More than 100 women and men celebrated the accomplishments of women and the goals for the next female generation during the third annual Women’s Leadership Conference. The event was held Saturday at the Memorial Union.”I think that our numbers keep growing, in part, because hosting the event at the Memorial Union makes it more central and makes the conference more professional,” said Oak-Elm Hall Director Kim Araya. “It’s also nice for the students to have a day without food service.”This year’s theme, “Developing Ideas, Broadening Perspectives, Changing Lives,” was the focus of volunteer speakers from various organizations in the Ames area. The theme was chosen to promote women’s roles in changing society. The symbol, a prism, was chosen because it shows a broadening of perspectives, said Rebecca Britten, chairwoman of the conference.The conference began at 8:30 a.m. with registration and refreshments. Participants received copies of Phillip C. Brewers poem, “Paradoxes of a Woman,” which declares women “… stable enough to cry, victorious enough to lose, industrious enough to relax, leading enough to serve.”Small group sessions about topics such as graduate school options, career planning, leadership training, stress management and financial planning were also included for participants. “A great part of the conference is that women learn about a lot of resources open to women here at Iowa State that many people don’t realize are here,” said Britten, sophomore in biology.The day was an important learning experience not only for the women in attendance but also the men.”I’m really glad to see the number of men attending the conference increase,” said Oak-Elm Programming Board representative Tamathy Stage, senior in animal ecology. “We also need to remember that the conference isn’t aimed just towards women but for men to also learn about the role of women as leaders.”The conference was sponsored by the Ames-ISU YWCA, the Oak-Elm Programming Board, the Inter-Residence Hall Association and the Richardson Court Association Student Government.