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WCU students, faculty, staff, and members of the community are invited to participate in a conference experience dedicated to exploring knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to engage in social change work with a specific focus on disrupting gender oppression. Topics will include dismantling leadership barriers commonly linked to gender identities, coalition building across difference, developing strategies for engaging in social change work and cultivating a community of collaborators, mentors, and allies. Participants will critically examine social justice issues through an intersectional lens and be encouraged to apply what they learn into their day to day lives and in their communities.

EVENT

The Clothesline Project Display

Monday, March 22 at 9:00am
to Friday, April 2 at 7:00pm

Sykes Student Union, 700 S High St, West Chester, PA 19382, United States
Link

Stand in solidarity with survivors of interpersonal violence (sexual assault, dating/domestic violence, stalking). This living arts display was created by members of our community impacted by interpersonal violence since the
1990s. Walk through the display and/or leave a message to honor and support survivors and their loved ones. For more information or to get involved contact cwge@wcupa.edu. Sponsored by the Center for Women & Gender Equity.

This event will be both in-person in Sykes Student Union and via Instagram @wcu_cwge.

EVENT

Game of Well-Being

Monday, March 22 at 12:00pm
to Sunday, April 18 at 5:00pm

TBD
Link

The Game of Well-Being is an initiative coordinated by the Office of Wellness Promotion featuring events hosted by departments and student organizations to help students develop sustainable skills to thrive.

The Game of Well-Being takes place from March 20th-April 23rd. Students who register and check-in at events tagged in RamConnect as Game of Well-Being will earn credits towards a Game of Well-Being badge. In addition to adding a badge to your RamConnect profile, each badge has a different prize associated with it. A badge is earned for every 4 events, one for each area of well-being, in which a student participates. The four measurable areas of well-being are connection, awareness, purpose, and insight.

To find events for the Game of Well-Being go to ramconnect.wcupa.edu, click on events on the top tool bar, and use the event tag filter to select any of the four Game of Well-Being tags. Events may also be available through Handshake at wcupa.joinhandshake.com and log-in with your WCU single sign-on information.

The following are the prizes for the bages:
-Badge #1: Purple silicon reusable straw with Rams Up carrying case
-Badge #2: WCU 150th Anniversary t-shirt
-Badge #3: Embroidered WCU Rams Up hat

Each week a new game board featuring the Game of Well-Being events will be released. Events for the whole game are available on RamConnect. Events will include those in-person, remote, or hybrid (event is offered in-person and remote).

EVENT

Involvement Panel: Spring Forward, Pass it on - Thriving Times, Thriving Minds Series

Tuesday, March 23
4:00pm - 5:00pm

700 S High St, West Chester, PA 19382, United States
Link

Join us and learn how to get involved on campus by hearing about from others.
Meeting ID: 914 7321 4144 | Passcode: 181746

EVENT

Trans Advocacy Training

Wednesday, March 24
11:00am - 12:00pm

Trans, non-binary, genderfluid, genderqueer… what exactly does it all mean? This one-hour training will review terminology, problematic language, WCU policies, and qualities of an advocate as it relates to the transgender and non-binary communities and experiences. Participants will also discuss how society interacts with trans folks and what you can do to strengthen your advocacy. For more information, check out our Ram Connect, ramconnect.wcupa.edu/CTQA, or contact us at transandqueer@wcupa.edu or 610-436-3147.

EVENT

Ram I Am: Queer Media from the Margins

Thursday, March 25
1:00pm - 2:00pm

Representation matters! This one-hour presentation will provide participants with an opportunity to explore the limits of trans and queer presence within mainstream media. Participants will discuss LGBTQIA+ representation in media such as movies, television, comics, video games, cosplay as well as social media. For more information, check out our Ram Connect, ramconnect.wcupa.edu/CTQA, or contact us at transandqueer@wcupa.edu or 610-436-3147.

EVENT

Strike a Pose: Trans Women of Color in the Media

Wednesday, March 31
2:00pm - 3:00pm

Join the Center for Trans & Queer Advocacy in collaboration with the Dowdy Multicultural Center as we celebrate International Transgender Day of Visibility and Women’s History Month! We will take a close look at clips from television and movies and discuss how representation shapes our understanding of trans women of color and how we can move from simple acknowledgment to a genuine celebration of trans women of color. For more information, check out our Ram Connect, ramconnect.wcupa.edu/CTQA, or contact us at transandqueer@wcupa.edu or 610-436-3147.

