April 30, 2012 — CSUB will hosts its fourth annual interdisciplinary symposium "Gender Matters" from noon to 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 4 in the Student Union Multipurpose Room.

This free event focuses on student research on diverse subjects including women and religion, gender in art, literature, and film, gender and ethics, and gender in the media. There will also be student poster presentations and artwork displayed.

This year's keynote speaker is Andi Zeisler, co-founder and editorial/creative director of BITCH magazine. Her presentation, which begins at 5 p.m., is entitled "Beyond Bitches, Bimbos and Ballbreakers – Why Media is Key to Moving Conversations About Women and Gender Forward." A longtime freelance writer and illustrator, Zeisler's work has appeared in numerous periodicals and newspapers, including Ms., Mother Jones, Utne, BUST, The San Francisco Chronicle, the Women's Review of Books, and Hues. She is the coeditor of "BitchFest: 10 Years of Cultural Criticism from the Pages of Bitch Magazine" and recently finished a book about feminism and popular culture for Seal Press.

The afternoon event also includes a community resource session featuring agencies that meet the diverse needs of women and men. These include the Alliance Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault, Bakersfield LGBTQ, Bakersfield PFLAG, California Latinas for Reproductive Justice, Democratic Women of Kern, and the Dolores Huerta Foundation, as well as various campus organizations such as CSUB Club GEN (Gender Equality Now!), CSUB Counseling Center, CSUB Safe Zone, and CSUB UNIR (United Now for Immigrant Rights).

"This event is an exciting opportunity for CSUB and the community to see what our students are learning about and how gender matters in various disciplines," said chair of CSUB's Women and Gender Studies Committee Debra Jackson.

Refreshments will be available throughout the symposium.

The event is free and open to the public. Parking is free in Lots K and L. For more information, call Debra Jackson at 661-654-6829.