IT'S OVERRR

My Summit experience this year has been anything but expected.

From my previous knowledge of Summit groups, most of them seemed to work predominantly in the community, with limited interaction with the student body of Drury’s campus. As the Panthers for Planned Parenthood, we did just the opposite. All of our events were interactive with the student population, from last semester’s Kinky Crafting session to this semester’s Vagina Monologues and Take Back the Night at MSU.

As an individual, what I have learned the most is the challenge of cooperation, especially considering that we all live together, constantly in each other’s hair. With this, I think I’ve developed a certain tolerance that I didn’t necessarily have before; usually I just let myself fly off the handle at the first sign of distress. And while I may have given way to this a few times, I have definitely kept this in check far more than I expected. Needless to say, this allowed me to listen and cooperate more effectively with the Panthers. As far as my future at Drury goes, and in my future beyond college, I’d wager these cooperative skills will be beneficial to my career in architecture, as most projects are tackled in teams. If I hadn’t the chance to participate in Summit, I’d say my cooperative skills in the team activities would be lacking compared to those of other architects.

By far our Summit group affected the Drury community. Before Panthers for Planned Parenthood, there was no activism of the sort on campus. Even other area campuses, such as MSU, had VOX. Speaking of, the budding Voices of Planned Parenthood coming next semester is the true indication of our impact in the community.

After a year in Summit, I’ve come to realize the importance of effective communication within the house. What nearly tore us apart was our inability to talk it out, and work around each other’s schedules to find the time to plan events, etc. As for the incoming Summit groups, prepare your communication skills. Set aside an adequate amount of time to dedicate to your fellow Summit members.

And that’s all folks!

LJ

You haven't seen the last of us...

1. This past year's Summit Experience was a whirlwind of obstacles and resolutions.
2. I have gained experience with event planning and working as a group. These are important skills for anything that may present itself in the future. I've also got quite a bit of problem-solving skills under my belt now.
3. The greatest thing I learned from living in Summit is how to communicate effectively and efficiently.
4. I feel as though our Summit group has made a significant impact on the Drury community. Our plan was always to focus on the Drury community and we have succeeded at our goal of bringing a Planned Parenthood presence to Drury's campus. This presence will be carried over into future years on the shoulders of VOX, the new Planned Parenthood advocacy group that is currently in the works.
5. As a member of the Summit community, I have had the opportunity to spread awareness of a cause to the Drury community. From this I have realized how little things can make a huge impact. If I hadn't had the opportunity to play a role as a Planned Parenthood advocate at Drury, I wouldn't be as supportive as I am now.
6. I would have implemented a system of communication from the very beginning. It doesn't seem like it would be difficult to inform all eight people in the house of upcoming events and goings on, but it proved to be quite the issue.
7. I would advise future Summit groups to set aside some time on a regular basis to discuss your project. It's very easy for your leadership project to take a backseat to your other activities and classwork, but it will creep up on you. Communicate and stay up to date.

Round-Up

1. In just a sentence describe your Summit Experience this past year?
"Pretty cool."

2. What aspects of Summit do you feel will be beneficial to you as you continue your Drury experience?
The activism and friends/contacts gained through the experience and progression through the year.

3. What was the greatest thing you learned from living in Summit Park?
Planned Parenthood is an incredibly helpful and important organization that should be the last thing ever considered for budget cuts.

4. What impact do you feel you have made on the community along with your agency and why?
"A positive one." Awareness has been raised and continues to be on the up-and-up here at Drury, where Planned Parenthood has historically never had much of a real foothold.

5. If you would have not had the chance to live in Summit, how would have this changed your experience at Drury?
I would've been much less involved/active in the Drury community.

6. Looking back at the Summit Experience over the past year what would you have changed and why?
Nothing at all!

7. What is some advice you would give to future Summit groups?
Follow your heart.

FINAL POST

As Summit in one sentence:

Volunteering is hard work but the cause is worth the effort.

As I continue on at Drury I will continue to use the time management and teamwork skills that I have cultivated over the past year in summit. It was hard organizing the schedules of 8 people and balancing that with my tough workload for my other classes, but together we managed. I feel that working as a group will help in the future to see that not everything will be under my control.

The greatest thing I learned was things won’t always go as planned. I need to be more flexible and confident in my peers because they are very capable. When plans change I need to adapt and accept the new direction quickly in order to be more effective and to make a positive impact.

I feel that I, along with my housemates, have contributed to Drury’s awareness that sexual responsibility is important and there is no reason to be embarrassed. We made Planned Parenthood’s voice and presence clear here on Drury’s campus while those in the agency fought to keep their doors open. Our impact may seem small but it is definitely a step in the right direction.

If I did not live in Summit there is no way I would have been as involved in volunteering. I might not have ever gotten involved with Planned Parenthood. It would have been a real shame because I love the women’s rights that they advocate especially in healthcare. Also I would not know the people I live with as well.

Looking back, there are several things I would have changed. Mostly though I would change the way we communicated and the amount of organization. Though we tried to include everyone we struggled to fit 8 different schedules into one master plan.

