A 23-year tradition of honoring the strength of women continues this week at Iowa State.

Women’s Week is being celebrated with a variety of speakers and events from Sunday, Oct. 5, through Friday, Oct. 10.

The speakers and panel discussions brought to campus vary from year to year, making Women’s Week a little different each time.

Yet one thing remains the same — Women’s Week is about “empowering women,” Lisa Enloe, of the Women’s Center, said.

She said that over the years, the week has been “very successful [mainly because of] the large number of people attending the events.

“I think it’s something people in the community look forward to – to see the speakers and hear the issues,” she said.

The central theme of this year’s week is about transformations.

“One goal about women’s week is to educate and bring people together,” Enloe said.

One positive aspect of this year’s emphasis on transformations, Enloe said, is “the quality of the speakers brought in and the diverse themes.”

Women’s Week is a joint effort of students, departments and sponsors. This year there are 37 sponsors.

The week is collaborative and student-driven, Enloe said, and was created to answer the interests and needs of both male and female students.

One highly anticipated event will be the Guerrilla Girls performance Friday night. Sharon Haselhoff, chair of Women’s Week, said she is excited about it and anticipates a large crowd.

Haselhoff said the Guerrilla Girls interact with the audience, yet keep their identity unknown by wearing masks. Their message is about sexism and racism in art, which they apply to culture, she said.

Deirdre McCloskey, University of Iowa economics professor, is involved with the Guerrilla Girls and will lecture Friday at noon. She is a male-to-female transsexual who had a sex-change operation last year.

The majority of the events will take place in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.

The schedule for Women’s Week is as follows:

Monday, Oct. 6

• Noon-1 p.m. Panel discussion: “The Legislative Agenda: Concerns for Women.”

• 8 p.m. Lecture: “Incrementalism vs. The Ketchup Bottle: Women’s Progress in Politics” by Ruth Mandel, director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University and holder of the ISU Mary Louise Smith Chair in Women and Politics.

Tuesday, Oct. 7

• 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Women and Leadership Symposium in the Pioneer Room of Memorial Union.

• 11 a.m.-noon Panel discussion: “Women and Leadership: A View from the Public Sector.” The moderator will be Terry Besser, assistant professor of sociology and extension sociologist. Panelists will be Connie Wimer, president and publisher of Business Publications Corp.; Frances Colson, president and CEO of Colston Small Business and Tax Service, Inc.; and Sunny Richer, president of Doextra Corp.

• Noon-1 p.m. Lecture: “Women and Leaders” by Mandel. Reserve a box lunch by calling Catt Center at 294-3181 or bring your own.

• 1-2 p.m. Panel discussion: “Women and Leadership: A View of the Public Sector.” The moderator will be Besser. Panelists will be Elizabeth Hoffman, University of Illinois at Chicago provost designate; Joy Corning, Iowa lieutenant governor; and Celeste F. Bremer, U.S. District Court magistrate judge.

Wednesday, Oct. 8

• 8 p.m. Lecture: “Being Real: Women and Men Tell the Truth and Change the Face of Feminism” by Rebecca Walker, author, activist and founder of the Third Wave Direct Corp.

Thursday, Oct. 9

• Noon-1 p.m. Lecture Discussion: “Women’s Cancer — One More Thing to Worry About.”

• 8 p.m. ISU National Coming Out Week Keynote Lecture: “Race, Gender and Coming Out” by Sabrina Sojourner, the first openly lesbian woman elected to the U.S. Congress.

Friday, Oct. 10

• Noon Lecture: “Out Coming, In Thinking: Thoughts of a Novice Women” by McCloskey.

• 8 p.m. Performance: “Guerrilla Girls: A Slide Show Presentation of Artistic Activism.”