LAWRENCEVILLE -- The Rider University Gender Studies Program will sponsor “Undisciplined: New Jersey Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Colloquium,” on Thursday, April 28.  The day-long program will take place from 10:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. in the Bart Luedeke Center (BLC).

Registration is free for Rider students. Lunch will take place at 12:15 p.m. in the Fireside Lounge of the BLC.  Registration and an opening reception will take place from 10:15 a.m. to 10:45 p.m. in the BLC Theater Lobby, followed by an awards ceremony in the BLC Theater.  At that time, Dr. Rebecca Basham, assistant professor of English and director of Rider’s Gender Studies program, will present the Dr. Virginia J. Cyrus scholarship to an outstanding student.

Included among the criteria to be met: candidates – both full-time and part-time students -- must have completed Introduction to Women’s Studies, show academic promise and the potential to improve the status of women through scholarship and or activism.

The Virginia Cyrus Scholarship was established in memory of the late Virginia Cyrus, the founding director of the Women’s Studies Program at Rider and a former professor of English. The endowed scholarship was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Cyrus family, Rider faculty, staff and alumnae.

Dr. Basham will also present the 2005 Ziegler-Gee Award to a faculty member who exhibits leadership and commitment to end discrimination based upon sexual orientation and gender.

Presentations will take place in the Multicultural Conference room 124 and rooms 257 and 259 in the BLC. The program will feature panels made up of students from Rider such universities as The College of New Jersey, Montclair State University, Bergen County Community, College, Ramapo College of New Jersey, who will speak on a host of issues such as gender and sexuality in the media, history and literature. Various panelists will also discuss creative writing and drama on gender-related subjects.  The keynote speaker, Dr. Paisley Currah, professor and director of the Gay and Lesbian Center at Brooklyn College, Graduate School of CUNY, will speak on “Transgendered People and the Law,” from 3:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. in the BLC Theater.

“Having the opportunity to plan and host the inaugural state-wide conference for New Jersey Women’s and Gender Studies Programs is a great coup for the Rider community,” said Dr.  Basham. “We would like to invite all Rider faculty, administration, staff and students to attend the student panels, lunch and the plenary speaker’s presentation.” For further information, contact Dr. Basham at (609) 896-5296.