Women & Gender Centers Presentation
- Jasmine Nguyen
- Nov 17, 2020
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 11, 2021
Date of Presentation: November 16, 2020
Description: In the course EDAD 521 - History and Philosophy of Higher Education, each student is assigned a student affair’s functional area to explore and learn more about. In this assignment, students interview a director in their assigned areas to discuss the overview function of the area, the history of the student affair’s area, the student developmental theories utilized, the current issues and justice/equity/inclusive educational (JEIE) issues. Students then create a 5-8 minute video presentation to discuss their learning.
Core Learning Domains:
Social Justice & Advocacy
Education
Professional Development
Learning Outcomes:
Evidence:
Reflection:
When I began this assignment, I had contacted over half a dozen directors at many of the local southern California universities and received zero responses. I was seeking interview time with directors who were working hard, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Time was valuable. I reached out to my groupmates (Hedrick, Isaura, and Rosalba) to see if they had any connections from their alma maters and was fortunate to be connected to Dr. Megan Tagle Adams from California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH).
Through my research of CSUDH Women+s Resource Center (WRC), I found many differences that made their center unique from the others at the various local campuses. In our interview, I asked Dr. Adams why the Women+s Center included a (+) in their name instead of multiple spellings such as Womyn, Womxn, or WoMen Centers. Princeton’s Women*s Center was the inspiration for Dr. Adams. It indicated that the center was more than just for women.
We discussed many of the issues she faces at the Women+s Center, but the one that stood out to me was space and funding. The Women+s Center was relocated from the Student Union into the Student Service Hub in the Library within the last three years. The Student Service Hub consists of the Transfer Center, the Male Success Alliance, and the Women+s Center in an open office layout. However, this layout encourages collaboration and an area where students can do a “one-stop-shop” to seek services. It is not ideal for sensitive topics that the Women+s Center discusses, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and motherhood. Due to their relocation, the WRC has faced a 60% drop in participation, and this drastic change in numbers can now affect their funding to continue programs.
After my interview with Dr. Adam, I continued my research and created a pre-recorded presentation on Women and Gender Centers. In my presentation, I spoke about the overview and purpose of the Women Center, the history leading to the creation of Women Centers, the student development theories used in programming at the WRC, current issues, and justice/equity/inclusive education (JEIE) issues related to the WRC. In my presentation, I was very intentional with the graphics I chose. I altered a few illustrations to be more gender-neutral (shorter hair, removed jewelry, taking away feminine features) to continue the messages that Women Centers are open to all. I included a graphic of two individuals hugging when introducing Critical Race Theory and Queer Theory. I encouraged my audience to be thought-provoked and allowed them to decide what it represented. It could have shown the bond from community cultural wealth shared, or it could have captured a loving couple.
This assignment also challenged me to refine my skills in communication and video editing. As a group, we communicated deadlines of when to complete videos and discuss our strengths and weaknesses. I had confessed to my group that my weakness was spelling, grammar, and sometimes missing words in my sentences. My group did an excellent job of helping to look over my presentation to ensure it was complete and cohesive. I utilized a software called Final Cut Pro to create transition clips and edit the videos together. I spoke to each of my group members to see if there were parts that they were not happy with, such as um’s, small stumbles, or long pauses. It is very challenging to do a 5-8 minute presentation on Zoom well in one take. I carefully edited each of our presentations to take out small bits that they did not like but left in short clips that showed their personalities! Overall, my group did a fantastic job on their presentation, and we think our cohort enjoyed learning more about our functional areas.
References:
Adams, M. T. (2020, October 30). Women and Gender Centers. personal.
Kupo, V. L., & Castellon, J. (2018). Integrating a Gender Equity Lens: Shifting and Broadening the Focus of Women's Centers on College Campuses. New Directions for Student Services, 2018(164), 19–27. https://doi.org/10.1002/ss.20280
No Author. About Us. https://www.csudh.edu/wrc/about/.
Schuh, J. H., Jones, S. R., & Torres, V. (2017). Student Services, A Handbook for the Profession (Sixth). Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Brand.
Yosso, T. J. (2006). Critical race counterstories along the Chicana/Chicano educational pipeline. Routledge.
Question: What are some ways to be more intentional about gender neutrality in your day to day? Leave a comment!
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