For future Summit groups I would suggest that they know what they are getting into. Summit is a huge time commitment and working with friends can be stressful at times. They should advertise events early and frequently. Get involved not only with the organization but also on campus and show people why your work is important.

Auf Wiedersehen!

1. In just a sentence describe your Summit Experience this past year?
This past year has been a really interesting, learning experience.

2. What aspects of Summit do you feel will be beneficial to you as you continue your Drury experience?
Time management, and definitely the friends and people I met.

3. What was the greatest thing you learned from living in Summit Park?
Other people cannot always be depended on, this holds true in both personal and professional settings.

4. What impact do you feel you have made on the community along with your agency and why?
I definitely feel I am a unique person and have brought a light-hearted sense of recognition to Planned Parenthood, and always made it my goal to make Summit a fun experience for everyone.

5. If you would have not had the chance to live in Summit, how would have this changed your experience at Drury?
I wouldn't have gotten as familiar with the organization (Planned Parenthood), I wouldn't have had a dishwasher OR a washer/dryer in my apartment on campus.

6. Looking back at the Summit Experience over the past year what would you have changed and why?
I don't believe in these "look back and change" questions because I believe they aim to make one focus on his/her failures. I made every decision on a case-by-case basis and I am proud and stand behind every one of them.

7. What is some advice you would give to future Summit groups?
HAVE FUN with your organization, advertise to the student body, and never forget you're there to build/maintain a great relationship with a wonderful organization. AND enjoy the dishwasher and laundry facilities! Bake lots of brownies late at night with your wonderful roommates. Enjoy free dinner one Friday per month!

Viel Spass!

Austin

Wrap up!

This is the last blog blogged by blogger Elyse ever in the Panthers for Planned Parenthood blogsite. Enjoy.

1. In just a sentence describe your Summit Experience this past year?

My Summit experience this past year has been a trying, rewarding, and stressful event.

2. What aspects of Summit do you feel will be beneficial to you as you continue your Drury experience?

I feel that Summit will benefit me by giving me the gumption to be more outspoken, active, and more of an overall leader. This experience has made me more capable of standing up for what I believe in and not letting others make me feel guilty or wrong for doing so.

3. What was the greatest thing you learned from living in Summit Park?

The greatest thing I learned form living in Summit Park is the value of neighbors. I really enjoyed having neighbors and getting to know them. The Summit Park community is a pretty tight knit one, and it is comforting to know the people you live next to. The value of a community and neighborhood setting is widely unknown to Americans.

4. What impact do you feel you have made on the community along with your agency and why?

I feel the impact we have made on the community is giving people of all ages access to a safe sexual life. We have reduced the stigma of all kinds of birth controls, given sexual assault victims a voice, and spoken with many members of the Springfield community about sex education.

5. If you would have not had the chance to live in Summit, how would have this changed your experience at Drury?

This would have given me more free time, but it also would have taken away the chance to speak out and talk with community members. I have met some fantastic people through Planned Parenthood events and other events we have attended.

6. Looking back at the Summit Experience over the past year what would you have changed and why?

I would have had more on campus events the spring semester, as well as tried to get a table at events like Earth Day. This type of publicity allows for Drury students and faculty to see that Planned Parenthood is an active agency on campus.

7. What is some advice you would give to future Summit groups?

I would say communication is key. Get ahead during the beginning of the semester planning events and planning dates you most likely can attend. The later the semester gets, the more difficult it becomes to balance everything on your plate. Plan and budget your time very very wisely.

Don't forget to practice safe sexual health!

Peace, love, and Elyse

Bye Bye Panthers for PP, Hello Drury VOX!

1. In just a sentence describe your Summit Experience this past year?

- This year I have learned more about teamwork and event preparation by working with Planned Parenthood.

2. What aspects of Summit do you feel will be beneficial to you as you continue your Drury experience?

- I feel I have gained a better sense of team organization. Summit will definitely help me be a better leader in the future as well as follower. I have learned to listen and how to let others bare some of my responsibilities. I have also learned a lot about handing different life situations like stress, money management, and overall professional presentation.

3. What was the greatest thing you learned from living in Summit Park?

- The greatest thing Summit has taught me is in the realm of event planning. Since our group was new on campus it was a great exercise within my major of public relations and advertising. Our events weren’t attended by large crowds and it sometimes left us pessimistic. However there is a Voices of Choice chapter starting on Drury’s Campus in the next years which means that there is a place of Planned Parenthood on Drury’s campus, and people heard our cause.

4. What impact do you feel you have made on the community along with your agency and why?

- I feel like our Summit apartment has opened up the Drury community’s eyes to Planned Parenthood. Crystal always talked about how Drury was sex shy and no one wanted to take condoms even though they need them. We were able to find creative ways to get people to take condoms without feeling embarrassed be it through trick or treating, or reindeer ornaments, or kinky crafts. It was also a rough year for planned parenthood, so it was important that Drury had our summit house rallying supporters for the future.

