It’s tea time!

Unplugging Society held its first Hats and Gloves Women’s Tea event Wednesday. About 70 women gathered at the Ohio Union, sporting their formal attire accessorized with head pieces and gloves that extended to their wrists, elbows and shoulders.

Unplugging Society, a discussion-based, women-of-color think-tank, strives to “educate and raise awareness about gender inequality, multicultural issues, higher education,” according to its website.

The tea event celebrated female role models and leaders at Ohio State who would not be daily recognized, said Monique Malone, a second-year in political science and committee chair of the event.

US members nominated four women who had inspiring achievements and for “who they are as people,” Malone said.

Those nominated were Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, associate professor in arts and humanities, Lisa Hinkelman, executive director of OSU’s Interprofessional Commission of Ohio, Deborah Cunningham, program coordinator in the Center of Student Leadership and Service Management and Wendy Winger, program manager in human ecology and OSU’s Campus Suicide Prevention Program.

Leslie Shimizu, a fourth-year in Japanese and English and US historian, began the event presenting one of US’s bigger initiatives, re-writing women into OSU history books. Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments, including tea, were available to attendees.

She talked about female OSU alumni who fought for a role in student government starting in 1908, fought for more housing than just Oxley Hall, initially the only women’s dorm, and fought for building a women’s student union, Pomerene Hall.

Honorees were awarded with a bouquet of pink roses and trophy. A video of interviews with the four recipients played for guests.

Cunningham has worked at OSU for 10 years in the student union and helped obtain a donation for the Davis Interfaith Room at the Union.

Hinkelman is the first generation in her family to receive her master’s and PhD, from OSU in counselor education, which she now teaches classes on at OSU. In 2006, she founded Ruling Our eXperiences (ROX), an organization helping fifth- 10th grade girls conquer adolescent problems.

Winger, an OSU alumna, has taught at the university for three years teaching faculty, staff and students about suicide awareness and intervention methods.

“My job is not terribly depressing because I’m preventing suicide,” she said in the video.

She has personally prevented suicide in saving a man’s life after he showed suicide symptoms. After contacting the man’s family via social media to find where he resided she went to his house in time to prevent him from the act.

Wu has taught at OSU for 14 years. Her passion is advocating social justice, she said, but she specializes in modern United States history regarding race, gender and sex.

Javaune Adams-Gaston, vice president of student life, funded the event. Adams-Gaston gave a brief speech before leaving for another event.

Gaston and Patty Cunningham, graduate student in education and human ecology and founder of US were unexpectedly recognized and awarded with a bouquet and trophy.

US stemmed from Cunningham’s Women in Leadership and Civic Engagement class taught Winter Quarter 2008.