From: Tess Benser
Date: October 2, 2020
Subject: Center For Women & Gender Equity Newsletter


Center for Women & Gender Equity in purple and gold text.

Welcome!

Greetings WCU Golden Rams,  

It is my honor and pleasure to welcome you to the very first edition of the Center for Women & Gender Equity monthly newsletter. In this newsletter, we look forward to providing updates on our activities, share helpful strategies and offer opportunities for you to get involved.  

The Center for Women and Gender Equity provides education, resources, and advocacy in partnership with the students, faculty and staff of the West Chester University community.   

 We facilitate exploration of gender identities and their relationship to other categories and experiences of social difference.  Since our founding in 1973, we have worked to disrupt gender-based oppression in the multitude of ways it intersects with other forms of oppression.  

We are grounded in a vision of joy, liberation and justice for everyone, but intentionally center those who have historically faced systemic barriers to living out the fullness of that vision.   

The Center offers opportunities to engage with a wide variety of gender justice topics through facilitated workshops, sustained dialogue, and curated social media content.  

This Fall, we continue the EqualiTea Speaker Series focused on voting rights to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment. Check out our Fall 2020 EqualiTea series below. We hope you will join us for one or both of these sessions!  

The Center for Women & Gender Equity also regularly offers health and well-being-oriented programs. These are focused on strategies to develop healthy and fulfilling friendships, relationships and connection to others in ways that maintain a campus environment that is safe and respectful for every member of the community. Consider joining us for Situationships, Ram Step Up, Sexy Bingo and our Sexual Projects podcast and social media campaign.   

We partner with the campus and local community to raise awareness and take action to foster social change through initiatives such as #WCUVotes.

Feel free to call the Center at 610.436.2135; email the department account at cwge@wcupa or follow us on Instagram @wcu_cwge or like us on Facebook @wcuCWGE.  

 Be well, take care and see you soon.  

Dr. Sendy Guerrier Alcidonis  

White with teal chevrons. Chart that begins with sexual and divides down into projects, geography, and citizens.

Sex Education & Sexual Citizens


For folks on campus, theÔÇ»big message(s)ÔÇ»they receive about sex areÔÇ»about Title IX and consent.ÔÇ»WhileÔÇ»important and necessary for compliance, this approachÔÇ»does not offer much opportunity for folks toÔÇ»exploreÔÇ»and think about the reasons whyÔÇ»anyoneÔÇ»might seek aÔÇ»particular sexualÔÇ»interaction or experience,ÔÇ»that isÔÇ»whatÔÇ»Hirsch & Khan (authors of Sexual Citizens)ÔÇ»define asÔÇ»sexual projects.ÔÇ»

Sexual Citizens: A Landmark Study of Sex, Power, and Assault on Campus compiles years of research conducted at Columbia University. It offers many insights on how individuals’ identities are tied to power, privilege, oppression, and marginalization, and the critical role these identities play both in sexual projects and in sexual assaults. 

This year, the Center for Women & Gender Equity will be using this text as the foundation for shaping many of sex education efforts.  Undergraduate peer educatorsÔÇ»from CW&GE will offer their reactions and discussion to the concept of sexual projects, sexual citizenship, and sexual geographies, as defined in theÔÇ»Sexual CitizensÔÇ»text in a podcast series as well as on our social media platforms.

Rams Step Up! Logo in purple & gold. Text reads: Rams Step Up! Be a leader, make a difference

Rams Step Up!


RAMS STEP UP! is the Center for Women & Gender Equity's new pro-social, peer educator led, bystander intervention education program. The goals of RAMS STEP UP! workshop is to: raise awareness of helping behavior, increase motivation to help, develop skills and confidence when responding to problems and ensuring the safety and well-being of others, RAMS STEP UP! aims to get bystanders to take action when they see a problematic event. This experience is delivered by trained undergraduate peer educators. This experience is delivered in two 60-minute parts (120 minutes total), delivered sequentially, and is highly interactive.  

Interested in booking a program? Click here. 

Contact Mx. Tess Benser, Assistant Director of Outreach & Engagement tbenser@wcupa.edu, x2151 with any questions. 

Purple graphic with fall leaves that reads: Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Intimate partner or relationship violence is incredibly common, especially among folks ages 18-24. The onset of the Covid-19 Pandemic has made it more challenging for those impacted by relationship violence to connect with resources, and instances of violence appear to be on the rise as social distancing continues to be encouraged. In 2020, it is especially important to raise awareness about relationship violence and how to support those who have been impacted by it. We invite you to join us in this effort.