5. If you would have not had the chance to live in Summit, how would have this changed your experience at Drury?

- I think that if I were not admitted into summit I wouldn’t have learned how to balance my life as completely. It has been a struggle to be able to put volunteering at the same importance level as my education. I also feel that Summit has taught me how competitive student organizations around campus are. It is impossible to plan events that don’t clash with something else on campus. I now have a huge admiration for organization heads for working as well as they do together despite being in different organizations.

6. Looking back at the Summit Experience over the past year what would you have changed and why?

- I think I would have changed how my house functioned as a group. Since we had 8 people it was impossible to plan events that everyone could go to. That being said, as an event planner, it was also impossible to plan enough events to get everyones hours in. I think it was overambitious for us to try and plan mostly our own events instead of filling in where Planned Parenthood could use a couple volunteers. We learned more in second semester to ask Crystal where she needed a couple volunteers to help instead of assuming we could plan all of them on our own. Also, since we were more focused on bringing Planned Parenthood’s presence to Drury’s campus we didn’t take the time to team up with MSU’s Vox Chapter as much, and so now the Drury Vox chapter will be meeting them the same time we are.

7. What is some advice you would give to future Summit groups?

- I would tell future summit groups to plan their events faaaaar in advanced. Also, public relations is extremely important. If you want students to care about your specific cause, make sure you market yourself well and get a broad audience.

...

so the panthers are going crazy

planned parenthood is teaming up with vox. we had a meeting with the vox lady last saturday and it went swimmingly. we will soon be doing an event on campus to let drury students know that vox will be on drury next year. at this event we will be trying to sell or give away nake juice because everyone is made drury took them away.

look out for the vox event coming up and come when you find out COME

swag out.

Juicy Juicy Naked

What accomplishments have happened with your project over the course of this spring semester?
- With all the crazy radical republicans ruining Washington, DC at the moment, Planned Parenthood has been a wreck trying to keep funding. Crystal has been MIA and so that put a damper on some of our plans. But, we still have a couple of weeks to try to put something together.

What has been the greatest experience this past month volunteering with the agency?
- We haven't really had an opportunity to volunteer with the agency as much as we would like, but we have been talking to several groups on campus about Planned Parenthood and trying to educate as many people as possible. Also, we are beginning to work with VOX to bring a chapter to Drury, this is successful.

What has been your greatest challenge this past month volunteering with the agency?
- Contacting Crystal.

What projects or activities do you still have planned to finish out the year?
"Taking Back the Night", Selling NAKED juices with condoms. We're kings and queens (but mainly queens) of coming up with catchy titles, aren't we?! :)


Schönen Tag!

Austin

Get NAKED with a Condom

Make way for VOX – Voices of Planned Parenthood at Drury. Last weekend the Panthers for Planned Parenthood met with other students at Drury eager to give our organization a voice on campus. All I can say is it’s about time. Most universities do have Planned Parenthood groups on campus, even MSU. So Drury is finally catching up. The group will be lead by Jenn Kearbey and faculty advisor, English professor Jo Van Arkel, and of course Crystal from Planned Parenthood.

At the meeting we discussed our campus involvement, and we’re attempting to start events as early as the end of the semester. And next year we plan to continue working with Allies and V Warriors on overlapping events.

We concluded that it would be great to continue passing out contraceptives. But as you may or may not have noticed, we’ve sort of run out of creative methods of doing so. And in regards to recent campus news, we recognize that many of the students, faculty, and staff are upset that the CX no longer carries Naked Juice drinks. We as the Panthers of Planned Parenthood, with our new group VOX, will hopefully be selling Nakeds, with an attached condom, on campus in the last week or so of the semester. Currently we’re attempting to find a business from which we can purchase the drinks. Right now I believe Big Momma’s is the frontrunner.

I think the biggest challenge in this event will be cramming the sales in with the end of the semester, on top of our other tasks. But on the bright side I think this is the event that will really make us known in the Drury community. For Panthers for Planned Parenthood, better late than never, but for VOX, we’re coming, Drury!

The Legacy Lives On!

Even though the school year is ending and our stay in Summit will soon be over, the Panthers for Planned Parenthood will live on! Jenn Kearbey is working with Crystal at Planned Parenthood to create a VOX (Voices of Planned Parenthood) chapter at Drury. Jenn is the student leader, I am the financial leader, and Jo Van Arkel is our campus advisor. In the next few weeks of school we will be meeting with Andrea Battaglia and the student life staff to present our group and work on becoming recognized as a Drury student organization. We have even begun brainstorming a few promotional plans to get our name out to the student body.
As for the rest of the semester we plan on focusing mainly on getting VOX Drury off the ground. We will also be helping with the Take Back the Night event at Missouri State. This is to raise awareness of violence against people.

Brady

April and only one month left to go!

Over the spring semester I am proud to say that we as Panthers for Planned Parenthood have been making a difference. We have made our presence known on Drury campus. We have aided in the Birth Control Matters campaign by obtaining many signatures. Some of us have even done our part signing petitions to keep federal funding for Planned Parenthood. And for now they will stay in business.

