Public invited to discuss gender inequality in higher education

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Two upcoming events at Western Michigan University that are free and open to the public will delve into the complexities of gender inequity in higher education.

This timely exploration will begin with a discussion of the 2014 award-winning book "Disrupting the Culture of Silence: Confronting Gender Inequality and Making Change in Higher Education." Hosted by the College of Arts and Sciences Women's Caucus, the event is set for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 19, in Brown Hall's second-floor Clifford Media Center.

Free copies of "Disrupting the Culture of Silence" will be available to the first 20 people who register for the event at goo.gl/forms/KNfYL3bwXZCCmuZj2.

The book discussion will be followed Thursday, Feb. 8, by a one-hour, on-campus ethics talk titled "The Relevance, Reward and Risk of Feminist Activism in the Academy" at 5:30 p.m. in 1910 Sangren Hall. The talk will be presented by Dr. Kristine De Welde, director of the women's and gender studies program and professor of sociology at the College of Charleston.

De Welde co-edited "Disrupting the Culture of Silence" along with Andi Stepnick, professor of sociology at Belmont University. She conducts research and teaches in areas such as gender, the sociology of families, sustainability, service learning, and women in STEM—science, technology, engineering and math. De Welde won the 2016 Feminism Activism Award from the Sociologists for Women in Society.

For more about the book, visit the "Disrupting the Culture of Silence" page on the Stylus Publishing website at bit.ly/2qmTRVd.

Direct questions to anna.popkova@wmich.edu.

For more WMU news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.