Women's Network eNewsletter - October 2022

A new term at Oxford is about to begin and the leaves turn to ochre, apricot, and crimson. I continue to use the perennial Oxford commas, as per the guidance given to me in my first ever tutorial (now a controversial choice). Yet there is much change in the air, both closer to our Oxford collegiate home and beyond. Last month opened with Queen Elizabeth II formally confirming Liz Truss as our new Prime Minister, and third female leader of the country.

This was swiftly followed on 8th September, with the news that the Queen had peacefully passed away. Innumerable bouquets formed a sea of flowers across public parks nationally, whilst back for the College Society Dinner I noticed that every college seemed to have a book of remembrance in their college chapels. For those who would like to read more about Queen Elizabeth's connections to Oxford you can find out more here and view video footage of her earlier visits. The world watched her make her final journey to Windsor, and said farewell to the Monarch who has been a constant and uniting figure across the country and the Commonwealth for over 70 years. To quote Paddington, 'Thank you Ma'am, for everything'. 

More words of gratitude are also in order! The College welcomes a new President, Professor Dame Sue Black, who succeeds Professor Maggie Snowling. Words cannot adequately summarise the appreciation of College for Professor Snowling's able steering of St John's through the troubled waters of the past few years. She leaves the College an enriched, diverse and thriving community that she has been instrumental in shaping. The College and the SJC Women's Network also look forward with much optimism and anticipation to working with Dame Professor Black, who is an able successor to take the helm. I am proud to be an alumna of a college that has chosen two such inspirational women to lead the College forwards. We look forward to hearing more from both of them in the future!

THE SJCWN kicked off the academic year with two events. The first, held on 30 September was a dinner in the SCR with speakers on the theme of 'Women in Conflict' organised by Dr Kate Molesworth (1985, Human Biology) and Professor Zuzanna Olszewska, Tutorial Fellow in Archaeology & Anthropology and Fellow for Women. This was followed by a group trip to 'Our Home: Ukraine', a Kendrew Barn exhibit, featuring work by predominantly female artists, many of whom are still in Ukraine. 

As it is the new academic year, we are considering the ways the Network should operate over the months ahead. We are interested in learning more about how our members interact with the WN and what type of events you would like to see in future. Please complete our SJCWN Survey here. The deadline for responses is 25 October.

I hope that you can join us at one of our upcoming events for fellowship, thoughtful discussion and fun! 

Rose Sundt (2015, Oriental Studies)
Communications Lead for SJC Women's Network
Click here to read more about Rose