EqualiTea Speaker Series:
"Big D Stands for Big Demeanor": The Link Between Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Kamala Harris, and Meg Thee Stallion

Monolithic depictions of Black and Latinx women have resulted in increased levels of misogyny, cultural backlash, and violence. This session explores the complexities of Black and Latinx womanhood and the ways women are resisting racialized gender restrictions.

Join us on October 7th at 3:00!

Purple animated graphic with multi colored books bordering the top and bottom of image with Center for Women & Gender Equity logo and an image of the recipient. Text reads:

Newcombe Scholar Spotlight:


Genevieve Cohen is a second-semester senior in the College of Health Sciences majoring in Nutrition and Dietetics. Before WCU she received a Bachelor of Science in Education, was the acting store manager of a local supplement store, and an active part of her local fitness community as a NASM personal trainer and NCSF nutritionist. Genevieve grew up in Bucks County, PA, and now lives in Montgomery County, PA with her partner and their fur-child. She is a member of the Alpha Eta Honor Society for Allied Health Professionals, a student member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and a student member of the pediatric practice group within AND. She also works as a pharmacy technician and volunteers at MANNA on main. Genevieve is passionate about women’s and children’s health and nutrition, and looks forward to building a career working with womxn to heal their relationship with food and their bodies. She believes strongly in weight neutral practices and intuitive eating and hopes to incorporate these into her future practice as a dietitian. Upon graduating in December, she plans to work as a Dietetic Technician while applying to internships for the 2021-22 school year so she can become an RD.

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Other Events Header
What do you think Wednesday

Resistance and Pushback: Uprisings & Official Response

Part of the Politics and Repression Series

Resistance and Pushback: Uprisings & Official Response
A Zoom Panel Discussion featuring:
Sterling Johnson (They/Them), Organizer, Black & Brown Workers Cooperative
Odette Marie Kolenky (she/her), Graduate Student and Data Analyst
Michael Loedenthal (he/him/his), Executive Director, the Prosecution Project and Executive Director, the Peace & Justice Studies Association
Candace McKinley (she/her), Lead Organizer, Philadelphia Community Bail Fund
Lee Smithey (he/him/his), Author, Activist, and Researcher, Global Nonviolent Action Database
Oct 7 @8pm
To register visit https://tinyurl.com/yyq7ccb3
This is free and open to the public.

Questions? Contact Dean Johnson @ djohnson4@wcupa.edu

Part of Politics & Repression A Year Long Series in Five Parts
Sponsored by: Peace and Conflict Studies, Center for Women and Gender Equity, Dowdy Multicultural Center, Graduate Social Work, Political Science, Philosophy, Women’s and Gender Studies, and Youth Empowerment and Urban Studies

What do you think Wednesday

Advocacy in Action: #WCUVotes

The 2020 Election is fast approaching, Rams! Are you ready to cast your ballot? Follow this short checklist to make sure you are ready for Election Day!

  • Register to vote. The deadline to register in Pennsylvania is October 19th!
  • If you are already registered, make sure your registration is up to date with your current address. 
  • Decide how you will cast your ballot. In Pennsylvania, you can chose to vote in-person OR by mail. You must apply to vote by mail by October 27th! 
  • Vote!
 

Voting By Mail? Make Sure Your Vote Counts!

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Networking During a Pandemic Workshop Logo

EVENT

Networking During a Pandemic Workshop

Tuesday, October 20, 2020
5:30pm - 7:00pm
Online Event
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Networking During a Pandemic:

REGISTER
EqualiTea Speaker Series: Between the Streets and the Ballot Box featuring Jamilah Lemieux Logo

EVENT

EqualiTea Speaker Series: Between the Streets and the Ballot Box featuring Jamilah Lemieux

Wednesday, October 21, 2020
6:00pm - 7:00pm
Online Event
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Join communications consultant, fixer, podcast host and (award-winning) writer Jamilah Lemieux in a discussion about the complicated relationship between Black Americans and suffrage, how protest movements and electoral politics intersect, and just what it means to give someone your vote. 
REGISTER
EqualiTea Speaker Series:

EVENT

EqualiTea Speaker Series: "Big D Stands for Big Demeanor": The Link Between Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Kamala Harris, and Meg Thee Stallion

Monday, October 26, 2020
3:00pm - 4:00pm
Online Event
Add to Google Cal, Outlook, Yahoo, iCal

Monolithic depictions of Black and Latinx women have resulted in increased levels of misogyny, cultural backlash, and violence. This session explores the complexities of Black and Latinx womanhood and the ways women are resisting racialized gender restrictions.
REGISTER