News release Public Information Office  SLU 10880   Hammond, LA 70402   phone: 985-549-2341   fax: 985-549-2061 publicinfo@selu.edu Spring 2004 news releases Public Information home News archive Contact: Christina Chapple Date: 3/1/05   WINSTON OPENS WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH TUESDAY         HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana University’s 2005 celebration of March as Women's History Month begins at 12:30 p.m. today (Tuesday, March 1) when Rep. Diane Winston speaks about the status of women in Louisiana.         An annual contributor to Southeastern's Women's History Month schedule, Winston will make her presentation on the third floor of Sims Memorial Library.        Winston’s lecture is the first in the Women’s History Month’s lively lecture series, which will take place each weekday in March at the library. Monday, Wednesday and Friday lectures are scheduled for noon, while Tuesday and Thursday lectures begin at 12:30 p.m.        Southeastern’s month-long campus celebration joins with similar observances throughout the nation under the umbrella of the National Women's History Project's theme, "Women Change America."        Winston, whose District 77 includes Tangipahoa and St. Tammany Parishes, has been a legislator since 1996. She is chair of the Louisiana Legislative Women's Caucus and sits on various legislative committees including commerce, health and welfare, and municipal, parochial and cultural affairs. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of New Orleans and is a fellow of Loyola University's Institute of Politics.          Also during Women’s History Month’s first week, Sigma Alpha Lambda honor society will staff a table in the Student Union Mall from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., March 1-3, to raise funds for domestic violence shelters.         On March 2, health studies instructor Alice Gibson will speak on sexually transmitted diseases. Gibson said the presentation will cover general information and statistics about STDs, and will discuss reasons why the United States has a high incidence rate. Gibson, a Southeastern graduate and former community health educator at North Oaks Health System, has taught courses such as Human Sexuality, Drugs and Society, Community Health, Personal Health and Women's Health at Southeastern for the past six years.         On Thursday, March 3, English instructor Natash Whitton’s topic will be “Quilting: The Method, the Madness, the Musical?” A New Orleans native, Whitton became interested in quilting while in high school when her family moved to Paducah, Ky., the quilting capital of the United States and home of the National Quilting Museum.        Whitton is currently completing a doctoral degree in modern history and literature at Drew University. Her primary areas of academic interest are 20th century American cultural and social history and literature. She has been a member of the Southeastern English faculty since 2000.         Women’s History Month’s first week will conclude with associate professor of political science Margaret Gonzalez-Perez’s lecture, “Women and the Consequences of War,” on Friday, March 4. Her talk will examine how the rise of regional conflicts throughout the world have affected women.         Gonzalez-Perez earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Louisville, and her doctoral degree at Louisiana State University. She is co-editor of “Politics in America: Selected Readings,” and has also co-authored a geography workbook to accompany “The West Transformed, A History of Western Civilization.” In addition to numerous articles and presentations, she also has written “Literature of Protest: the Franco Years.”         For additional information about Women's History Month, call 985-549-2100 or visit www.selu.edu/whm05.