Voyages of Discovery Lecture Series presents Steinem on Nov. 7

Gloria Steinem, who for many is the face of the American feminism movement, will speak at East Carolina University in early November on her work for women's rights for more than three decades.

Steinem's lecture, “Reflections on Feminism: A Voyage of Discovery with Gloria Steinem,” will be at 7 p.m.on Nov. 6 in Wright Auditorium and is the premier lecture of the Voyages of Discovery Lecture Series.

“Steinem's work for gender equality has significantly shaped the world in which we live,” said Alan White, dean of the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences, which sponsors the lecture series. “Her passion for positive social change has also led her on a most meaningful personal voyage of discovery about which we are very excited to learn.”

Steinem emerged as an important intellectual force and a prominent leader of the feminist movement in 1963 with an investigative report on how the women of Playboy were treated. Her report was made into the 1985 movie, “A Bunny's Tale.”

Steinem co-founded New York magazine in the 1960s and later was founding editor and publisher of Ms. magazine.

In the 1970s, she became a leading figure of second-wave feminism in the women's rights movement. In 1971, along with other feminist leaders including Betty Friedan and U.S. Reps. Shirley Chisholm and Bella Abzug, Steinem founded the National Women's Political Caucus, a nonpartisan organization devoted to advancing women's causes.

Her influential ideas and writings have appeared in magazines and newspapers in the United States and abroad, and she is the author of gender boundary-breaking books such as “Moving Beyond Words: Age, Rage, Sex, Power, Money, Muscles; Revolution from Within” and “Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellion.”

Steinem is a frequent guest commentator on radio and television, and she has been the subject of Lifetime and ABC biographical television documentaries. In 1993, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.

“To have Gloria Steinem on campus affirms ECU's commitment to issues of equality and service,” Cheryl Dudasik-Wiggs, director of Harriot College's Women's Studies Program, said. “She has spent her life challenging all of us to make a difference, to be vehicles for social change; and her appearance here will spark a renewed discussion of feminism's role in that ongoing change.”

Steinem's lecture is co-sponsored by the Women's Studies Program, the Department of English, the Ledonia Wright Cultural Center, the ECU Chapter of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the Student Advisory Board, the College of Education and the Harriot College Center for the Liberal Arts.

Complimentary tickets are available to ECU students, faculty and staff. Tickets for the general public are $10.

Tickets are available through the ECU Central Ticket Office by calling 328-4788, (800) ECU-ARTS or (voice/TTY) 328-4736. For more information, visit www.ecu.edu/voyages.

ECU sleep center

receives accreditation

The Sleep Disorders and Research Center of the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University recently received program accreditation from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

To receive a five-year accreditation, a sleep center must meet or exceed all standards for professional health care as designated by the AASM. The accreditation process involves detailed inspection of a center's facility and staff, including an evaluation of testing procedures, patient contacts and physician training. Additionally, the facility's goals must be clearly stated and include plans for positively affecting the quality of medical care in the community it serves.

Dr. Sunil Sharma, a pulmonary and critical care medicine specialist at ECU, directs the center inside Moye Medical Center at 521 Moye Blvd.

Upcoming Events:

Thursday and Friday: Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival performances will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday and 8 p.m. Friday in the A.J. Fletcher Recital Hall. Program includes Dmitri Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 1 in C Major, Op. 49, Maurice Ravel's String Quartet in F Major and Franz Schubert's String Quartet in D Minor, D. 810 “Death and the Maiden.” Ticketed event. Call: 328-4788.

Tuesday: “Sir Walter Raleigh: Renaissance Man” will be presented by Dr. Elliot Engel, 7 p.m., at Joyner Library. Free for Friends of Joyner members and $10 for others. Call 328-2711.

See www.ecu.edu/cs-ecu/calendar.cfm for times, places and more information on these events and other ECU upcoming activities.