Women's Center FAQ

What is the Women’s Center?

It’s a student development office that provides gender-based resources, education, and leadership development for all students on campus—so, an internship program, events, etc.  This also means consulting with faculty and staff about gender-related issues, doing institutional advocacy and administration, and connecting students with the larger community.    

Where is it on campus?

Inside Landis House, at the corner of College and Pomfret Streets (across from Drayer and Adams).  We have 24-7 card access, a sweet living room and library resource, and wireless connections.  We also offer meeting and lounge space for any Dickinson Community member (women@dickinson.edu).

Does it only serve women?

Absolutely not!  The name “Women’s Center” is used at many colleges across the country because these spots were one place where people first sat down to learn about and discuss gender on campus.  In reality, most Women’s Centers educate about gender in general, and they do that with lots of students, not just women.  At Dickinson, about 15% of people who use the Women’s Center services are men, which is pretty typical for a new Center.  By 2016 (the end of the Strategic Plan) we’re hoping to at least double this number—let us know if you want to be involved at women@dickinson.edu.

Why not just call it a Gender Center?

Hey, interesting idea!  And we’re considering a name change, but there are a lot of other gender-related projects happening on campus right now, so until we come up with the right solution, we don’t want to change our name only to change it again next year (why confuse something that’s already pretty complicated, you know?).   

Besides, there’s something historical about the name “Women’s Center”—it makes us, and Dickinson, part of a larger tradition of campus education that we might not want to lose.  And, let’s be honest, not that many people really know what “gender” means—but a lot of people know (or at least think they know ;)) what a “woman” is.

What is gender? Is that different than what’s on my birth certificate?

Yes and no.  Your gender assignment is based on how doctors and medical practitioners diagnose your biology when you’re born.  In practice, most folks call this “sex”.   That’s differentiated from “gender”, which includes the way we walk, talk, dress, behave, and how we treat others/expect to be treated.   

In reality the line between sex and gender is more fluid than most of us realize—but let’s not get ahead of ourselves!  For now, it’s important to begin differentiating gender and sex in your mind, and start to notice the ways that we all perform gender in everyday life.

Why isn’t there a men’s center?

Women’s Centers started because individuals and institutions recognized that women are subject to gender inequities on college campuses.  The Center is a space that provides services for the entire campus to narrow these gaps (in the same way that the Career Center, by serving people who seek professional development services, serves the well-being of the campus as a whole).   Forming a Men’s Center would imply that men are in some way disadvantaged in contemporary culture and neither the numbers nor the anecdotal data support that claim.

We definitely think there should be space for men to discuss gender in explicit and thoughtful ways, which is why we actively support projects like MORE, MANdatory, Dimensions, and other campus men’s groups.

Wait, but women are outperforming men in higher education, aren’t they?

Well, yes and no.   Women may be more successful or more represented in a small subsection of some majors, and they are certainly doing better than men in their disciplinary records, but they also are consistently under pressures (especially the threat of violence) in social climate that men don’t face.  The news stories about men at risk in higher education really don’t give you the big picture.  Once race and class are factored into the equation, this issue becomes even more urgent—this data demonstrate that white men still have greater college attainment than women and men of color, and that a minority of U.S. citizens overall access higher education, issues that certainly matter for Women’s Centers.

In short, it would be cool to say we’ve achieved gender equity, but we have a long way to go.

Okay, so what do you talk about - sexual assault?

Sure, sometimes, but conversations about gender involve so much more than gender-based violence.  Think about it—how many times have you noticed how boys and girls/men and women treat each other, behave differently, play sports differently, or argue about the same things?  How many times have you wondered how your cultural background impacts your sense of what it means to be a woman?  We try to focus on topics of interest to the broadest possible student population, while pushing ourselves to go there with topics that may be uncomfortable to keep learning and growing as a community.   What are you interested in? 

There is a Violence Prevention Coordinator and a Gender Violence Resource Network that provide leadership and expertise on violence prevention efforts and the Women’s Center is one of the key partners in that work.  Dickinson has a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women.

I don’t really care about all this, I just want to get together with other people and have fun.

Awesome.  We host weekly lunch discussions and co-host monthly Ladies’ Nights (open to all).  We also offer a transcript notation internship program, volunteer opportunities, and special events.  Stop by Landis House or get on our email list, Facebook, or webpage to find out more.

The Women’s Center makes me a little nervous.

That’s understandable—there are a lot of myths out there about Women’s Centers and feminism in general, and in a way, the Women’s Center does offer a challenge to conventional wisdom.  If you’re uncomfortable with the Center, come check it out, or ask somebody you know who knows somebody who is involved to tell you a little bit about it.  We don’t bite (at least, the staff don’t--awkward).