This year's Kirkland Project Conference, "Student Cultures: 'Let's Talk About Sex at Hamilton," brought together Hamilton students and faculty, along with participants from other local colleges and universities on March 6. The day-long conference consisted of lectures by students and faculty, as well as faculty/student panels and roundtable discussions.
Presentations by Kirkland Project Research Associates highlighted the morning. Mark Castro '05 presented "Hippies, Potheads and Yuppies: A Study of Marijuana Use and the Impact at Hamilton College." HAVOC student coordinator Haley Reimbold '06 discussed her preliminary research on the topic "Community Outreach at Hamilton College: Where Do We Stand?" Reimbold will continue her research at the upcoming COOL conference. Brian Tilley '05 examined Hamilton expectations versus the reality of Hamilton College in his lecture, "Is the 'Hamilton Experience' what you expected your college experience to be?" Senior Nesa Wasarhaley discussed "Light vs. Dark: Stereotypes about the Two Sides of the Hamilton Campus." Student researcher Marsha Joachim '06 discussed "Students of Color at Hamilton: Academic and Social Experiences."
Following a brief question and answer session with the Kirkland Research Associates, Lizzie Fazio '04; Shelley Haley, professor of Africana studies and women's studies; and Janine Knight '05 began a panel discussion looking at the asexuality and the hypersexuality of black women in "'In Someone Else's Eyes: The Hyper-(In)visibility of Black Women's Sexuality.'"
A student and faculty panel then presented "Sex and Sexuality in Theory and Practice." The panel was comprised of Professor Vivyan Adair, women's studies and ACCESS Project director; Anna Arnold '04; Phyllis Breland, director of Higher Education Opportunities Program; Mary Beatrice (Bea) Dias '04; Jenny Irons, sociology; Lindsey Randolph '04; and Gregory Rodriguez '06. Panel members presented a brief lecture, based either on academic or political research, or on their own personal experiences. Panel discussion topics ranged from welfare reform to homosexuality at Hamilton.
A roundtable discussion titled "Introducing Women's Sexuality on Campus: Experiences in Enacting the Vagina Monologues on Mohawk Valley College Campuses" brought students and faculty from both Hamilton and SUNY-IT together, and featured Dr. Kristina A. Boylan, assistant professor of history, Katie Bespalko, Virginia Dockerty Melissa Emhof , and Shawna Thornton, all SUNY-IT; and Lindsey Crusan and Marjorie Kazin, Hamilton.
After lunch, conference attendees participated in a Sexual Privilege Activity with Assistant Dean of Students for Multicultural Affairs Marc David. Following the activity, the conference shifted back to a student-faculty facilitated panel titled "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Sex Positives and Negatives at Hamilton." The panel allowed students to break into smaller discussion groups to examine particular issues at Hamilton, including double standards; sexual assault; masculinity and femininity; and gender identity.
At the end of the day students and community members examined the information presented throughout the conference, and helped to brainstorm ideas as to how the campus climate can be improved in terms sexual acceptance and sexual norms as they relate to other issues such as race, class and gender.
The Kirkland Project for the Study of Gender, Society and Culture is an on-campus organization committed to intellectual inquiry and social justice, focusing on issues of race, class, gender, sexuality, as well as other facets of human diversity. The Kirkland Project is named in honor of Kirkland College, from 1968-78 a college for women coordinate with Hamilton. The Project builds on Kirkland's twin legacies of women's education and innovative pedagogy, expanding on them to meet the global challenges that face contemporary male and female students, faculty and staff.
-- by Emily Lemanczyk '05
