Feature
Wednesday, May 25,1994
The Clackamas Print Pg. 3
Women:
The four
coordinators
of the
Women's
Weekend-
Linda Vogt,
Rene*
Rathburn,
Ellen
Wolfson and
Bernie Nolan
'Meet the
Challenge'
of starting
the weekend
by 'roping
up' for the
opening
session.
Meet the
Challenge
by Tina McFarland
The Print Editorial Staff
At about this
same time last year, I
was sitting at my com
puter composing an ar
ticle about the Women’s
Weekend, from which I
had just returned. I
shared with readers the
wonderful- time I had
experienced as I met
new friends and ven
tured beyond my safe
comfort zone of home
and school.
For me, last
year’s Women’sWeek-
end was a fun time to
share experiences and
feelings with other
women who knew the
emotional trials I was
going through. I was
able to lean on and gain
support from women
who, despite having
never met them before,
provided me with a
sense of belonging and
understanding. A sense
that would last me
through the entire year.
I found myself
counting off the reasons
I couldn’t attend the
Weekend this year: too
much homework, not
enough time to sleep,
need to visit my mom.
And the list goes on and
on. So, when Linda
Vogt came to me after
the Weekend suggest
ing that I do a follow-up
article about this year’s
Weekend, I was glad to
'meet the challenge.'
The theme for
this year’s Sixth An
nual Women’s Week
end was “Meeting The
Challenge.” Seventy-
five women gathered at
Camp Collins to attend
workshops, song-circles
and challenge courses,
among other things,
April 30-May 1. Motherlode again
provided incredible entertainment
for the women.
The workshops available
to interested women were: “Breast
Cancer: After You Cry, Then
What?” offered by Marcia Keith,
assistant dean; “Stopping Your
Life and Starting It Over Again”
offered by Marilynne Keyser,
former assistant to Governor Bar-
bara Roberts; “Rituals-Celebrat-
ing You” by Bernie Nolan, coun
selor; “Women Who Run With
Words,” by English Instructor
Kate Gray; “Look Who’s Talk
ing: Women,” by Gisele Tierney,
Communications instructor; and
“Women’s Sexuality: Facts and
Fantasies,”by Psychology instruc
tor Carolyn Alexander.
Last year, I remember
stepping outof my car in the muddy
parking lot thinking “What am I
doing hereby myself? I shouldn’t
have come.” Fortunately, I was
not alone in that thought-even
this year.
Heather Fisher, student
and mom, attended the Women’s
Weekend this year. She went to
If
Susanna went on the weekend trip
and discovered “universal unity in
diversity. You could appreciate
other women’s lifestyles without
feeling left out. There was not just
one slice of life—there was some
thing there for everyone,” she said.
It occurred to me how
true Susanna’s words were. The
women who attended the week
end came from amultitudeofback-
grounds, from college student still
living at home, to mother who
attended the weekend for some
time away, to the adventuresome
woman who attended the week
end for the sheer pleasure of trying
something new. There were ac
tivities foreveryone to be involved
in, without making anyone feel
an issue if I would go. Really,
money wasn’t the issue at all.
: “I’m disabled. I need a
walker to help me walk. I have to
use a sleep machine; it’s very noisy
and I snore. I have Diabetes, so I
need to be close to a bathroom.
None of these things sounded good
for a retreat.
“It was a social situation
that I was not comfortable with—
I was not in control. But they
helped me work it out. But if I
hadn’t said anything, my needs
would not have been met,” Sue
said.
As I listened to Sue’s
comments, it occurred to me that
I did not know of any other place
where one could go and be so
How could anyone ever tell you you're anything less than beautiful?
How could anyone ever tell you you're less than whole?
How could anyone fail to notice that your loving is a miracle?
How deeply you're connected to my soul.
-Lyrics from a song by Ubby Roderick, sung in the
closing ceremonies
“gooutofmycomfortzone. It was
a stretch to go where I didn’t know
anybody. Ldidn’t know what to
expect I thought it would be
kinda corny, but it was a lot more
in depth and personal.”
I was glad to know that
there were other people who had
the same hesitations about ventur
ing into an unfamiliar situation
alone. Itwasalso good to hearthat
other women I talked to were
wrong about their first impres
sions of the weekend.
“My first idea was not
very accurate. I was afraid to go
into a new situation,” Susanna
Lundgren, art instructor said.
they had to participate in every
thing.
“The workshops were so
deep and you could choose to par
ticipate or not. They (the work
shop leaders) made it inviting to
share, but it was safe to not share.
I think it’s an achievement to be
able to choose to be completely
alone,” Susanna said.
SueEggleston shared her
experiences with me after spend-
ingadayandahalf at the Women’s
Weekend.
“Bernie Nolan asked if I
was going to go to the retreat, but
I said no because I couldn’t afford
it. Bemie asked if money weren’t
completely and totally safe and
accepted. No questions asked.
And like Susanna said, the issues
addressed at the Women’s Week
ends are not necessarily women’s
issues. They are issues that affect
everyone.
“It’sbuilding forwomen,
but also for everyone. It’s an
enjoyable process—a journey, not
a jail sentence. It’s not anti-male.
It’s pro-female,” Susanna said.
And she’s totally right.
The things experienced at the
weekends are not only for women.
But the coordinators of the week
end allow for a safe time and
environment for women to come
together and share with each other,
no questions asked, no strings at
tached.
“Everyone values you—
something most women don’t ex
perience much—total acceptance
of who they were and what they
were experiencing,” Marilynne
Keyser said of her experiences at
the Women’s Weekend.
Marilynne said that she
felt being a workshop presenter
was easier than just being acamper
because it was easier to get to
know people. “I had an immedi-
ate basis for getting toknow people.
Motherlode, the
I was touched by how much they
four-member band, ’ cared about what I shared.”
performed for the
Assistant Dean Marcia
women at this
Keith, who presented a workshop
year's Women's
Weekend.
said, “The feeling of em
powering was almost
palpable. Whatwecome
away with, truly are
powerful individuals.
Not controlling, but in
the sense of coming to
terms with themselves
and who they are and
what direction they
want to go,” she said.
I left that
weekendoverayearago
feeling empowered.
Feeling empowered to
be myself, to not let any
one infringe on my in
dividuality, to be self-
assured and confident
and proud to be a young
woman. That’s part of
how this weekend em
powers.
Like the
women I talked to, I
walked away with a
sense of accomplish
ment at having roamed
outside of my secure sur
roundings into a safe
place thatprovidedeven
more comfort than my
secure surroundings
had.
“I experienced
warmth, friendship,
women helping women
and being supportive of
each other. Sometimes
you just don’t get that
same support from your
male friends that you
getfrom women because
they understand each
other. Just like men
understand each other,”
Karri Herrle, teaching
assistant, said.
/
I want to thank
all of the women who so
openly shared their
thoughts and feelings
with me as I researched
and remembered about
this weekend. I had so
much more to say, to
help share about the
power of this weekend
but I ran out of room.
Thank you,
also to all of the coordi
nators: Linda Vogt,
Rene' Rathburn, Bemie
Nolan and Ellen
Wolfson for giving of
themselves to create a
weekend where women
could find themselves.