The annual MOSAIC conference at CMU is coming up in February, and Jeannine Heynes is busy preparing for the conference with her planning committee and brainstorming for events to host during the conference. Jeannine, the Coordinator for Gender Programs at CMU, is a knowledgeable and dedicated advocate of gender issues and the advisor of the planning committee for MOSAIC.
MOSAIC is an annual, community-wide gender conference held on CMU’s campus. “The objective of MOSAIC is to offer provocative sessions aimed at exploring gender constructions in unconventional ways,” MOSAIC states on its 2011 event page. MOSAIC is open to the entire community and it provides an opportunity for faculty, staff and students to discuss gender issues in society and the different roles men and women play in it. As the committee advisor, Jeannine has been marketing for the conference and organizing events that raise awareness in gender-related issues.
Potential ideas Jeannine and her committee members have in the works for the conference include a drag show, dance movement therapy, a video game event and video blogs. Jeannine said that another idea the planning committee has in mind is asking all-male and all-female dorms such as Scobell and McGill to record videos that could educate the community about gender differences and show some of the gender stereotypes that are present in society.
Jeannine views working on MOSAIC as an opportunity to familiarize herself with the diversity of CMU students and to share her ideas and listen to their stories. “It takes courage to share your stories with other people, and I am always impressed by how brave the participants are,” Jeannine said. Since MOSAIC is such an influential conference Jeannine will also reach out to various academic departments and student organizations to market MOSAIC and bring together a diverse group of people who are interested in learning more about gender issues.
Apart from MOSAIC, Jeannine also runs the Women’s Leadership Program (WLP), a program that discusses the roles women play in a male-dominating society and encourages women to take on leadership positions. This program educates women and teaches them about the importance of negotiating, building networks, taking risks and refining leadership skills. Jeannine hosts this program by bringing in speakers and facilitating interactive games that inspire women. This fall was the second time that Jeannine ran WLP. Jeannine said that learning from her WLP experience from last year influenced her to make this year’s program less theory-based and more open, upbeat and encouraging for the women in the class. Jeannine put in a lot of work to give the women in her class a unique and rewarding experience with WLP. “Anything to do with women’s program, I’m in!,” she said. What a dedicated individual!
Apart from running gender programs throughout the school year Jeannine is also a House Fellow of Webster and Shirley Apartments. “I love seeing my residents around and having a friendly conversation with them.” Another thing that Jeannine loves is that she gets to see diverse groups of students every day. She also gets to find out firsthand how hardworking CMU students are. “I ask them how they have time to finish so much work, and they tell me, ‘Jeannine, we don’t sleep.’ It is crazy!,” Jeannine said. For Jeannine, one of the most exciting parts of her work is interacting with students and making a difference at CMU by doing what she loves.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CMU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.