It is an unfortunate reality, in today's society, that some opportunities are available to men and not women.

In an effort to fix this problem, the University of Dayton is preparing to host the fifth annual Annie T. Thornton Women's Leadership Conference (ATWLC). The ATWLC will be held on Saturday, March 4.

The Women's Leadership Conference was dedicated in 2004 to Annie T. Thornton for her dedication to the university for over 40 years of service and mentoring of the students.

The goal of this conference is to create an event to help women at UD develop leadership skills, as well as, network with others in the Dayton community.

The event first took place on UD's campus back in the spring of 2002. Since then it has been an extreme success. The first year, 100 participants attended the conference.

In the second year, that number doubled. Over the short five year span it has grown into a valuable program at UD.

Each conference consists of speeches and various workshops to participate in. The day begins with choosing to listen to one of four notable speakers.

Those featured this year are Rhine McLin, mayor of Dayton; Gail Littlejohn, President of the Dayton Public School Board; Margaret Peters, author and historian; and Doris Ponitz, community leader.

The speeches provide numerous opportunities to listen to women who have both experience and success in their fields.

Following these speeches, lunch will be served in the Kennedy Union Ballroom, at which time the keynote speaker will also address the conference.

This year's keynote speaker will be Vernellia Randall, a professor at the School of Law since 1990. Randall has been known for her writings and speeches about race, women and health care. While growing up she initially went into the nursing field in college.

It was through working with the sick that she was alerted to the disparities in health care for the minorities and the poor.

'Randall believed that a thorough knowledge of law would help her become more effective in her mission,' said a posting on the ATWLC Web site.

This law degree led her to being an adjunct faculty member at Lewis and Clark College. Soon she went into teaching full time.

Randall is currently the director of the Academic Excellence Program which helps students get a head start into learning the skills necessary to succeed in Law School.

Randall's achievements and notable awards are plentiful and nothing short of remarkable. From co-organizer of the Miami Valley Community Summit on Eliminating Racism to a consultant of the Clinton administration advisory committee on health care reform to a grant reviewer of the National Institute of Health, it is clear that Professor Randall will be worthwhile speech to hear at the conference.

Many speakers and workshops will be part of this one-day event. Attendees do not need to be UD students to participate in the conference.

The event is $10 for students and $50 for all other community members. Registration can be completed online at http://www.udayton.edu/~udwlc and must be completed by Monday, Feb. 27. You can also print off a registration form, found on the Web site, and mail in to the address listed on the Web site.