Women's Center

Hello readers! This is Misha again, and I am going to update you on  what’s been happening in the Women’s Center this month!

November was themed as Sex-Vember as our events catered to sexuality, sexual health and sex education….

To start the month we partnered with FAB (’Fords Against Boredom) to host FAB Quizzo! This had a great turn out. The middle round of questions focused on sexual health and the WC gave a way a slamming bonus prize: $50 gift card to Milkboy!

Next up…. There were TWO workshops held by Juicy Justine (sex educator), Rough Sex for Beginners and a Pleasure workshop. These events turned out to be Tri-Co as the crowd expanded and with students from not only Haverford but also those from Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore!

Here are some photos from Justine’s Rough Sex Workshop::

People poured into the Multicultural Center

…and how is it different from some of the other organizations on campus, like Women of Color and Women in Action???

I’m ever so glad you asked, O internet. Actually, we get this question all the time.

Here, look at this picture we drew for you:

Like WiA, Women of Color is a student club that is open to women (all women!). The heads of Women in Action this year are Maya Barlev (mbarlev) and Meg Bishop (mdbishop); the heads of Women of Color are Hilary Malson (hmalson), Kristin Tan (ktan), and Misha Baker (mbaker – who, incidentally, is also a supafantastic Women’s Center staff member). Email any of them to get involved!

Yours,

WC staff

Hello Everyone,

Welcome back to our blog! My name is Misha and I am a staff member at the wonderful Women’s Center at Haverford.

We have a full medley of events for this semester to keep everyone occupied, interested and hopefully excited! I will write out some of them here but be on the look out for a full calendar coming up!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In honor of this occasion we will table at the DC with breast cancer  and (testicular cancer too) self-check pamphlets. Please stop by to pick one or two up and have a chat with the staff member tabling. Hopefully we will borrow a piece a ‘Breast in a Box’ set. I know that might sound creepy but it’s actually really informative and offered me a sense of relief when I first came across it when I was first year student. Essentially it’s a pair of breasts, one is healthy and the other has a tumor. The point is to give women an idea of what a cancerous tumor may feel like. Of course it is not a solution but it’s a step, women should still continue to check themselves after their period!

In addition, we will have more movie nights, as well as random nights for tea and coffee and general relaxation, and maybe even an art day!

…THEN on to SEXvember! WOO HOO!

For this month we will partner up with FAB (’Fords Against Bordeom’) for a Sexual(ity) Health Trivia: How much do you know? This will be your chance to win cash and other prizes!! Don’t miss it.

As usual, we will also include a Sex Toy Raffle in the Sunken Lounge of the DC, we will flyer for this event so you will get a heads up.

To make things even better we recently booked an excellent and experienced Sex Educator to hold TWO workshops open to the entire student body.

Last but definitely not least, the women’s center will hold a Speakout event where women and men alike can come to support, listen and speak out about rape and sexual assault.

**Please stay tuned for dates and additional information. You can check your email or come back here for more information**

Happy September, Haverford!

The Women’s Center is back in action and back on our blog.  From here we’ll be writing about our events, publicizing, reflecting, and who knows what else.  We have four returning staff members this semester: Misha Baker ‘10, Cara Curtis ‘10, Annie Tague ‘10, and Karina Puttieva ‘11 (and a special shout out to our 5th, Steph Contreras ‘11, who is fortunate enough to be studying in Cairo this semester) .  And as always, we’re fearlessly led by our director Marilou Allen.  Stay tuned for a calendar of all our Fall programming…for now, here are our normal weekly hours–as a reminder, we’re up in the Campus Center room 209.  Come visit!

Sunday: 12-4 Misha, 7-11 Cara

Monday: 2-4 Karina, 7-11 Karina

Tuesday: 12-4 Cara, 7-11 Annie

Wednesday: 2-4 Karina, 7-11 Misha

Thursday: 12-4 Annie, 7-11 Misha

More to come soon!

Love,

The Women’s Center

Does rape happen at Haverford? Is it “not really a problem here”? Have you ever stopped to think about it?

This coming week, April 5-13, is the week to consider these questions! Presenting…

Rape and Sexual Assault Awareness Week 2009

Sponsored by the Women’s Center

With the following events:

Clothesline Project, Haverford Edition – All week starting Sunday, Founders Green

This project was started by women in Massachusetts as a way to “air the dirty laundry” of sexual assault and give survivors a productive, artistic outlet for their anger. Now in its 18th year, the project serves as a visual reminder of the pain caused by rape and the strength of those who survive it. Stop by Founders Green all week to see Haverford’s own Clothesline Project, with shirts decorated by members of our community.

