Your Guide to Organizing on a Catholic Campus

I attend Trinity University a small Catholic college in D.C. I am the leader of a feminist group on my campus called the Women’s Student Action Coalition. Organizing a feminist group on a Catholic campus can get sticky. To help you live to tell the tale, I have created a list of helpful suggestions. My college was founded by a group of Catholic nuns back in 1897, and was visited by the Pope in 1979. Needless to say the Catholic tradition is strong at my college; my experience organizing at Trinity has taught me lessons that may be applicable for organizing at many Catholic colleges- and some secular schools too!

1. Know the Rules!

Some schools are very strict about what your group can or cannot advertise. Be sure when planning an event that you abide by your schools rules. Schedule a meeting with an administrator, (at my school this is the Dean of Students) to discuss what your club can advertise. Find a faculty member or administrator who can act as an advocate for your club. If you can get a tenured professor on your side, they will probably be more willing to go to bat for you.

2. Know Your Audience and Keep Them in Mind

Understanding the dynamics of your school, and knowing how to connect with the student body, is key in organizing on any campus not just catholic campuses. Do some research on how to get through to your student body. Study successful clubs on your campus and what methods are they using to reach out to students and faculty. Check out more radical/liberal groups on campus, how are they organizing?

a. You want to get as many students and faculty as possible to come to any event that you plan, so your public relations really matter. When advertising your events, make sure that you keep in mind that not everyone on your campus is a feminist. Use language that doesn’t frighten people away. Watch the language on your flyers and social media outlets!

b. At your events use language that will not make anyone feel attacked or feel like an outsider. Be cordial, but still make your message clear.
3. Collaborate with other Liberals

Another key aspect in organizing as a liberal group on a conservative setting is to build relationships with other liberal groups. Sometimes “fighting the good fight” gets lonely, but if you have a good ole’ liberal at your side dealing with the same struggles, you wont feel so alone. It’s important to have a support system when you feel like an outsider in your community. These relationships can help you reach out to different students too, maybe they’ll want to join you group after meeting your and hearing about the work your doing.

4. Get in with Administration

Probably the most important aspect of organizing on a Catholic campus is getting close with the administration! If you make a habit of dropping by an administrator’s office (thanking them for their help on room reservations, chatting with them about possible events, etc.) they will notice you. If you take the time to tell them how your group’s events benefit the community they will respect the group more. This means they might give you more wiggle room in the future when you’re planning something a bit more controversial. Invite professors and other administrators to your events, it lets them know that you want everyone involved. And always remember: Thank You cards!!!

5. Incorporate Catholicism into Your Events

An easy way to get your campus to recognize that you are not out for their blood is to incorporate Catholicism into some of your events. I have found that on my campus I got brownie points* from the faculty for doing this. If you come from a school like mine, where the sisters have played an active role on campus, use that to your advantage. Celebrate the work of a sister, and talk about how great it is that women are creating good in the world. Or have an event on the history and future of women’s roles in the Catholic Church.

*Brownie Points = Funding and Approval

6. Understand…

Understand that organizing on a Catholic Campus can be tricky, and that you must get creative when talking about certain issues. One of the biggest divides among feminists and Catholics is the issue of abortion. And I know that it sucks when it feels like you have to beat around the bush or you feel censored to say how you really feel. But there are ways of getting across how we really feel without getting into trouble.

It’s very important to have feminist groups on Catholic college campuses because it gives us chance to almost infiltrate the system and maybe make small changes among people. It’s also important so that we can build healthy disagreements with an institution feminists are often at odds with. This is a great opportunity to be seen as more than just pro-abortion feminists. And this doesn’t mean that you have to compromise your opinion, it just means that you have to package it differently.

Photo Credit: NCinDC on Flickr

Spring into Action: Eradicating Sexual Assault on Campus

April is generally known for the coming of spring and for DC residents, the first sight of bloom of cherry blossoms. But April also brings us another significant focus--Sexual Assault Awareness Month. This is a great time of the year to renew one's commitment to activism, and what better way to do that than advocating for the eradication of sexual violence in our communities and on our campues.

Aside from participating in awareness raising events such as these, during this month we are encouraging every student from colleges and universities across the country to take your organizing efforts to next level by ensuring that your university has a comprehensive sexual assault policy, encourage reporting, and be the advocate to shift campus culture to a more sensitive space and ultimately change attitudes about sexual assault.

You may ask, how can this be done? Well before we begin, there's a huge hurdle facing many young activists when addressing this problem--the lack of cooperation by school administrators and the re-victimization of sexual assault survivors on campuses. If the recent American University controversy, among many others, has shown us anything, its that more work needs to be done on the parts of universities to support and enhance safety precautions for female students.

