RUS Sets Agenda for Coming Year

The Radcliffe Union of Students convened yesterday for its first meeting this fall, drawing 25 women to Agassiz House's Lyman Common Room.

Announcing the RUS mission statement, created only last spring, co-president Mia Bagneris '99 said she hoped RUS can help "create spaces in which undergraduate women can speak their own voices and represent themselves."

Seated in a circle and munching on Bertucci's pizza, the women discussed how to go about creating and supporting such spaces.

This year, RUS continues its Partner initiative, which aims to formalize ties with other campus women's groups and to provide a structure that can mobilize undergraduate women if necessary, Bagneris said.

She added that RUS hopes to broaden its Affiliate program, which provides money to smaller on-campus women's groups for postering, refreshments and other incidental expenses.

For example, Bagneris said RUS funds Women in Applied Math (WAM), a group of female applied math concentrators.

In addition, RUS said it will continue to sponsor events like The Women's Expo, a forum on women's issues held in late fall.

RUS members discussed plans to increase interest in this year's Expo by asking women's groups across campus to submit their top choices for speakers and performers.

A box will also be placed in Agassiz House for undergraduate women to place their suggestions.

Many RUS members eagerly anticipated Take Back the Night Week, which takes place in the spring.

The week hosts a range of activities related to female empowerment and culminates in the Take Back the River Rally.

New projects for the academic year include organizing a Tuesday night movie club. According to Bagneris, members of the movie club will patronize Brattle Square Theatre's Tuesday night Girl Movie series, called "Lesbians, Vampires and Other Female Perversions."

Stacy M. Abder '99, RUS's other co-president, said the group will also sponsor a free, six-week-long self defense workshop for undergraduate women, as well as a free workshop on Shiatsu massage.

RUS members say they are looking forward to the upcoming year.

"What I'm looking forward to most is having diversified activities which draw different people together," said Jennifer B. Landry '99.

RUS officers say they are changing the Thursday night general meeting to a women's dinner meeting with specific discussion topics each week.

Topics for future dinner discussions will include female genital mutilation, the politics of contraception, teenage pregnancy, marriage and the language of women, RUS members said.

Next week's meeting, to be held in the same place at 5:30 p.m., will feature a discussion on women and breasts.