Since this fight began,

• 825,268 people like you signed our open letter to Congress demanding an end to the attacks on Planned Parenthood and women's health.
• At least 45,923 people made phone calls to Congress to make sure they got the message.
• Thousands joined the Planned Parenthood Truth Tour as the big pink bus stopped for events in27 towns and cities from Milwaukee to New Orleans, including 4,000supporters who made their voices heard at the Stand Up for Women's Health Rally in Washington, DC, on April 7.
• Countless women and men from around the country gave time and money, spread the word on Facebook and Twitter, told personal stories about how Planned Parenthood changed their lives, and did everything possible to stand up for Planned Parenthood.

-Information via Cecile Richards Planned Parenthood Preside

Earlier in April most of our house attended a VOX meeting and we may have an official group at Drury by May 2nd!!! This will be a great opportunity to expand and improve on the activities and education we have accomplished this year. It's so exciting to know that when I am in Greece next semester there will be plenty of growth and development for VOX. There are a lot of passionate people putting this group together and I think it'll be a great chance to better Drury and help people understand the importance of sexual responsibility.

In the past month I have been incredibly busy with school and the same goes for pretty much everyone in the house. It has been very challenging trying to plan activities and get everyone in the same place. Also our plans for this semester have been taken up by other groups on campus which is unfortunate for us but just as good for Drury.

To finish up the semester we will be working with VOX to get our foot in the door before next year. Also we will be helping out with MSU's take back the night event in whatever way they need us. Hopefully we will finish out the year with a bang but with finals rapidly approaching we will have to wait and see....

The April Blog Post: In Which We Review the Aftermath Through Which Planned Parenthood Has Emerged Inexplicably Unscathed

If you have ever picked up a newspaper in your entire life (the past two months), you will doubtlessly have seen rumblings about Jon Kyl's insane, malinformed, and altogether idiotic attacks on Planned Parenthood.

Check it Out.

Well, Planned Parenthood still exists for now. So we are moving on ahead to give it a foothold at Drury: VOX. VOX is "Voices for Planned Parenthood" that works with a chapter system. MSU has a VOX organization on their campus, and finally we will too (fingers crossed). This is essentially the continuation of our fleeting work as "Panthers for Planned Parenthood". You should join, yeah?

April Showers

What accomplishments have happened with your project over the course of this spring semester?

So far we have had some pretty good accomplishments this spring semester. We have gotten a substantial amount of signatures for the Birth Control Matters Campaign. We have also started working with some other Drury faculty and students on forming a Drury branch of VOX (Planned Parenthood's organization).

What has been the greatest experience this past month volunteering with the agency?

The greatest experience this month was the recent meeting we had to begin VOX. It is exciting to get in on the ground level, see that other people are excited to implement Planned Parenthood for good on Drury's campus, and begin educating the people of Drury on sexual health.

What has been your greatest challenge this past month volunteering with the agency?

My greatest challenge is just finding the time. I have been really busy all year, and even more so this semester. It becomes hard to volunteer with an agency when there really isn't any bad consequences if I do not go. It is even harder when I have so much homework that when I get a break, all I want to do is sleep. However, I have been pushing through this semester and using any Planned Parenthood events as a well welcomed break from my hectic schedule.

What projects or activities do you still have planned to finish out the year?

One project we are extremely excited about is the Get Naked Campaign. We will be selling Naked juice around campus before the end of the year with a condom attached. This will bring a lot of attention because of recent events barring the selling of Naked juice on campus. With students in an outrage, we will attract rebels and Naked lovers alike. Getting them to our table is the first step in educating them on sexual health.

Vox: We can help you get Naked!

What accomplishments have happened with your project over the course of this spring semester?

- The spring semester has been extremely busy for Planned Parenthood. With the recent government spending cuts Crystal has been close to impossible to contact. We have teamed up with the Women and Gender studies group for a couple of events like their Feminist Happy Hour. We also teamed up with Vagina Warriors to get petition signatures for the birth control matters campaign. This semester there hasn't been a lot of even planning we have done, however our presence on campus has still be known.

What has been the greatest experience this past month volunteering with the agency?

- We just had our first Vox meeting which was really inspirational. There were a lot of great ideas thrown around and we were able to meet several of the teachers interested in Planned Parenthood involvement on campus. It was really great to meet more people who wanted to bring Planned Parenthood to the Drury campus and know that when our Summit house splits next year there will still be an organization we can help Planned Parenthood through.

What has been your greatest challenge this past month volunteering with the agency?

- all of the politics currently surrounding Planned Parenthood have made it difficult for our Summit house to get in touch with Crystal. There have been many lobby days in Jefferson City which we were unable to attend and thus our planning meeting has been continually pushed back.

- Also a lot of the ideas we had planned for the Spring semester are being pursued by Allies during their pride week.

What projects or activities do you still have planned to finish out the year?

- We are looking to joint he MSU Vox group in there event "Taking Back the Night" which will feature the DJ Makeout! It is an empowering night for women and children who have been abused. Several victims will be honored as well as awareness on discrimination and abuse will be addressed. This event will take place on April 27th and will be at the MSU Bear Paw/ North Mall.

- We are also teaming up with Jenn Kearbey to created Drury's own VOX chapter for next year. Currently we are hoping to get a movie night together for the end of the semester to tell students Panthers for Planned Parenthood will be becoming VOX. We are also looking at associating VOX with Naked Juices and setting up a table outside the library selling naked juice with a condom due to the recent uproar the CX has recieved.

