Women's Center

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Mission Statement

The Women's Center has two mission statements. The following can be found on their homepage:

The Zatae Longsdorff Center for Women of Dickinson College is a feminist organization grounded in an ideology that supports the strength of sisterhood, the value of women’s diversity, and the need to progressively educate the campus community by challenging the patriarchal prescriptions of our society. Our desire to educate the community about women’s issues is evident in our sponsorships of discussions, speakers, and events such as Sexual Assault Awareness Week and Women’s history Month. We counteract the resistance to and fear of feminist ideals by fostering n inclusive environment in which issues pertinent to women’s lives today are being discussed.

When asked if anything distinguishes this mission statement from the organization's purpose, goals, or objectives, Caitlin Conyngham, a member of the executive board, said that she would emphasize the fact that this department of the college is distincly feminist. They are a progressive group that seeks to educate the Dickinson and Carlisle community on women's and feminists' issues.

The Women's Center serves as a place for women to come and discuss issues in a comfortable environment where their ideas can be heard and accepted. The Women's Center is open Sunday-Thursday 7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. and during these times one of the board members will be there to answer any questions or offer advice. The Women's Center website can be located at http://www.dickinson.edu/departments/womctr/mission.html.

Events

On March 8, The Clarke Center and The Women's Center helped Dickinson College celebrate International Women's Day with a panel discussion in the Stern Great room and by selling International Women's Day T-shirts for the Global Fund for Women. Panelists discussed women's progress and suffering in the countries of Nepal, Israel, China, and Nigeria.

The first International Women's Day was established at a meeting in Copenhagen by the Socialist Internationalist, specifically by German Socialist Klara Zetkin, to recognize women's rights movements. It received overwhelming approval from over 100 women from 17 countries and was celebrated for the first time on March 19, 1911. Eventually, women began celebrating this day on March 8.

As noted at the Clarke Center's panel discussion, the International Women's Day of 1917 inspired women to protest against the war and the rising cost of bread. Historically, women have used this day to protest things like war or to rally support for women's rights.

At Dickinson College, International Women's Day was a day of reflection on women and a review of women's lives all over the planet. Panelist and Dickinson College Professor of East Asian Studies Rae Yang, who was born in China and was a graduate student at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, spoke on her experiences with International Women's Day and the position of women in China. She noted that "all women get this day off" in China and expressed fond memories of the holiday. Raju Kandel '07, also a panelist, discussed women's lives in Nepal, noting how conflict affects them. Lamya al-Sakkaf '07 dealt with women's issues in Yemen, particularly their ability to participate in politics, and Michele Levy'06 spoke of the role of the military in the lives of Israeli women.

Finally, the panelists came together to discuss common themes in the lives of international women, including political participation, conflict, economic empowerment, and women's education. The audience was then invited to question the panelists on issues related to the discussion and to International Women's Day. At the end of the panel discussion, audience members could buy an eggplant colored T-shirt to benefit the Global Fund for Women, a nonprofit foundation that grants money to women to increase their choices and ensure their voices are heard at local, national, and international levels.

The Clothesline Project was hosted by the Zatae Longsdorff Center for Women which is located on 135 North College Street. This house serves many purposes; there are weekly events such as the knitting circle that meets on Tuesday nights at 8:00 p.m. and special events held for Rape Awareness Week and Women's History Week.

Effectiveness

When asked how she percieved the organization's effectiveness in achieving its goals on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the most effective), Caitlin Conyngham said that she believed the group was a 3. This is a sentiment we have seen quite a bit among groups. Members feel that their group falls short of being very effective yet still maintains a certain effect on the campus.

Problems/Dilemmas

The Women's Center faces a number of problems. The center itself, being at 135 North College Street, is physically isolated from the rest of the campus. Moreover, the organization itself is seen as radical and thus people feel hesitant to join the group for fear of being seen as a feminist. This may stem from the fact that the word "feminist" still has a negative conotation in our society. Furthermore, as many of these groups have expressed, certain members feel like their pursuits are hindered by the beuracray of Student Senate and the dispersal of their funds. Caitlin Conyngham, a member of the executive board, feels like Student Senate simply does not give money to social action groups as much as they should.

This page by Goldie Pyka

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