Congratulations to the winner of the 2008 Friends of Women's Studies Prize for Student Activism!

Congratulations to Constance Sisk (Music, '08), winner of the 2008 Friends of Women's Studies Prize for Student Activism.

The Friends of Women’s Studies Prize, funded by membership fees and generous donations from the Friends of Women’s Studies, recognizes individuals, groups, or campus organizations who have done outstanding feminist activist work outside the classroom context during the 2007-8 academic year. Activism is alive and well on our campus, and we had a number of outstanding nominations. Thanks to the Women’s Studies Prizes Committee for all their hard work in making the selection.

Constance has been active on campus in a variety of areas, including LGBTQ issues, substance abuse, liaising with unions on campus, and agricultural sustainability projects. In all of these areas she has been a central figure. Her association with the Lambda Alliance dates officially from her sophomore year, when she was the activist chair, and she is now the president. Her work in this area has focused on creating safe spaces on campus for queer students, lobbying and publicity on the Marshall-Newman Amendment (the “Marriage Amendment”), and conference-organizing. Her work with Students for Sensible Drug Policy and the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Task Force includes conducting “Know Your Rights” trainings, organizing a series of Drug Policy Awareness weeks, and helping to implement a Medical Amnesty Policy. A few months ago she was elected to SSDP’s national board of directors. In addition to these efforts, she has been active in the Tidewater Labor Support Committee, helping to organize demonstrations against the Iraq war, a Living Wage campaign, and a Grass Roots Organizing Weekend. Finally, she has been President of the Farmers and Gardeners Club, a group that volunteers at a local organic farm and works to promote sustainable food policies and practices on campus.