE@Yale) Initiative Launched with Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale
- What We’re Hearing
Women Entrepreneurs at Yale (WE@Yale) Initiative Launched with Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale
The newly formed Women Entrepreneurs at Yale (WE@Yale) Initiative, led by Cassandra Walker-Harvey and Jennifer McFadden, aims to unite female leaders within the Yale community around discussions of innovation within their diverse fields of work and study. The initiative — part of the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale — is a way to formalize the collective efforts of Yale’s female leaders, to engage with a broader set of stakeholders from across Yale, and to continue creating a more entrepreneurial community of women innovators at Yale.
Read moreSupport YaleWomen
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Call for Nominations for the YaleWomen Award of Excellence
Do you know of an individual (or individuals) who has been an exceptional advocate for justice, equality, and access for women? If so, we encourage you to submit your nomination(s) for the YaleWomen Award for Excellence by January 15, 2018.
Read moreJoin the YaleWomen Council
“To create a vibrant, engaged community of alums, drawn together by the common thread of our Yale experiences, that is committed to advancing women's voices and perspectives and to enriching and inspiring one another, Yale, and the world.” (YaleWomen Mission, 2011)
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Read moreYaleWomen Council member Anne Boucher ’80 receives the Yale Medal
Anne Boucher ’80, a member of the YaleWomen Council and co-chair of the Chapters Committee, was one of five individuals selected by the Association of Yale Alumni (AYA) to receive the Yale Medal during Assembly LXXVII in November.
Read moreDo you know about the Yale Women Faculty Forum?
The Yale Women Faculty Forum has just released its 2016-2017 Annual Report detailing the organization’s progress on policy, awareness and gender equity initiatives over the past year. Established in 2001 during Yale’s Tercentennial year to highlight the importance of women faculty at the University, the organization aims to foster gender equity through policy, initiatives, research and innovative programs. The report includes a preview of highlights of Women, Men Faculty and Yale University: The View, which consists of data compiled every five years on the demographic breakdown of men and women faculty at Yale and in leadership positions. Key findings include: 47% (7/15) of Yale’s schools are headed by female deans following the recent naming of five new female deans, compared with 16.6% (2/12) five years ago. However, the number of female chairs at the Yale School of Medicine, where about 60% of the faculty are located, has not changed in 25 years. In 1992 there were 10% female chairs (2/21 departments) whereas today it is 11% (3/28 departments). To keep abreast of WFF news, sign up for their newsletter and follow them on Facebook.
Veena McCoole ’19
Photo of Pauli Murray, Senior Fellow, Yale Law School. Office of Public Affairs, Yale University. Courtesy of Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library.
YaleWomen Webinar Explores Sex and Gender Equity in Health Research with Dr. Carolyn Mazure
Q:What happens when sex and gender are factored into clinical research and trials, and – equally important – the analysis of outcomes?
A:It changes our understanding about women’s health.
Read moreSailing Lessons: a Conversation with Laura Grondin ’85, Treasurer and Immediate Past Chair of YaleWomen and CEO and President of Corporate Member Virginia Industries
The ongoing success of the Yale Women’s Sailing Team – defending winners of both the National and Atlantic Coast Championships in 2017 – is an example of one of the many ways that women benefit from their Yale experience. But for Laura Grondin, sailing is a lot more than “something she did in school.” Laura, who crewed her first three years at Yale, skippered as a senior, and now races competitively, shared her thoughts on the meaningful role that sailing has played in her life, as well as some personal and professional life lessons that can be of relevance and an inspiration to all of us.
Read moreYaleWomen interviews Yale’s new Director of the Asian American Cultural Center Joliana Yee
YaleWomen interviews Joliana Yee, the new Director of the Asian American Cultural Center (AACC), who assumes her position in January.
Q.How do you view your role as Director of the Asian American Cultural Center (AACC)?
A.As Assistant Dean of Yale College Student Engagement and Director of the AACC, I view my role as a unique opportunity to build a strong sense of community among and advocate for the diverse needs of students within the Asian and Asian American community in a manner that uplifts all marginalized populations on campus. Being able to work alongside three other strong women who are at the helm of leadership at the Afro-American, La Casa and Native American Cultural Centers respectively, to foster an inclusive and equitable campus environment, is a privilege I look forward to. In the current sociopolitical climate of this country, I am inspired by the words of Yuri Kochiyama to utilize my role at the AACC to build bridges across differences, not walls.
Q.What is your vision for the AACC? What initiatives are planned for the AACC and how do you plan to integrate AACC into campus life?
A.My vision for the AACC is first and foremost for it to be student-centered; a space that is for the students and by the students, as they are the heart of the center. I also hope for the AACC to become a space where the Asian and Asian American identity can be developed and understood in a manner that embraces intersectionality because all forms of inequity are connected. I plan to spend my first few weeks on campus establishing meaningful connections with student leaders, campus partners, as well as alums to gather their input and get a clearer sense of what students are feeling energy around before planning any major initiatives. From my experience, I have learned that for any initiative to be successful you want as many people to know that their voice is considered in the process. Assistant Director, Sheraz Iqbal, and the AACC staff have already been working hard to successfully integrate the AACC into campus life. I look forward to supporting their continued efforts and taking it to new heights.
Q.What are some of the most important issues facing Asian Americans today in higher education and how does the AACC hope to address these issues?
A.There are a whole host of important issues that face the Asian American community today and I believe that is just reflective of the diversity within the Asian American community. I think the most pressing issues facing Asian Americans in higher education are the persistent invisibility of Asian Americans in leadership and a misguided fear that is propelling select groups within the Asian American community to rally behind anti-affirmative action movements across the country. It is my hope that the AACC will provide educational programs that will raise up the next generation of critically conscious Asian American leaders.
Q.You grew up in Malaysia and were a first generation graduate student – can you talk a little about your background and your experience as an international student? How has your experiences in American higher education shaped your views of Asian Americans in higher education?
A.Great question! I was born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the first 19 years of my life and loved every moment of it. I am the youngest of three daughters whom my parents, Franco Yee and Lily Phuah worked tirelessly to love, support and provide opportunities for that they never had. I came to the US in 2006 in pursuit of my undergraduate degree in Political Science and Economics at Miami University (OH). Growing up as a Chinese woman in Malaysia significantly shaped my lived experiences, being a member of an ethnically/racially minoritized group helped prepare me to navigate my re-racialization experiences as an Asian person in the US. Attending and working at higher education institutions in the Midwest and New England regions developed my appreciation for the unique Asian American history that shapes the context of higher education today. That understanding will continue to inform my practice and research pursuits as a scholar-practitioner moving forward.
Q.Anything else you would like to share with us?
A. Fun fact: Connecticut is the state I have spent the most number of years living in for the duration of my time in the US and I am excited to return!
Stephanie Yu Lim ’00
Chair, Communications Content Committee
Photo courtesy of Joliana Yee.