Friends of OWL

Dear OWL Members,

We have some exciting news: A Friends of OWL group has finally been approved through Princeton's alumni office! This means that the undergrad members of the Organization of Women Leaders (OWL) can now reach out to alums, send out fundraising requests once a year, and have a ready-made database of people to contact for mentorships or speaking requests.

In the year(s) since you have graduated, this five-year-old organization, an infant when compared with some of Princeton's more famous organizations, has continued to enact great changes in the Princeton community. In only five years OWL has:

*Raised important questions facing women at Princeton, creating dialogue, change and sometimes a little controversy. OWL's weekly discussions have posed the questions, "What Does a Feminist Look Like?," "The Election of USG Presidents: How to Choose Between a Man and Woman?" "Can You Be A Conservative and a Feminist?" and "How Will We Balance Work and Family?" OWL has also invited others to address campus controversies, from "The CAKE Pleasure Workshop: What is the State of Female Sexuality in the 21st Century?" to "Women In The Ivory Tower: A Panel with President Shirley Tilghman."

*Attracted dozens of successful women to visit the campus as speakers, panelists, and discussion leaders, through monthly speaker events, monthly book club seminars, and the annual conference. Speakers have included Patricia Ireland, the former President of NOW; the founder of the Women's World Bank; the President of the American Medical Association; an Army officer; the CEO of Bobbi Brown cosmetics; and the women of Princeton's first co-educated class. The annual conference has covered a broad-range of topics concerning modern women, such as international women's rights, breaking the glass ceiling, women's health and the role of women in the media and public service. Held on a weekend each spring, the conference provides Princeton students, as well as young women from local high schools and visitors from around the country, to spend a day with our distinguished guests.

*Served as a bridge in the campus community, enacting a Bicker Bill of Rights in conjunction with the eating clubs, joining forces with the Women's Center and Department of Women and Gender Studies, and working with Vice President Dickerson to ensure that McCosh Health Center is adequately staffed and educated in women's health. Before OWL, McCosh relegated women's health to the corner of the third floor; now the women's health division is large and bright, conveniently and prominently located on the ground floor of the renovated center. Additionally, OWL helped bring skilled staffers to the SECH and SHARE teams and prompt an administration task force on the issue of training and equipping the health center to utilize rape kits.

*United the men and women of Princeton. The year before OWL existed, 12 women marched in the annual Take Back the Night march, and they were subjected to taunts and jeers. With the foundation of OWL, TBTN took on a new power, and for the last five years no less than 200 men and women have marched together through the campus, chanting in unison and shining their candles on Princeton's most dangerous corridors.

*Established relationships with the broader community, working with WomenSpace, a domestic violence shelter in Princeton, raising money for women in Afghanistan in conjunction with The Feminist Majority, and establishing Girls' Empowerment, a program that connects Princeton women to local middle school girls.

Being a Friend will require no effort on your part. You will receive a no-obligation fundraising request each year, an invitation to the annual conference, and periodic updates on OWL's pursuits and victories. The undergraduate OWL officers may also be in touch to include you in OWL's work as a speaker or mentor.

The undergraduate OWL members and officers, and the Friends of OWL alumni officers, are pleased to invite you to be a member of the Friends of OWL organization. Just send an email to owl@princeton.edu and you will be added to the list! Please show Princeton that women's issues continue to be important by adding your name and support to this effort. Thank you for your continued support of women at Princeton.

Sincerely,

The OWL Undergrad and Alumni Friends Officers

Questions/Comments: send an email to owl@princeton.edu