Take Back the Night and SPEAKOUT – Wednesday, April 8, 8:30 p.m., Campus Center→Founders’ Common Room

This year, we are combining the annual Take Back the Night march and SPEAKOUT event into one powerful evening! At 8:30, meet between the Campus Center and the GIAC and take part in the march up to Founders’ Hall. We’ll be loud, sing, read poetry, dance—it’s about reclaiming the night as a time free of rape and sexual violence. Join us!

Then at 9:00 in Founders’ Common Room, we’ll have the once-a-semester SPEAKOUT against rape and sexual assault. Come to speak and share your story as a survivor, friend, or ally—or just come as a supportive listener. Your presence is a statement, as well as your voice!

Solidarity Board and Ribbons – Friday through Sunday, Dining Center Lobby

To culminate our week of awareness and support, the Women’s Center will be placing a large display board in the DC lobby. It will have pens by it, as well as purple ribbons—sign your name on the board as a commitment to your support towards stopping sexual assault and rape at Haverford and in the wider world. Then take a ribbon as a reminder to yourself and sign to others of this pledge. Together we can stop rape, one person at a time!

We hope everyone in the community will find a way to participate in some way during the week, even if it’s small. Every sign of support makes a difference!

Love,

The Women’s Center staff (Jessie, Steph, Karina, Annie, Cara, Misha, Lauren)

Last night (3/19), I had the opportunity to see writer, blogger, and women’s rights activist Jessica Valenti speak at Bryn Mawr. I first heard of her a friend of mine mentioned the blog that Valenti had started called feministing.com. The blog’s aim was to create an informative and communal web space, focused on feminism and building off politics, personal experiences, popular culture, etc. What makes feministing.com remarkable, however, is the fact that it is staffed by and targets young women and approaches the topic of feminism far less formally, to dispel the myth that all feminists are ugly old women, who hate men and refuse to shave. The daily tidbits on the blog are there to simply make you stop, think, and react – whether it is through laughter, anger, confusion, or, as Valenti hopes, some personal form of activism.

Overall, 30-year old Valenti was funny, disarmingly self-aware, and walked the line between informative and unpretentious with much grace. She covered it all: from rape culture, to purity balls, from political legislation to anecdotes, recounting her own personal experiences growing up. She closed with a reading from her new book, The Purity Myth, in which she explores the newly emerged moral panic over young girls’ sexuality and what it will really mean for the future generation of women.

with your help we build up our clothesline project and speak out against sexual violence with a stronger voice

Dear friends,

April is the national Sexual Assault Awareness Month. To raise awareness about sexual violence, the Womens Center organizes an annual Clothesline Project (CLP) made of submissions from Haverford students. This is a national project, and you can read more about it here  www.clotheslineproject.org). It is a visual display of t-shirts made by survivors and friends/family of victims speaking out against rape and sexual assault. Our clothesline will be strung across Founders Green.

The CLP website explains: The concept was simple – let each woman tell her story in her own unique way, using words and/or artwork to decorate her shirt. It acts as an educational tool for those who come to view the Clothesline; it becomes a healing
tool for anyone who makes a shirt – by hanging the shirt on the line, survivors, friends and family can literally turn their back on some of that pain of their experience and walk away; finally it allows those who are still suffering in silence to understand that they are not alone.

*** We are calling for submissions. You can design a t-shirt with anything on it: feel free to use markers, fabric, paint, or whatever other materials you would like (note: try to make sure your shirt is rain-proof!). You can include images, words, or both. All shirts will be anonymous.

***While the traditional Clothesline Project was designed for women, our display is open to survivors of all genders. We will supply you with a shirt, and we have permanent markers in the Center if you would like to use them. Please come by during our open hours (Sun-Fri:1-5pm, Sun-Thur: 7-11pm), or contact  womenctr at haverford.edu for more information.

PLEASE SUBMIT SHIRTS BY TUESDAY MARCH 31st (Campus Center room 209).

Yours,
The Womens Center

Questions:  womenctr at haverford.edu

What is it like to be a woman of African descent on Haverford’s campus?

This Wednesday, several black women from the community–students, faculty, staff, and alumni–will gather together for a panel discussion on this very question. We invite everyone on campus to come listen to what they have to say. Maybe you’ll be surprised – interested – confused – moved – angered – maybe you’ll just get to hear some stories from a friend.

It’s a busy week for everyone at Haverford going into Spring Break, but we hope anyone who feels like they can spare the time will take a break and come out. And a special reminder that *everyone*, all genders (this means men!), are more than welcome at all Women’s Center events.

Soo, information recap:

Experiences in Black – Hearing voices of black women on Haverford’s campus

This Wednesday, March 4 * 5:00-6:30 p.m. * Multicultural Center, Stokes

We hope to see you there!

Yours,

The Women’s Center Staff (Lauren, Jessie, Cara, Misha, Steph, Karina, Annie)

here are some photos from last year’s celebration:

"period poetry"

"dessert table"

"art table"