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....

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.

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

December

Our goal as Panthers for Planned Parenthood is to bring Planned Parenthood on to our campus. So we worked with the agency to plan events here on campus. We did an Ovarian Cancer Awareness event, a Halloween event, Kinky Crafting, Juno, and World AIDS Day. At each event we’ve handed out information on Planned Parenthood and condoms. Also we have had our petitions on hand if people have felt inclined to sign to make birth control free as preventative healthcare. This month we volunteered by setting up a tree and a table outside of the commons for World AIDS Day. We passed out condoms and had people sign postcards to their representatives.

My best experiences in Summit have been volunteering and living with my closest friends here at Drury. I have learned a lot more about each of them over this year. Also putting on events with them has shown our true colors. On the other hand the toughest experience has been putting on events together. Stepping back from the friendship and being professional is complicated. In addition we are all very busy with our own commitments outside of Summit and it is hard to balance them all. So we have had to work together and rely on each other to get things done.

I see our group project evolving beautifully. We will hopefully continue to pass out condoms and information. But more than that, we will work more on breaking down the stigma associate with Planned Parenthood. We would like to have a specialist come to speak about problems people our age might experience and the importance of getting test. We shall see and I am excited to!

I’ve gained event-planning skills. I learned how much needs to be planned ahead and how flexible I need to be the day of the event. Also I have improved my teamwork skills, living and working with house of 8 is not easy.

The highlights of the wellness program were yoga and trying out the different techniques. However, the rest of the program is too complicated. With my schedule I was more stressed out about completing the program than I could even relax. The meditation seemed hokey and almost comical. I did enjoy the other aspects and believe that they should be continued.

This break I’m going to enjoy not having Organic Chemistry or Physics. I am going to relax and just enjoy the season!!!!

GREAT SUCCESS!

The safe sex campaign went off without a hitch Monday night! We had a great turnout and lots of arts and crafts were created! I was afraid that no one would want to make “kinky crafts” in public but several people did. Those who were uncomfortable just did art instead. We showed people how to make their own flogger out of a dowel rod and tassels and a feather tickler made with a boa. The best part was that it wasn’t even awkward! It was just plain fun. Some of us tried out our new floggers on the arms of those around us if they asked us to of course. Overall it was a great night.

Our house is working hard but sometimes we struggle with getting everything organized. Eight people are a lot to do one event and sometimes not everyone has a job. It’s hard to delegate responsibility evenly. But in the end we are able to come together and create successful events to raise awareness. I really believe the safe sex art campaign was a step in the right direction. If people are going to be experiencing sex than we need to try everything we can to help make it safe. Just being able to talk about it and do art that is inspired by it is an important feat in this culture that considers it still somewhat of a taboo. Our goal as Panthers for Planned Parenthood is to increase the knowledge and decrease the STIs and unplanned pregnancies, more or less. I feel that we really are making an impact by volunteering with this agency, even if it is through baby steps like passing out condoms.

In other news stress free now is still going but I do not know how much of a difference it is making in my life. I can hardly relax to do the exercises because I am worried about completing my other school work. I sometimes don't know how to prioritize. If my stress level comes first then I might not get my work done for class but if I try to get all my work done I get stressed out. It is sort of a vicious cycle. I do like the classes although I don't think they alleviate stress. I am so EXCITED to try acupuncture and for the massages at the end of this semester.

There is a lot to look forward to in the months to come including Juno! Everyone should come out because it's guaranteed to be a blast!

Love,

Stephanie

So November

October didn't have that much in store for us at the Summit Planned Parenthood house. We mostly started the preparation for our big Juno night. We got in touch with the volunteer coordinator to discuss obtaining some more condoms since ours were stolen. Earlier in the week we tried yoga as the part of the stress free now program. And tonight the girls of the house met with the V-warriors and Allies to finalize some details of the safe sex campaign. So even though October was pretty laid back, November is already looking really busy.

Earlier in October we started a new program. Stress free now is the newest component to living in the Summit community. It is interesting to say the least. Everyday we do a different de-stressing exercise. I am not so sure if it is helping...but I will continue to try. However, the mandatory yoga session was AMAZING! I felt so good and relaxed. It's too bad I had to go home and immediately start studying Organic Chemistry. I am excited for Tai Chi and Acupuncture later on in the program.

The plan as of now for the safe sex campaign is to price items for safe sex art and kinky crafts. We will be buying paint, ribbons, feather boas, scissors, paint brushes, and of course GLITTER!!! So far the ideas for kinky crafts are floggers, feather ticklers, handcuffs, and blindfolds. Also we will be playing fun music like Ke$ha and Katy Perry. Hopefully it will be a playful and open place to be expressive about safe sex and to share what works and what doesn't. So far it's shaping up to look like a lot of fun!

I can't wait to see how November plays out but it'll be here soon enough!

Stephanie

My TEAL Experience

One week ago today Panthers for Planned Parenthood passed out cookies and teal ribbons for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Week. As Elyse mentioned earlier it went surprisingly well. I honestly did not expect to have the response that we did. Facing a big crowd like the lunch line in the FSC commons can be daunting but they were very receptive. I am not a shy person by any means but I guess I was afraid we would be bothering people when they just wanted to eat their lunches. But several people wanted to know why we were standing there with a whole bunch of teal and others wanted to know more about ovarian cancer. Although most of the guys were only interested in cookies, some women took handouts on the symptoms and almost everyone we asked took a ribbon. In all we passed out 75 regular ribbons and awesome sequined ribbons. I felt like even though our first event was super simple it was still effective, which is what really matters. I’m glad that we are off to such a good start and look forward to working with Planned Parenthood!

Let Me Introduce Myself

My name is Stephanie Hayes and I am a sophomore at Drury University. I am a Chemistry and Biology major with a Theatre minor. But these facts are just the basics of me as a student. As a person I am dedicated to improving my community and I know that this will be possible through Drury Summit Park Leadership Community. I wanted to live in Summit Park not only to live with my friends but to be working for a bigger and better purpose. I feel that working in conjunction with Planned Parenthood will be beneficial for not only myself but for everyone in our group and the community as whole. My opinions, pro-choice or not, will hopefully be strengthened or even possibly changed. However it is important to realize that this is not the only aspect there is to Planned Parenthood. I will be glad to use my strengths and the resources that Drury University provides me with to help erase the stigma that Planned Parenthood’s only real purpose is abortion. As a part of Panthers for Planned Parenthood I hope to spread awareness of the resources that Planned Parenthood offers in the forms of education and testing. Also I am excited to help educate our campus about the serious effects of being sexually irresponsible and to possibly help prevent some of those effects. Ovarian Cancer Awareness week is coming up so we will see what we can pull together to help raise awareness. I’m excited to get started!

-Stephanie