By Kari Patrón/Staff Writer

Murrel Library wrapped up its “15 Minutes of Feminism” series for Women’s History Month with presentations by Associate Professor Dr. Claire Schmidt and student Shu’Ron Thompson. Schmidt presented on March 27th at Murrel Library.

Schmidt’s presentation titled “Pranks, Practical Joking and Initiation: where’s my harassment?” was attended by over 10 students and staff.

Schmidt talked about the importance ot practical jokes in the workplace and belonging. She continued recounting how her experiences as a landscaper and folklorist researching occupational humor of prison workers and social workers sparked her interest in the topic.

“I’m really interested in the ways that we acknowledge status at work using humor,” Schmidt said. “We give people awards, prizes, promotions, but I think maybe I think what’s more important is how coworkers acknowledge each other’s status. And how the group says you are the top of your field or you’re really good at what you do. Because how your colleagues see you is maybe more important than how your bosses see you.”

Schmidt thought the topic was important for students to hear about because of their approaching entrance to the workplace and the new dynamics of interpersonal relationships.

“I want people to think about how their fear of being called sexist prevents them from interacting in a meaningful way with women,” Schmidt said. “When we treat a person as someone who cannot be trusted to have a sense of humor. Then we’re saying that person isn’t really fully human.”

During her presentation, Schmidt was asked how students would know the difference between what is appropriate to joke about and what would be considered offensive or harassing.

“The line of what you can say to that person always depends on that person’s individuality,” Schmidt said. “You need to pay attention to power. You need to pay attention to people’s past experiences. You need to pay attention to how other people see you and how another person is experiencing the world.”

The 15 minutes of Feminism series also included presentations by professor of Psychology Jen Livenwood with “Feminism: my second favorite F-word,” student Eva Agcaoili with “Women’s Wrongs: the Tokenization of intersectional feminists in Academia,” and Director of Master of Arts in Community Counseling Adrianne Fuller-St. John with “Feminist Counseling Theory: Gender role expectations and impact on our worldview.”