A recent study done by the Center of Public Integrity found that majority of students who are sexually assaulted remain silent because of the impeding institutional barriers and practices of secrecy through judicial and disciplinary proceedings making the process of disclosure and reporting very difficult for victims. Also, there were many cases of off-record negotiations that even today contributes to the creation of a hostile environment on campus. Fifty percent of the students they interviewed claimed "they unsuccessfully sought criminal charges, and instead had to seek justice in closed, school-run proceedings that led to either light penalties or no punishment at all." Leaving a survivor unsafe and unsupported. The research has also shown that "repeat offenders actually account for a significant number of sexual assaults on campus." This poses a great threat to the safety of students for the sake of a university's reputation.

Now that you know what barriers lie ahead, here's what you can do to overcome them:

• The best place to start is by looking at other universities for examples of ways in which you can bring awareness to your campus and urge your administration to adopt a comprehensive sexual assault policy. The College of Holy Cross, Spelman College, Lehigh University, and University of Michigan are a few examples of excellent comprehensive sexual assault policies.

• A comprehensive sexual assault policy is most viable when there is a university-wide focus on prevention. Sadly, some universities are doing a very poor job in their preventive efforts, such as Valdosta State University in Georgia discussed in this blog post. So consider starting a sexual assault peer educators group or advocate for a sexual assault information and support center through your university's women's center, counseling center, or student health center.
  

• Align your student activist group with other national advocacy organizations that specifically work with reducing sexual assault on campus. Check out groups like Students Active For Ending Rape (SAFER) and Men Can Stop Rape who have prevention programs specific to university campuses.

• Do you have a unique sexual assault program that you would like to launch, but unsure of where to get the funding? The U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Violence Against Women provides grant opportunities for campus initiatives that seek to reduce sexual assault, rape, harassment, and stalking on campus.

• Lastly, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center has a great Campus Sexual Violence Resource list that will come in handy for all of your sexual violence awareness raising needs.

Take time this semester to begin discussing how you can make your campus a better and safer institution for all its students. If you have more ideas on how to eradicate sexual violence on campus, feel free to contact FMF's Campus Team at campusteam@feminist.org.

Photo Courtesy of Flickr

This article was featured in our April 2010 monthly Choices eZine. Sign up for our alerts to stay up-to-date with the latest feminist news and to receive the monthly eZine!

Great American Condom Campaign applications now being accepted

Just passing the word along from our friends at Advocates for Youth:

Advocates for Youth is excited to announce SafeSite applications for the Great American Condom Campaign are now open! The GACC is a youth-led grassroots movement to make the United States a sexually healthy nation. To do this, college students apply to become SafeSites, or individual condom distribution points. Once selected, SafeSites receive a free box of 500 Trojan condoms to distribute to their peers. For more information or to apply, go to www.amplifyyourvoice.org/gacc.

Applications close January 3, 2010.

photo credit: trec_lit on flickr

Belated, But Necessary Post

College newspapers: a forum for students to venture into new endeavors and let their creativity shine, while feeling like Hollywood A list celebs among their peers (unlike FMF bloggers who obviously ARE stars...)

For Fairfield University's "The Mirror" and co-writer of the "He said/She said" column Chris Surette, it's also a means to create "satirical pieces" with demeaning undertones towards women.

His October column entitled "The Walk of Shame," where he elaborates on the fame brought on by one-night-stands, is the one gaining the most attention, due to, well, you'll see. Let me share a couple of the "gems"...

So after flirting with a young swan at a party, you invite her back to your place and she accepts. The road to pleasure town begins and as Johnny Drama would say, VICTORY! Congrats boys, not only did you get laid, but you have a great story for the rest of your life.

Not only is it a story for you and your boys, but others will soon realize what happened when they see your victim walking back to the dorms in her dress from last night, with a disgraceful look on her face as if she was robbed of her dignity. But girls, even though many may consider you a slut after witnessing your glorious Walk of Shame, just realize that you have given this lucky guy a story he can share with others at the Grape for the rest of the year. We ought to thank you for that. And hopefully you got something out of this to … actually, we don’t really care.

And it's not over. He also adds:
Trust me, you don’t want that hood rat giving you a venereal disease... So don’t be a fool and wrap your tool. Now if you follow these tips, the next time you do work, you’ll have a tale to tell your buds for years. Remember to be ruthless and have no shame. We are relying on each other for an entertaining story that is both hilarious and humiliating. Just remember one thing; her walk of shame is an induction into your hall of fame.