EVENT

Campus Pride Index 2021 Results Shareout

Wednesday, April 7
12:00pm - 1:30pm

The Campus Pride Index is a national benchmarking tool used for assessing campus climate for LGBTQ inclusion. Over the past several months, the Center for Trans & Queer Advocacy has been working with departments all across campus to fill out the assessment. We submitted the results to Campus Pride and have received our scored assessment. We would like to invite you to join us on Wednesday, April 7th at noon as we share out the results of the assessment. Afterwards, we will engage in a conversation around the next steps for improving the campus climate for LGBTQ individuals at WCU. For more information, please feel free to contact us at transandqueer@wcupa.edu or 610-436-3147.

EVENT

Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Narratives Conversation Series

Wednesday, April 7
3:30pm - 4:30pm

Private Location (rsvp to display)
Link

Wednesdays, April 7, 14, 21 at 3:30pm

Join us for a conversation series to celebrate APIDA Heritage Month. We will view and discuss short videos on the diverse APIDA community narratives.

Zoom link will be provided after sign up. Attend one, two, or all sessions. Registering for one session registers you for the remaining sessions.

The first 6 participants to attend each conversation will receive a giveaway of their choice.

For questions contact multicultural@wcupa.edu or call 610-436-2562.

EVENT

First Gen Mixer

Thursday, April 8
12:00pm - 1:00pm

Private Location (rsvp to display)
Link

Meet first-gen staff & faculty for an opportunity to win a Spirit Pack!

EVENT

Ram I Am: Non-Binary Week

Thursday, April 8
3:30pm - 4:30pm

Join the Center for Trans and Queer Advocacy as we center and celebrate the spectrum of non-binary identities, communities and experiences. For more information, check out our Ram Connect, ramconnect.wcupa.edu/CTQA, or contact us at transandqueer@wcupa.edu or 610-436-3147.

EVENT

Student Leadership Summit

Saturday, April 10
10:00am - 1:00pm

TBD
Link

Check out all the information about the Summit at https://bit.ly/SLS-info
Lean how to be a better leader with keynote speaker Drew Dudley. His Ted Talk "Everyday Leadership" was voted one of the top 15 most inspirational Ted Talks of all time.

Drew will provide six simple questions that comprise “The Leadership Test”, and while the questions may be simple, the behavioral changes they generate build better careers, stronger organizations, and more fulfilling lives.

EVENT

Intersectionality in Practice Training

Wednesday, April 14
1:00pm - 2:00pm

Why is everyone talking about intersectionality? What does it even mean? This one-hour training will center trans and queer people of color identities and experiences. Participants will discuss the intersections of race, gender & sexuality and strategies for advocacy. For more information, check out our Ram Connect, ramconnect.wcupa.edu/CTQA, or contact us at transandqueer@wcupa.edu or 610-436-3147.

EVENT

EqualiTea! Speaker Series: Antirape Activism at the Crossroads of Gender and Racial Justice with Dr. Catherine Jacquet

Wednesday, April 14
4:00pm - 5:00pm

TBD
Link

Join Dr. Catherine Jacquet (Louisiana State University), historian and author of The Injustices of Rape: How Activists Responded to Sexual Violence, 1950-1980, in a conversation with WCU students about the history of antirape activism in the US, the complicated intersections of racial and gender justice, and how the lessons from the past can inform our activism today.

EVENT

Cultural Heritage Month Speaker Series: APIDA Heritage Month featuring Kristina Wong and Dr. Simran Jeet Singh

Wednesday, April 14
6:00pm - 8:00pm

Private Location (rsvp to display)
Link

This discussion will highlight the rich diverse and history of Asian Pacific Islander Desi American communities in the U.S. Speakers will also so connect racial justice movements across the APIDA communities and specifically discuss the ongoing racism that is impacting Asian, Pacific Islander and Asian American communities because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sexual Compatibility and Negotiation

Sometimes it can be tricky to figure out how to have the sex you'd like to be having with a partner. Maybe your partner has expressed an interest in something you're unsure about, maybe you've been struggling how to bring up an activity you'd like to try. Navigating what you want in addition to boundaries and consent can be challenging, but there are tools you can try to help you figure out what you and your partner or partners want when it comes to sex. Check out this video with clinical sexologist Dr. Lindsey Doe, where she introduces the idea of Want/Will/Won't lists for sexual negotiation with partners.

It’s not too late! Apply to be a peer educator today. The Office of Wellness Promotion, Center for Trans & Queer Advocacy, and Center for Women & Gender Equity are currently accepting applications until Monday, March 22nd at 12pm. Peer Educators are paid student leaders who assist in educating the campus community and creating change connected to health and well-being, LGBTQIA+ Advocacy, or Gender Justice. CW&GE peer educators work 6-10 hours a week on a multitude of projects, including all of our events in this newsletter. Interested in applying? Visit Handshake with your WCUPA login. CW&GE is position # 4424928, CTQA is position #4458058, and Wellness is position #4453205. We need your voice to help us work to a more equitable community.

