Correction appended.
The Women’s Center is currently a one-woman team, but that won’t stop it from having several new and improved programs this year.
Since former program coordinator Sarah Jenkins left her position last spring, Women’s Center Director Geneva Murray, who came to Ohio University just last October, has been running the Women’s Center on her own throughout the summer.
Now, she looks to join forces with other on-campus organizations to keep the Women’s Center’s many programs, both new and old, up and running with the return of students. Some of these collaborations include programs in conjunction with the LGBT Center, the Multicultural Center, the Campus Involvement Center, and the political science and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies departments.
Early in the year, the Women’s Center will be working with the Women’s Panhellenic Association on its annual “Love Yourself Week.” This week will include several self-esteem building programs, such as repurposing old scales to show positive messages instead of numbers.
Kristen Kardas, assistant director for Sorority and Fraternity Life, said that week was a good opportunity for the Women’s Panhellenic Association and the Women’s Center to turn similar events into one collaboration.
“‘Love Yourself Week’ will still have certain events specific for members of WPA organizations, but helping to co-sponsor and collaborate on other events during the week will help both the Women’s Center and WPA connect to a wider audience,” Kardas said in an email. “WPA has coordinated with the Women’s Center on events before, and see this as a great partnership moving forward.”
Another new program the Women’s Center plans to put on is a “Selfie Session,” Murray said.
“From Frida Kahlo to modern technology, women have used selfies to define themselves and empower themselves in positive ways,” Murray said.
She said the workshop will focus on the empowering and artistic side of selfies.
The Women’s Center will also be officially unveiling its “She Leads Ohio” program, which was first developed in the spring but will now be fully up and running.
“(One workshop) trains students in leadership in hopes that they will run for office someday,” Murray said.
The Women’s Center will also host an international keynote speakers, which is a woman who will discuss women’s issues in Egypt. A documentary will be shown about a man in India who started his own sanitary napkin business to provide women with clean and affordable feminine products.
Weekly Brown Bag programs will become monthly. During election season, one lunchtime discussion will be focused on politics, Murray said.
“For part of the elections series, we will be working on nonviolent protest and how to engage with people when you’re on different sides of the political aisle,” Murray said.
She said other topics will include how elections can have an immediate impact on women in the community.
Murray said the Women’s Center’s overall goal for the year will be to continue to empower people in all parts of the university and Athens.
“The Women’s Center strives to be an integral part of the transformative learning community that we have at Ohio University,” Murray said. “Our students, staff, faculty and community members need to feel like empowered, confident people so they can go out into the world and be successful."
Correction:
A previous version of this article included incorrect information about events and programs.
A workshop within the “She Leads OHIO” program is politically-focused, but the overall program concentrates on professional leadership development.
The Women’s Center will be showing a documentary as a part of its “Race, Gender, Culture Film Series” about a man from India who started a business to help provide women with clean and affordable feminine products.
Brown Bag events will cover a wide-span of topics, and there will be one Brown Bag that is politically-focused.
The article has been updated to show the most accurate information.