While I agree with his promotion of safe sex, using words like "hood rat," "victim" and "robbed of her dignity" makes my skin crawl. Lucky for my faith in humanity, I was not alone. Comments have flooded in from all over:

In an apology letter, Surette explains:
In the past week, I have overheard many people feeling that my article was promoting rape and violence against women... I understand that a few of the words I used could have been easily used to create this idea.
Also, I would like to make clear that even though my language has been derogatory against women, I truly do not feel this way about them. For those of you who do not know, last semester I was the only guy in a feminism literature class called “The Women Question.” I do respect the ideas of feminism and women’s rights, even though it may not be perceived in my writing.

My goal is to write about the ideas that your typical 18-22 year old college male thinks and speaks with putting a humorous twist on it. These articles are not meant to be taken literally. In saying this, I do understand that I crossed the line this past week and apologize for this.

So, moral of the story is that as long as you've studied the subject; horrible, degrading and triggering jokes are totally acceptable in a public forum without any responsibility for your actions because it "wasn't meant to be taken seriously"(While the last sentence is heavily frosted in sarcasm, I am now kicking myself for not taking Anthropology of Locker Room Rituals 101!)

But, I'm gonna take all the pressure off of this one lone writer by looking at the bigger picture, as the problem isn't just this particular article, but the fact that Surette's experiences had lead him to believe these words were "typical" of the 18-22 age bracket (although note: I know many guys who don't talk like this.)

By letting this language go unnoticed, we allow this attitude to leak into our culture, thoughts and actions; leading some criminals to not see or water down actions that should be considered the violent acts that they are. For more information, check out UMASS Boston's Professor Lisak's campus survey and interviews talking to perpetrators and revealing the extent that rape culture is normalized on campuses (warning: interviews are graphic and may be triggering to survivors.)

For more information on men working with their peers to fight back, look into the wonderful work of groups like Men Can Stop Rape or Men Stopping Rape, Inc. A big thanks to all male activists!

photo credit: noodlepie on flickr.com

Ashley Judd heads to Harvard

Feminist activist and actress Ashley Judd (most recently the target of Sarah Palin's ire) is going to Harvard. According to the Harvard Crimson, she is now enrolled in the John F. Kennedy School's Mid-Career Master of Public Administration program, which aims to "increase the knowledge and skills of well established, high-performing professionals, who seek to enhance their public service careers or to move from the private sector to a leadership position in either the public or non-profit sectors."

Ashley Judd is one of those few actors who actually puts her money where her mouth is. She is a longtime friend of the Feminist Majority Foundation, having spoken at the March for Women's Lives in 2004. She advocates to end human trafficking, on behalf of AIDS prevention education, and for global health, among other issues. She is a tremendous example of using one's fame to create positive change, and I am sure this new program will make her even more effective. Welcome to the feminist campus network, Ashley!

Choices Campus Leadership Interns Kick off the Summer in LA!

Hey Feminists!

Summer has begun here in Southern California, where we have just started our exciting new internships at the Feminist Majority Foundation. There are seven of us so far and ten more to come. We’re already busy at work here in our beautiful workspace.

Yesterday, our first day of orientation, we had the opportunity to meet Kathy Spillar, the Executive Vice President of FMF, who sat down with us for over two hours and described the incredible work the Feminist Majority Foundation is doing and the action campaigns we will be working on this summer. Some of the campaigns we’re excited about are the Campaign to Expose Fake Clinics, the Afghan Women’s Health Initiative and the Global Reproductive Rights Campaign.

We also had the opportunity to meet each other and are excited to work together this summer.

Jenna, a student from Scripps College spent the year studying in Mexico, Senegal and France and is majoring in International Relations and French.

Beau is a student at Harvard, majoring in Human and Evolutionary Biology with a minor in film. She just got back from teaching English in Burkina Faso.

Sierra is a senior at Occidental College and an American Women’s History major.

Jessica just received her BA is Sociology and Studies of Women and Gender from the University of Virginia.

Danae is a senior at Hastings College, studying Communications Studies, Music and Women’s Studies.

Julia just graduated from UCR with degrees in English and Women’s Studies and hopes to go to Loyola University in Chicago for the dual masters degree in Social Work and Women’s Studies program.

Anita Lederer is a senior at Boston College, majoring in History and Political Science.

We look forward to many more blog posts!

Action in Rememberance of Dr. George Tiller

Aired today on Democracy Now, an excellent news coverage on the life and activism of Dr. George Tiller painted a clear picture of the significance of his work, the dangers in practicing reproductive health care and promoting reproductive justice, and why we need his work to continue on.