Contacting Your Representatives

Do you know who your elected representatives are? Do you know how they have voted when it comes to policies that you care about?

Here are a few quick ways to familiarize yourself with what elected officials represent your area and how you can get in touch with them.

Finding out who your representatives are can be done through My Reps. This is a tool for looking up who your elected representatives are across the United States. Based on your address, we can find all the federal, state, county, and local officials who represent you in government.

You can use the Vote Spotter app to learn more about legislation in simple terms and to find out how your representative voted on the matter.

You can also use tools like Resist Bot to contact your representatives in seconds. Text the word RESIST to 50409 or to Resistbot on iMessage or Telegram and follow the directions. Resistbot will turn your texts into a letter, and deliver it to the elected officials you choose: from your mayor to the President.

Bills, Bills, Bills

Here are some bills you might consider contacting your representatives about.

Pennsylvania House Bill1586 proposes comprehensive sex education and sexual violence education become a part of the Public School Code of Pennsylvania. You can read the whole text of the bill here.
The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act has currently been passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and sent to the Senate for a vote. This latest version of the bill strengthens legal protects for transgender women, and expands the criminal threshold to bar an individual from buying a gun to include misdemeanor convictions of domestic abuse or stalking.

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EVENT

First Annual Gender Justice Conference

Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at 12:00am
to Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 11:55pm

Add to Google Cal, Outlook, Yahoo, iCal

WCU students, faculty, staff, and members of the community are invited to participate in a conference experience dedicated to exploring knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to engage in social change work with a specific focus on disrupting gender oppression. Participants will critically examine social justice issues through an intersectional lens and be encouraged to apply what they learn into their day to day lives and in their communities. ASL/CART provided, for other access needs, please contact: cwge@wcupa.edu

EVENT

Gender Justice Conference Keynote Speakers: Jennifer S. Hirsch & Shamus Khan

Wednesday, March 24, 2021
12:00pm - 2:00pm

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First Annual Gender Justice Conference Keynote Speakers: Jennifer S. Hirsch & Shamus Khan, authors of Sexual Citizens

In SEXUAL CITIZENS: A Landmark Study of Sex, Power, and Assault on Campus, Columbia professor Jennifer S. Hirsch and Princeton Professor Shamus Khan lay out an expansive, empirically-grounded vision for campus sexual assault prevention. The book, which was listed as one of NPR's 'best books of 2020', is rich with the testimonies of over 150 Columbia students who participated in the Sexual Health Initiative to Foster Transformation (SHIFT). Startling in their frankness and revelations, these experiences encompass explicit acts of violent rape and more subtle violations of consent that many people may not realize is assault, juxtaposed against consensual sexual experiences that range from sweet and caring to startlingly impersonal and objectifying. Hirsch and Khan's goal, in sharing these stories, is not to make moral judgments or decide what the ideal legal ramifications of assault should be. Rather, with empathy and compassion for the many struggles that young people face, they approach sexual assault as a public health problem and explain it by setting out a broader understanding of how sex is organized and what it means to young people in college.

Sexual Citizens puts forth powerful new concepts to help explain the forces in young people's sexual lives: sexual projects (the various motives college students have for pursuing sex), sexual citizenship (the possession of one's sexual agency, and the respect for another's), and sexual geographies (the landscapes, both physical and social, that shape the power dynamics and contexts of sex). Hirsch and Khan have a remarkable eye for nuance—at every point in their exploration of campus culture they identify the ways race, class, age, and sexuality can intersect with gender to influence who is most at risk and who is most likely to commit offenses. Grounded in the intimate, often painful accounts of the human beings at its center, SEXUAL CITIZENS is a bold and comprehensive analysis of a social ecosystem where sexual assault is a regular feature, concluding with a bracing set of recommendations for what families, teachers, policy makers, and leaders in higher education can do to prevent it.

EVENT

Alumni Spotlight: Nahje Royster, "I Said What I Said"

Wednesday, March 24, 2021
3:30pm - 4:30pm

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The good sis Nene Leakes once said "I said what I said" and it's a saying I work to live by. The past couple of years have been filled with frustration, grief, sociopolitical uprisings, cultural and political shifts, civil unrest, and a pandemic. It is time that Black non-men save, protect, and serve ourselves even more rigorously than we do for everyone else.

EVENT

Student Spotlight: Najah Hendricks Becoming Yourself in a PWI and Beyond

Wednesday, March 24, 2021
4:45pm - 5:45pm