Panthers Stand on Their Hind Legs for Planned Parenthood

Hello, Planned Parenthood supporters!
My fellow Panthers for Planned Parenthood and I have been brainstorming like mad in an attempt to generate events to fill this semester. Unfortunately we've been rather unfruitful. We have plans to include our faculty and community liaisons in our efforts to better our chances of success. Though I have no concrete proof, I can assure you that great things are in the future!
In the meantime, we've been doing what we can to stay active. Stephanie and I attended the monthly meeting at Planned Parenthood that included many members from VOX (Voices for Planned Parenthood) at MSU. We discussed recent attacks on Planned Parenthood's supposed funding cuts and learned the truth behind the politics. Our manly men, Kevin and Sean, braved the Feminist Happy Hour at Farmer's Gastropub. They set up a table to offer information to and receive signed petitions from Springfield's feminists.
We will inform you as soon as we get plans in motion for some fantastic events this semester so hold on tight!

Brady

die sonne scheint.... ja!!!

hello everyone!

i hope you've had a great month! i've been super super busy with all kinds of things going on here around drury. it's been a crazy time with classes and extra curriculars. Not much has gone on planned parenthood wise. but there have been a few other fun events and also some upcoming ones that will definitely be exciting!

i was sad i had to miss the feminist happy hour, but i had two upper-classmen friends attend who said the event was great!

an event i'm really excited about that is coming up in april is student engagement week. it's not tied to planned parenthood, but it's an event summit park supports because it involves students getting engaged on campus. we are having a toms shoe event happy on monday, and tuesday-wednesday we will have successful drury alumni on campus. and thursday there will be a student activism chair-in outside of burnham hall to advocate for an elevator to be installed.

i spent 5 days in washington, dc and got to visit the democratic national convention and also the college democrat convention. while i was there i got to see some sights, the holocaust memorial, and also visit georgetown (grad school i want to go to).


hope you all are doing well, get ready for a great april full of awesome planned-parenthood events!

austin :)

Break the Silence

Oh, what a lovely Friday it is to be stuck in classes all day.

Since our last updates I think it’s safe to say that everyone in the Velvet Crowbar (our Planned Parenthood Summit house) has been busy with everything under the sun, so needless to say, we’ve put Summit on the back burner. But never fear! We’ll be alive and kicking post-spring break.

Not much has happened in the past three weeks. Yikes. But I mustn’t forget the Feminist Happy Hour event on Wednesday at the Farmers’ Gastropub, sponsored by our Planned Parenthood faculty advisor and my email pen pal, Dr. Erin Kenny. Promoting women’s rights, attendees got their photograph taken with the phrase “This is the face of a feminist” framing their face. It was great to see Sean and Kevin attend the event; I suspect they were the event’s male population.

Anyways, onward to April. Along with our sister program, Missouri State’s Voices of Planned Parenthood, VOX, we’re putting on the event Take Back the Night; the campaign is aimed to put an end to sexual violence. “Here is a place to take a stand, a place to break the silence.”

I believe tickets will be eight dollars or so, but don’t take my word for it. Proceeds will go towards Planned Parenthood; they need all the funding they can get with recent budget cuts. Anyways I bet you’re wondering what you get for eight dollars. DJs from MAKEOUT will be mixing the event, so it’s guaranteed good music. And of course there will be food.

So that about wraps it up. April is sure to be a busy month in the house, with many more events to come. We’ll keep you posted.

See ya, toots,

Laura Jean

Blog en Español!!

Hola! ¿cómo estás? Fui a na reunión de feministas con mi amigo Kevin Rogan! No me gusta. Mi casa no ha tenido eventos de este mes. Mis amigos y yo hacemos lo que podemos proque no tenemos eventos programados.

At the feminist meeting me and kevin went to we tried to get signatures for free birth control while we enjoyed free food and somewhat good conversation. We will go to the next one to try and get more signatures if we find out when it is.

En la Planned Parenthood casa nos gusta la fiesta!

adiós

March showers brings super awesome April Planned Parenthood Events

Since it's been raining Panthers of Planned Parenthood have been inside planning this semesters next upcoming events. Last week was the monthly Planned Parenthood meeting. We learned about the Feminist Happy Hour which Dr. Kenny and the women and gender studies gang was planning on conducting at Farmers Gastropub. This was an event where pictures were taken of women with a frame surrounding their face that read "This is the face of a feminist". This was to promote womens rights and Planned Parenthood decided to get involved and bring in the aspect of women's reproductive rights.

Recently Crystal, the grassroots organizer at Planned Parenthood has been going to lobby days in Jefferson City to fight back against the government funding cuts for Planned Parenthood. While she's been busy doing that MSU's Vox has been planning the event "Taking Back the Night". This is an event that will be held on their campus. Guest DJ MAKEOUT will be playing music for a dance party that night along with petitions being signed, and general awareness of Planned Parenthood raise. The tickets are estimated to be around $8 and will go towards helping Planned Parenthood now that our funding has been cut.