Among those who worked so closely with him over the past years--Dr. Tiller's attorney, Laura Shaneyfelt; OB/GYN and Tiller's colleague for seven years, Dr. Shelley Sella; gynecologist and also colleague of Tiller, Dr. Susan Robinson; senior attorney with the Center for Reproductive rights who represented more than 2,000 Dr. Tiller's patients, Bonnie Scott Jones; and president of the Feminist Majority Foundation who worked with Tiller on anti-clinic violence, Ellie Smeal--all shared their stories on what it was like working with him and their involvement in the pro-choice movement.



If your feminist group is looking to educate your campus about Dr. Tiller's significant history in the fight for reproductive choice and honor those who place their life on the line everyday to provide adequate and accessible reproductive services, consider these options:

1. Host a vigil in honor of Dr. Tiller's life
2. Host a screening and dialogue about Democracy Now's news story
   
3. Send greeting cards of support and encouragement for the awesome work of reproductive health clinics in your area.

If you have other helpful ideas, please feel free to post a comment or contact us at campusteam@feminist.org.

Let us always keep the feminist fire burning!

In solidarity!

Cool Opportunity for Student Activists

Mother Jones, WireTap, and Campus Progress are coming together to recognize student activists with the first-ever Hellraisers. You can nominate your favorite feminist campus all-star and she or he (or ze!) may be featured in the September/October 2009 issue of Mother Jones.

Have you done something Hellraiser worthy? Let us know in the comments!

Be FREE! International Women's Day at UCLA

This was written by Myra Duran - FMF West Coast intern and UCLA Bruin Feminist for Equality:

The month of March - Women’s History Month, and home of International Women’s Day - is the month when feminists around the world can commemorate years of activism and celebrate our achievements in the name of women’s equality. From taking action against the war in the Congo, to the oppression of women in Afghanistan and Iran, women all over the world are mobilizing to establish solidarity against sexism, racism, homophobia, gender inequality, and sexual violence.

Since the recognition of International Women’s Day in 1900, it has been a global day of recognition and celebration across developed and developing countries alike. These days, more and more college students are taking on more responsible roles, showing they care about international women’s issues, and are not afraid to express their political ideology on campus.

I am currently involved with a student group at UCLA called Bruin Feminists for Equality. We are a group that seeks to develop bold, new strategies, and programs to advance the social, political and economic equality of all people. Most importantly, we try to focus on the empowerment of women and girls in all sectors of society. So, when March rolled around we decided that we had to put on an event that would embody the true essence of what International Women’s Day is.

If you have been a part of any student group where many different minds, opinions, and thoughts all come together, then you will agree that hosting an event that is supposed to capture a global mindset can be a trying feat to accomplish. We finally settled on a theme we felt confident in: “Taking Back What’s Ours”. It was set to include three workshops: one on women’s self defense, one on gender and sexuality in the workplace, and the last on transnational feminism, with a keynote speaker to close. Through these workshops, our goal was to draw attention to the various ways women can reclaim their rights against patriarchy, violence, homophobia, and other forms of oppression.

Stress and panic arose when two weeks before our event we still didn’t have a keynote speaker. We didn’t just want anyone to speak; we wanted someone who has really made true strides and accomplishments in transnational feminism. One woman stood out for us: world-renowned Chicana poet, playwright, and writer: Cherrie Moraga. In the words of one of my women’s studies classmates, “Cherrie is Chicana feminism - it’s like Shakespeare for English literature. Cherrie Moraga is the definition of what Chicana feminist writing is.” We only hoped that she would want to come out from her Stanford abode and honor us with her presence.

Did we get Cherrie or did we not?……….Yes, we did! We were E-C-S-T-A-T-I-C that this true pioneer for women of color was actually going to speak at our event. All of our hard work paid off when we heard Cherrie was coming, and we knew our event would genuinely embody what International Women’s Day is all about. We knew the event was a great success when over 80 students came to listen to her speak! Listening to Cherrie’s inspirational words and picking her brain for ideas on how we, as young adults, can become the new revolutionaries of our generation was the highlight of the day and her words are still flying in my mind. In the words of Cherrie, “you can only feel joy if you are free, so be FREE!”

Success on University of Louisiana-Lafayette's Campus!!

Our affiliate, Women Organizing Women (WOW), at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette has experienced huge success lately on campus!! This Valentine's Day marked the first time in ULL's history that condoms were allowed to be distributed on campus. And it was with the awesome organizing of WOW members that 450 safe sex packets made their way into the hands of students. With a concrete goal in mind and the use of effective strategies for change (such as target meetings and awareness activities) WOW members have demonstrated how to run a successful campaign in the face of opposition!

