Critiquing Women’s Centers in

Higher Education - The Importance

of Inclusive Practices and
Programming for Empowerment,
Education, and Resources

Sarah Creeden • Daelyn Moon

Learning Outcomes
● Critique and define understanding of womanhood or woman- identifying
and their needs in higher education
● Consider the implications and limitations of women’s center on college
campuses through the lenses of student development theory
● Recognize the impact of women’s centers on White female identifying
students and comparing it to how these impacts affect female identifying
women of color
● Learn about successful approaches to creating inclusive services and
programming for all female identifying students including women of
color, transgender women, and women who identify as homosexual.
Question to Class:
How would you define Women’s Centers?
● Who do they serve? Why?

● What resources and services are available?

● Who are the women being served?

● What are some limitations with what has been mentioned so far?
 What is a Women’s Center?
A space dedicated to female-identifying students that assists in creating a
campus climate that promotes equity and enriches the personal,
professional, and academic lives of all women within a college or university
community.
Black Feminist Thought
Black Feminist Thought and Women’s Centers
1. Women’s Centers should support women from all races, sexes (for non-cisgender
women), and classes
a. Currently follow a White-centered approach
2. Limiting beliefs and leaves out racial and sexual orientation considerations in terms
of resources and services provided
3. How does Black Feminist Thought?
a. Highlights intersections of gender, race, and class
b. Not simply a “woman’s” issue- prevents the erasure of what happens to to
people who are subject to all of these things.
c. Theory to Practice: Allows for foundation to create more inclusive practices that
encompasses women-identifying students of all backgrounds
Examples of Equitable Practices:
University of Cincinnati, Women’s Center

○ Women’s Center Program Review 2014-2015

■ Contributions to UC
1. Advocacy around gender-based violence prevention and
survivor services
2. Creating critical feminist community through providing
programming about women and gender
3. Connection to academics, particularly Women’s , Gender, &
Sexuality Studies
Examples of Equitable Practices:
Northwestern University, Women’s Center

● Has a collaborative relationship with multiple campus organizations at

Northwestern including the Campus Inclusion and Community,
Residential Life, Gender and Sexuality Resource Center, and more.
● Has resources and programs for women of varying salient identities,
backgrounds, and past experiences.
○ Women in the LGBTQ+ community
○ Mothers
○ Sexual violence/assault survivors
● Advocates for women’s health and reproduction justice.
Examples of Equitable Practices:
Gettysburg College, Women's and LGBTQA Resource Center

○ Contributions:
1. Programming: Lunch Lectures, One Billion Rising, The Vagina
Monologues, and Take Back the Night
2. Resources: Emergencies, Health and Wellness, Women’s
Leadership, Relationships, & Consent and Sexual Assault
Resources
3. Open on weekends
Activity: Developing Your Own Program/Service
Project
1. Count off 1-3 . And find prospective groups.
2. You all serve on a committee to create a your own program/service
project from the on campus women’s center.
3. Keeping in mind, Black Feminist Thought, what are some of the things you
would include or keep in mind as a part of your program? Why?
4. Once you have your program, we'll be sharing out with everyone.
References
Black Feminism Explained [Video file]. (2016, May 10). Retrieved February 25, 2018, from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQwc1sMSbJo

Women's Center. (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2018, from

http://www.gettysburg.edu/about/offices/college_life/womens_center/resources.dot

Women’s Center. (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2018, from http://www.northwestern.edu/womenscenter/index.html

Odum, Tamika and Amber Vlasnik (2014-2015). “Women’s Center Program Review” University of Cincinnati. P. 1-41