Photo courtesy of: University Communications and MarketingDr. M. Geneva Murray

The Ohio University Women’s Center offers people on campus and in the Athens community a diverse look into the needs and concerns of women. The Women’s Center staff is looking forward to many exciting events coming up in the 2018 fall semester.

The Better Bystanders and Campus Involvement Center sponsor the “Walk a Mile Together” series, which has had a successful start following the “What Were You Wearing” exhibit that recently closed in the Baker University Center. The main event for the series will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 26, in the Baker Center’s third floor atrium. The series is a part of the University’s sexual assault prevention work.

Director of the Women’s Center Dr. M. Geneva Murray said she is encouraged by the work that Better Bystanders has been doing to make sure that a key piece in the conversation about sexual assault is bystander intervention.

“So often people think of sexual violence prevention as how do we stop a rape, and thinking about it in terms of the violent occurrence that happens with a sexual assault,” Murray said, “But there are so many steps that lead up to that and there are so many opportunities for us to intervene as better bystanders.”

In addition to the support of the “Walk A Mile Together” events, the Women’s Center is hosting a number of other events throughout the semester.

On Tuesday, Sept. 25, the Women’s Center will host its next International Women’s Coffee Hour. Unlike many of its regular Coffee Hours, this particular event will be held at Passion Works Studio from 4 to 6 p.m. This is leading up to the International Women’s Installation and Exhibit that the Women’s Center will debut on Tuesday, March 26.

“We are really hopeful that women and people across campus contribute works of art about women’s experiences around the world. And we’re thinking about art as broadly defined,” Dr. Murray said. “And if people are worried about not being an artist, we’re utilizing the International Women’s Coffee Hour as a community art opportunity by going to Passion Works, where they help everybody understand their role in art and realize that you can do art no matter what.”

Additional International Women’s Coffee Hours will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 30, and Tuesday, Nov. 27, in Baker University Center 403.

At noon, Thursday, Sept. 27, the Women’s Center will host its first Thirsting for Knowledge Thursday series event of the year. Emily Yates, an accessibility consultant, travel writer and TV presenter will host the first event on “undressing disability.” She will be talking about gender, Enhance the UK and Body Integrity Identity Disorder.

The National Eating Disorders Association walk will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, at the University’s Bicentennial Park. Money raised from the event will go directly to NEDA.

“It is a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together to support a national organization whose mission it is to decrease the number of people who have eating disorders, and also to raise awareness and to decrease stigma,” Dr. Murray said.

Attendees are encouraged to register in advance for the walk. Registration is free, but donations are encouraged. Individuals or teams can register for the walk at https://nedawalk.org/athens2018 There will also be a silent auction with items donated by campus organizations and community businesses.

Starting Monday, Oct. 22, the Women’s Center will host “Love Yourself Week” with co-sponsors Women’s Panhellenic Association, Positivity Project, and Intersectional Feminist Alliance. Several events throughout the week will encourage students to challenge beauty norms, give affirmations, and think “beyond the body” in terms of professional and emotional development.  

“We believe that it’s important for all people to be able to affirm the qualities within themselves that they’re really proud of,” Dr. Murray said. “Sometimes we’re told that we need to be more humble and modest and I think that while that can be true, so often marginalized populations are also told that more than others, so we really hope to create a space to celebrate people’s achievements.”

The week’s events are as follows:

• Oct. 22, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., outside of Baker Center fourth floor: Students will be encouraged to film short talks for social media about affirmations, either about themselves or a friend, that have nothing to do with their physical appearance.
• Oct. 23, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Howard Hall site: Students will have the opportunity to challenge beauty norms and the reliance on a number on the scale to determine self-worth and health by smashing scales with hammers.
• Oct. 24, 4:30-5:30 p.m., Morton Field/South Beach: Free yoga session (Rainy day location: Baker 240/242)
• Oct. 25, 7 p.m., Memorial Auditorium: Beverly Gooden, Victims’ Rights Advocate and Creator of the Viral Hashtag, #WhyIStayed will be giving a talk about domestic violence as a community issue, discussing her personal domestic violence story, revealing the most important questions to ask victims, and outlining how everyone can help. A full list of co-sponsors for this program are listed on the Women’s Center’s website.
• Oct. 26, all day at the Ohio University Inn and Conference Center: The Athens Area Chamber of Commerce will host the Women’s Leadership Summit for professional and personal development. Advanced registration is required and tickets are $75 per person.

The Women’s Center will host its regular Start Smart Salary Negotiation Workshops starting on Nov. 6. The workshop is licensed through the American Association of University Women and works with students to think about what salary negotiation should look like. Participants are encouraged to register in advance at https://tinyurl.com/Equal-Pay-Ohio.

The Stay Out of Your Own Way workshop will also continue this semester, starting on Nov. 14. This interactive workshop will highlight the ways in which women have traditionally undersold their skills and provide participants with steps to improve their professional presentation of self.

Murray said she sees these two programs as counterparts to each other.

“It is about believing what you say when you say you deserve a higher pay. It’s one thing to say you deserve it, it’s another thing to know what your skills are and what it is you’re saying that may be downplaying your skills … how are you articulating that you are worth it every day,” Dr. Murray said.

On Sunday, Nov. 18, the third annual “Elect Her” program, which is a nationally-run program through Running Start, will be hosted by the Women’s Center and co-sponsored by Political Science, Student Senate, and the Intersectional Feminist Alliance. The program is a nonpartisan training that encourages women to run for student government with the hope that they will run for political office later in life. Even if students are not interested in running for political office, it is a great opportunity for students to learn how to attain any sort of leadership position, Dr. Murray said.

Rebecca Thompson, a skilled political consultant who has been working on campaigns since she was 14 years old, will be the national facilitator. RSVP is required at tinyurl.com/OHIO-elect-her-2018, and faculty and staff are encouraged to nominate students to attend by using the link to RSVP. Studies show that women have to be asked more times than men to run for office before they will consider it. By nominating a student to attend, the Women’s Center hopes that faculty and staff are encouraging students who may not consider running for leadership positions otherwise.

For more information, visit https://www.ohio.edu/womens-center.