Other action plans that we are trying to become active in is stationing at the next art walk and getting more poeple to sign the Birth Control Matter petition that way.

Overall I think the upcoming weeks and months should be pretty exciting. If you feel the need to make a difference and haven't signed our petition yet try and visit us at one of our events.

And time keeps Marching on

Hey hey!

Another month gone, and Panthers for Planned Parenthood is still sticking in there. The past month we have not been as active on campus due to outside activities taking up the majority of our time. Some of the members of Drury's PP group, however were able to attend Feminist Happy Hour put on by our Faculty Advisor, Erin Kenny. The event was successful, and a great way to spread information about what Planned Parenthood does for Southern Missouri.

Our main focus for this past month has been to secure more signatures on the Birth Control Matters petition. We also have events planned for the next month that are sure to be successful as well. "Taking Back the Night" is a Planned Parenthood event that will be held on MSU's campus in April. The purpose of "Taking Back the Night" is not only to raise awareness, but also gather funds for Planned Parenthood to put to good use for the many men and women that utilize the services. Tickets for the event will be sold, with proceeds going to Planned Parenthood directly. Attending this glorious night will be many awesome people, the DJ from "Makeout!", and fellow dancers of all types. There will be snacks, dancing, conversing, and a ton of fun.

More information on April's events will be shared next month. Have a great one, and get excited for Planned Parenthood events to come!!

Peace, Love, & Elyse

Feminism: Not Just for Females Anymore

Too long has feminism been predominately the domain of females.
In the interest of total equality, me and Sean Banasik appeared in a semi-professional capacity at the International Womens Day© Feminist Salon™ formerly known as Feminist Happy Hour℠. It was fun. They had really good chips. Crystal Brigman and the entire upper echelon of regional Planned Parenthood were there, so we were a bit redundant.

Anyway.

We're teaming up with VOX over at MSU in the upcoming month for Take Back the Night®. Stay tuned in a way that doesn't really require constant attention.

March Madness

The month of March has just begun and it is already busy, busy, busy. With mid-terms coming up we haven't had too many Planned Parenthood activities. On the 2nd a few of us went to Planned Parenthood's monthly meeting. We discussed the legislative changes that are happening, successes over the past month, and upcoming events. We took pictures for Stand with Planned Parenthood.One the best things that happened in January and February is that we, along with Vox and other Planned Parenthood volunteers, collected nearly 500 signed petitions. In the future we are hoping to work on Take Back the Night with Vox. For information visit takebackthenight.org. Also we may go to Art Walk April 1st and try to collect more signatures for the Birth Control Matters campaign. We will have to wait and see what the future holds... Hopefully this will be another successful month.

Okay

So this month of February the planned parent summit house has mad much progress. firstly we had a table set up out side the vagina monologues all three nights. we got a lot of signatures for free birth control. also we passed out lots of condoms so people can be safe and other things.

Secondly the planned parent summit house has been getting along just swimmingly! we have all overcome many differences, hatred, diversity, but really we just communicate better. we are all on the same page if you will. probably the best summit house. ever.

thirdly the planned parenthood house is making a big impact on drury campus and the local area. people are talking about us. good and bad. without us this movement for safe sex and free birth control, and awareness would not really be happening. i look forward to the events we have planned in the future.

oh we had a ballroom dace social. it was totally awesome. no one really came though. hit me up if you need a dance partner. i can tango.

It's finally Friday!

These past few weeks have been hectic not only with schoolwork but also Summit as well, so this Happy Friday is particularly cheerful. Last week the Panthers for Planned Parenthood prepared for the Vagina Monologues. We set up a table outside the event on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights in order to get signatures for Planned Parenthood’s Birth Control Matters petition and to pass out contraceptives. The petition demands that birth control is made available to all women with no co pay and sex education becomes a more prevalent subject in the education of young people.

So these Vagina Monologues events unearthed some of the weaknesses of our Summit house with Planned Parenthood and with each other, particularly in the way of our lines of communication. Our PP representative only contacted us days before the event, requesting our presence at the monologues. This put a strain on all of our schedules, making our attendance at the events rushed and put together at the last minute. On the bright side, when communication with Planned Parenthood is up to par, they are quite helpful in providing us with the necessary materials, i.e. condoms, pamphlets, petitions, to make our on-campus involvement a success.

Like I previously mentioned, communication between the members of our Summit group hasn’t been all that great either. While the event was only planned two days prior to the first night of Vagina Monologues, some of my housemates weren’t informed until the day before. We’ve all come to the conclusion that this is unacceptable, and we as a house must brainstorm more productibe means of communicating about Summit events. Brady posted an event calendar downstairs right outside our front door, a place where our events are easily accessible to all members of the house. In addition, I’ve taken it upon myself to start sending out a group text upon the creation of a new event, or a meeting with Kenny. My role in Summit has been the Faculty Liaison, which isn’t exactly the most demanding task, so I figured this new responsibility of mine will be nothing overwhelming.

