#MeToo movement and author to highlight OSU Women Veterans Symposium

Friday, February 2, 2018

A female sexual assault survivor and an author of an acclaimed military memoir will share their stories at the third annual Women Veterans Symposium set for Saturday, March 10, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. in the Wes Watkins Center at Oklahoma State University. The symposium is free to all women veterans and women active-duty military, reservists and National Guard members. 

Hosted by Student Veteran Academic Services at OSU, the symposium will focus on helping female veterans become instruments of change and more involved in their communities. It’s also an opportunity to meet and build relationships with sister veterans, and hear advice from those who’ve successfully transitioned from the military to civilian life.  

The morning program will feature a discussion of women veterans and the #MeToo movement, including a testimonial by a military sexual assault survivor and resources available to help victims.  

The keynote speaker for the afternoon, Tracy Crow, is a former Marine Corps officer who has authored or edited six books including the critically-acclaimed military memoir, “Eyes Right: Confessions from a Woman Marine.” Her latest release is a novel, “Cooper’s Hawk: The Remembering.” 

Crow is the president and CEO of the nonprofit MilSpeak Foundation, which supports the creative arts endeavors of military service members, veterans, and family members.  

Morning and afternoon breakout sessions at the symposium will provide information on federal and state benefits, women’s health and wellness issues, changes in VA medical services, job search skills, and creative writing.

Several organizations will be present to provide information about services and benefits available to women veterans, including the women’s clinic at the VA Regional Medical Center in Oklahoma City; Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs; outreach coordinators from the Oklahoma City and Tulsa Veteran Centers; Oklahoma National Guard Family Programs; the local veterans employment representative from the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission; Women Veterans Organization; Disabled American Veterans; Veterans of Foreign Wars; the Office of Student Disability Services, and Veteran Entrepreneur Program from OSU.