Rebecca Kern-Stone, Ph.D., has taught courses across the communication and women and gender studies majors throughout the past fifteen years. MANHATTAN.EDU/ COURTESY
By Jocelyn Visnov, Editor-in-Chief
Rebecca Kern-Stone, Ph.D., has recently stepped into the role of faculty director at the Women and Gender Center (WGRC), taking her talents up the hill from Leo Hall to the Kelly Commons.
Kern, a 15-year-member of the communication department, will continue to teach communication courses while serving in this new role.
Kern holds a Ph.D in Mass Media and Communication from Temple University and has completed research in Women’s Studies, making them an ideal member of the community for this position.
“I have a graduate certificate in women, gender and queer studies, and my research (and teaching) focuses on cultural identities creation, representation and communication,” Kern wrote. “So, this is a natural fit.”
In addition to teaching a number of courses in communication, Kern has also previously taught classes involving topics in gender studies such as Queer Media, Culture and History, Introduction to Women and Gender Studies and Gender in America Mass Media.
Kern was asked to be the next faculty director after being nominated by the WGRC’s board. The position was previously held by Evelyn Scaramella, Ph.D., who served as faculty director for the last two years. Kern noted that she hopes to continue the WGRC’s work in promoting inclusivity across the Jasper community.
“The center has done so much good work, and I want to continue its mission,” she wrote. “In addition, I want to develop more inclusiveness for students from a racial, ethnic, religious, sexual orientation, and geographic backgrounds.”
The WGRC has also welcomed Emmett Ortiz, who will work alongside Kern as a Graduate Assistant at the Center. Ortiz is a graduate student pursuing a Masters degree in Mental Health Counseling in the hopes of working with members of the neurodivergent community.
Ortiz first became involved with the WGRC as an undergraduate psychology student.
“I was first majorly involved with the center through a summer research program I did,” Ortiz said. “I focused on doing research about how low socioeconomic status and gender roles impact Latino students and their choice of college major, their experiences in college and why they really go into college.”
Ortiz explained his role as a GA working at the WGRC.
“I help with scheduling events, helping with different projects that the interns and GA’s do here at the center, which vary between lots of different topics,” Ortiz said. “I help with making sure that things get run smoothly and help with organizing and promoting events. I myself actually have a different event that I’ve been doing called Discussing Success, which is supposed to be a safe space for Latino students to come and talk about their experiences as academic students on campus and kind of figuring out what the college can do to support them as students.”
Various initiatives and events at the WGRC are driven by undergraduate students who serve as Gender Justice Advocates. Among these students includes senior digital media arts major Elena Willoughby, who is returning to the WGRC again this semester.
“What made me want to get involved with the WGRC are the concepts of intersectionality and diversity that the organization stands for,” they wrote.
As a Gender Justice Advocate at the WGRC, Willoughby is currently organizing a panel that facilitates a discussion on reproductive rights and sexual abuse on college campuses.
Kern explained what she looks forward to most about working with the WGRC.
“I look forward to working with the students, both the interns and Gender Resource Advocates, as well as students across campus,” they wrote. “I also am looking forward to working with the new Pride Center and the Multicultural Center.”
Editor’s note: Angelica Niedermeyer, The Quadrangle’s Features Editor, contributed to reporting for this article.