Let’s see, goals for the semester. I would like to see an improved relationship between Planned Parenthood and our Summit group. Not only this, but improved communication between the members of the house, but I believe our new event calendar and group texts will do the trick. This far I think the major strength of Panthers for Planned Parenthood has been our ability to become involved on campus. But this semester I’d like to see a bit more involvement in Planned Parenthood events, while still maintaining our status on Drury’s campus.

At this stage in the game, our events in the semester have not been set in stone, so I’m anxious to see what will be happening in Summit. Hopefully our new found communication skills will spur more involved, brainstormed ideas about Summit events from all members of house. A meeting with Kenny is in the works, so our semester events will be set and publicized in the very near future. This semester is looking to be quite interesting for the Panthers for Planned Parenthood.

Laura Jean

Re: Vagina Monologues

The Drury University Panthers for Planned Parenthood® were privileged enough to have a table at the Vagina Monologues, Presented by the V-Warriors of Drury University all three nights it ran.

The Vagina Monologues are always a really interesting time. I like them a lot, but usually come away from the shows with the irrepressible want for a fertility idol to worship and to go bra-burning.

Anyway.

The PP table outside VM was a great big success, especially for its being accomplished so quickly. In two days, we procured PP materials and established a presence for the organization. Through our table, we managed to get 55 signatures for our grassroots petition and distributed countless condoms and contraceptive literature.

It was great.

Take a Lesson from Valentine's Chocolates: If It's Not Wrapped...Avoid It.

We kicked of the year in style with a rip-roaring Summit social! We brought in a dance instructor to teach those of us who attended a few basic ballroom dance steps (in honor of February, the month of .... mush). It was a great time!

What accomplishments do you hope to see happen with your project over the course of this semester?

So far we've been focused, mainly, on promoting awareness of Planned Parenthood on campus and the services they provide. This has been a great venture and I think we've succeeded in taking a bit of the stigma away from Planned Parenthood within the Drury community. I would like to work more closely with Planned Parenthood supporting their cause directly, while still maintaining a strong presence on campus.

What has been the greatest experience this past month volunteering with the agency?

In January we had the opportunity to help with a Planned Parenthood-sponsored event to celebrate the anniversary of the passing of Roe v. Wade. A "Champion of Choice" award was given to a member of the Springfield community who has played a significant role in supporting the causes of Planned Parenthood. We were able to meet other students and volunteers who also work with Planned Parenthood.

What has been your greatest challenge this past month volunteering with the agency?

We had a little issue with communication and Planned Parenthood springing a last-minute event on us, but it was all resolved and worked out just fine. It's always a challenge to work with people's schedules and make events accessible to everyone.

Through the class this semester what is the one project or activity you are looking forward to the most?

I am looking forward to spending 24 hours completely technology-free. It will be a nice little vacation. I have plans to return to my childhood with crayons and coloring books!

How has this past semester made you a stronger leader and what leadership roles do you plan to take on this semester for your Summit Group?

I'm really happy about my Summit experience because you get to work closely with a small group over an extended period of time towards a common goal. I think this experience will really be helpful in the future. I've learned through this experience how to direct a conversation to stay on topic. I would like to take charge of schedule organization this semester to try to avoid the problems we've been having with conflicts and lack of communication.

Forever and for always,
Brady

Feburrrrrrrrary!

Hello

This has been a crazy month! SOOO much winter weather has hit springfield. Enough to freeze us all in our tracks (no pun intended). I am about to leave for a Model UN trip. I'm excited!

Here are questions, provided by Wiemer.

What accomplishments do you hope to see happen with your project over the course of this semester?
Better communication, more great events, bonding time with my group!

What has been the greatest experience this past month volunteering with the agency?
Working at the Vagina Monologue event was really fun! Passing out goodies and mingling with the audience who were there to show support!

What has been your greatest challenge this past month volunteering with the agency?
No challenges so far, LET'S KEEP OUR FINGERS CROSSED!!

Through the class this semester what is the one project or activity you are looking forward to the most?
Hmmmmm.... our calendar isn't set in stone yet. So, I'm not sure which event. I was actually really excited about Roe v. Wade event that took place a few weeks ago! GREAT success :)

How has this past semester made you a stronger leader and what leadership roles do you plan to take on this semester for your Summit Group?
It made me aware of communication errors. I learned that I cannot rely on others in a group to be leaders and I need to take an active leadership role in every organization I am involved with to ensure that I get the credit I deserve.

I hope you all had a GREAT February and have an even merrier March!!

austin

In the coming semester I hope to see Drury embrace our Planned Parenthood group. I hope that as a university we can stop being embarrassed about sexual responsibility. I want people to take it seriously and protect themselves and maybe learn something useful about their health.

In the past month I LOVED the Vagina Monologues. They were both entertaining and powerful. I left feeling empowered as a woman and more aware of issues such as domestic violence and forms of mutilation. I was glad that we as a Summit group got the opportunity to support the V-Warriors in their efforts to make our campus more socially aware. Also I appreciated that it gave our group a chance to get more signatures on the Birth Control Matters petition.

My greatest challenge volunteering with our agency this month was the time frame. Everything was put together last minute which was very stressful to all of us as a house. However, I think we did a great job pooling our resources and getting a few people at the event each night. In the future events will hopefully be planned out with more time leading up to them. This will allow us to really prepare for whatever it is that we need to be ready to do.