Another success for women's health and rights was won last week, when WOW members met with the campus health center director to discuss the danger of referring students to local crisis pregnancy centers. Last semester, several WOW members visited a local CPC that students are being referred to by health services staff. Literature was collected during the visit that stated false links between abortion and breast cancer, and several students have mistakenly visited this CPC when looking for abortion and birth control services or referrals.

While the health center director would not agree to stop CPC referrals altogether, new pregnancy care packets in the health services center will now include a disclaimer that CPCs hold biased viewpoints and are not medical facilities. This in itself is an awesome victory! It is also a great example of how urging incremental change creates the space and opportunity for seismic social change!

Keep up the amazing work WOW members!

National Young Women's Leadership Conference UPDATE!

With only 26 days until the start of FMF's annual National Young Women's Leadership Conference, the FMF campus team is kicking it into high gear. Our goal is to register more than 400 participants--and we're well on our way! As of this afternoon, we've registered more than 240 participants from more than 70 campuses and organizations!

Check out Patrice's update below! She's giving you the latest scoop on our extended early bird deadline, the awesome speakers list we're working on, as well as ways you can help advertise for the conference!



If you're looking for your good deed of the day, why not help us advertise for the National Young Women's Leadership Conference on your blog or website homepage?! To add one of our nifty banners to your homepage, just copy and past the code from here!

Lilly Ledbetter and Shelby Knox to speak at FMF Confernece!!

Great news on a Friday afternoon!! Lilly Ledbetter and Shelby Knox have confirmed that they will be speaking at the Feminist Majority Foundation's National Young Women's Leadership Conference!

For more information--and to register for this amazing conference--go to www.feministcampus.org/leadership !

From the Road: Creative Activism and GOHV

Hey there everyone, it's Val Vilott, a National Campus Organizer at FMF. I'm currently on the road in Ohio this week with my colleague Danielle Geong. All the organizers are out in the field right now, actually - Danielle and I are a few days into a trip as a part of our Get Out Her Vote Campaign that includes Cleveland State, Oberlin, Bowling Green, Toledo, Kent State, Case Western and more!

The most encouraging part of these travels thus far has been to see that so many students are really thinking outside of the box. The importance of creative activism is something that I can't emphasize enough - it really is what can set your efforts and initiatives on campuses apart. Especially in the midst of the election-year fray, voter-related events on campuses are not particularly unique, and unfortunately can start to blend into the background.

It seems that what makes or breaks events or campaigns on campus is their ability bring something new or fresh to the conversation that resonates with students and tune them back in to the civic engagement efforts. Voter registration tables are really important, but dynamic and exciting programming is what truly gets a campus community fired up. So how do you do it?

As a student organizer, I always wanted my events to be successful and interesting, but it's certainly not as easy as it sounds. From my experiences and talking with students over the past couple days, here's a few tips to get your brainstorming started:

• Examine what is already being done around the election on campus, and determine what gaps exist. You don't want to develop programming that doesn't meet a need on your campus!
• While you're looking at what's already in the works, see what opportunities there are for collaboration with other groups. Consider turning several scattered events into a cohesive series of events, so that you can publicize together and build momentum together. Example: Do a "Spotlight On:" Election Series - the Multicultural Students Organization event can address voting among minorities, the Economics Club/Department can highlight and explain economic issues in this election, and your group could have an event to focus on women's issues and what's at stake this November.
  
• Remember to be in tune to current issues on your campus and community - pay attention to other initiatives or referenda that might be on the ballot that could affect your school!
• Encourage people to think past voter-registration. Registration is obviously key, but getting those who are registered out to the polls can sometimes be an even larger task. Organize election-day trips to the polls, contact your county or municipal elections board about working at the polls, and make sure that there is a polling place on campus.

Finally, before Danielle and I run off to meet with some more students, I just want to remind you all that the campus team is always interested in hearing from you all - what's working, what isn't, and what we can do to support your efforts on campus. Feel free to contact us if you want to bounce ideas off of someone, are running into problems, or just want to introduce yourself. We look forward to hearing about the great things being done on your campus!

Campus Organizers Prep for the Road

Val, Patrice, Tania, Emily, and Danielle are packing up to head out. Over the next few weeks, they'll be visiting Feminist Majority Leadership Alliances (FMLAs) in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, and North Carolina.

Here's the schedule thus far:

Sept 15 - 19: Virginia and Pennsylvania
Sept 22 - 26: Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio
Sept 29 - Oct 3 : North Carolina and Ohio
Oct 6 - 9: North Carolina and Ohio
Oct 13 - 24: Wisconsin

If your feminist group is not yet on their calendar and would like to meet up with them, be sure to let us know!