This semester I am really looking forward to doing the financial tracking. This is something I have been trying to do since I arrived at college and I haven’t been able to quite accomplish it. I like that we will be held accountable because that is not something I have been forced to do thus far, at least not in the financial aspect of my life.

Last semester helped me to grow as a leader by making me be involved outside of my studies. Not only have I become a better leader because I am in a clearly defined leadership position but also because I am forced to manage my time and to balance my life. I have to balance my volunteer work and class work without slacking on either side. I am held responsible for my actions by the seven other people in my house and this helps me to stay on track. As this semester progresses I hope to help everyone by planning events that are both fun and educational. I want to take my position as co-event coordinator and really use it to everyone’s advantage!!

I can't wait to see how this busy semester turns out!

Stephanie

Vagina Monologues

This month we teamed up with the V Warriors to help make this year's Vagina Monologues a success with our very own Planned Parenthood table. We passed out condoms (as per usual), coupons, brochures, GYT stickers, and had a petition for free birth control on the table. What helped make our table different, however is the fact that we recently acquired designer condoms! They have unique pink designs on the packaging, and some of the condoms themselves are even pink-just in time for Valentine's Day! I enjoyed working the Vagina Monologue booth because the V Warriors are doing a very important thing for society, and I loved being a part of this very special program.

What accomplishments do you hope to see happen with your project over the course of this semester?

I hope to continue to bring Planned Parenthood events, information, and fun to the Drury students on campus. I also hope to change the mindset of the average Drury student that sex isn't something to take lightly. Protection is a must!

What has been the greatest experience this past month volunteering with the agency?

My greatest experience has been my only experience, Vagina Monologues. The women that perform are so dedicated, and the monologues range from funny to heart wrenching. I think what they do is so important to the betterment of women across America and throughout the world. Stories about women and their needs and experiences must be heard in order to equalize gender roles.

What has been your greatest challenge this past month volunteering with the agency?

The greatest challenge also came with Vagina Monologues. We had a petition for free birth control with no copay for all women as well as more sex education in public schools. Most people signed this petition willingly, but some people adamantly refused and said that they didn't agree with what the petition was doing. It was hard to at times take a defeat like that. However, overall the petition was a success.

Through the class this semester what is the one project or activity you are looking forward to the most?

I am looking forward to the tech free day because I feel it can be beneficial to myself as well as my peers. A day without technology will be tough for most of us, considering we were practically born with a computer and cell phone in our hands. I feel it will teach me that I do not need to be glued to my phone to survive.

How has this past semester made you a stronger leader and what leadership roles do you plan to take on this semester for your Summit Group?

I feel that my leadership role in this house is to be the voice of reason. At times issues may arise and opinions about events may clash. It is easy for me to step back, think about the situation, and tackle it from a different perspective. This will come in handy when deciding when and where to have events as well as carrying them out efficiently.

Yours,

Elyse

Roe V. Wade

To ring in the New Year Planned Parenthood put on a benefit event celebrating the Roe v. Wade decision to legalize abortions. The Panthers for Planned Parenthood tagged along to lend support at this event, providing chips and dip, as well as a veggie tray, and working different booths throughout the night.

At this event Crystal gave an opening speech introducing the celebration as well as welcoming specific guests. The entertainment of the night were 5 poets who gave different reads correlating with the theme of the night. One poem that was read was written by a woman giving a narrative of having undergone several miscarriages. This poem was particularly moving because the reader had difficulty reading the complete poem because she was so involved. Following this poem was the announcement that Charlie Norr had been chosen as our champion of choice this year.

Charlie told the story behind his support for planned parenthood. He discussed how when he was first married he was working for the military and barely making 30 bucks a month. His wife badly wanted a child but was unable to bare one for the first several times that they tried. Their doctor recommended starting her on birth control in order to better indicate when she would be ovulating and unfortunately birth control was 10 dollars at the time. This was a third of their monthly money and they simply could not afford it. Charlie turned to planned parenthood. Ever since they have helped him and his family out he has been helping them out.

Prior to the entertainment Panthers for Planned Parenthood and VOX members sold raffle tickets to be entered for specific prizes such as Roller Derby tickets, gift cards to The Grotto, and a $40 gift certificate to a local tattoo parlor. Buttons, shirts and bumper stickers were also on sale at this time. One woman who bought 4 bumper stickers remarked how her job had transfered her to Springfield from the East Coast and she was unsure weather or not there was even an active planned parenthood which she loved to support. She was glad that Crystal had planned the Roe v. Wade event and was able to meet with other Planned Parenthood supporters.

Doing work with Planned Parenthood has really opened up my eyes to the diversity that lies within Springfield. Although there are moral issue which surround the community service our Summit house is performing, I am still very grateful for the opportunity because I have seen so many supporters of the organization we are working for.

This week Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. the Panthers for PP will be working a booth outside the Vagina Monologues performance getting signatures for the current petition to make birth control free. Hope to see you there.

If you have questions feel free to contact us.