The Center for Womyn’s Concerns focuses on creating an environment that embraces all types of women, creates a community that is safe for women and provides a support group for Plattsburgh Students, according to the official Facebook page of the CWC.
CWC aims to discuss topic such as women in politics, sexual assault on college campuses, sexual harassment, positive and negative body image, mental illness, healthy and unhealthy relationships, the wage gap and intersectionality.
CWC Secretary and history major and gender women’s studies minor Steffaney Wilcox said these sorts of topics affect everyone,which is why it is important to have these conversations surrounding difficult issues.
“We want to continue to be a safe space for Plattsburgh students and continue to educate on gender-related issues,” Wilcox said.
She informed about their first event called I Heart Female Orgasm, which is a comedic sex education discussion that relies upon audience participation in the form of personal experiences.
“The event alleviates the worries of some who do not fully understand the female orgasm,” Wilcox said. “It is inclusive of all genders and experiences.”
The CWC public relations senior communication disorder science major Justine Bonilla said that event was particularly important and educational for everybody on our campus, even the Plattsburgh community as well because it celebrated women’s sexuality, which is not often celebrated.
Junior journalism magazine major Kahmun Lee attended the meeting and she had a positive feedback.
“The event was amazing,” she said.
She said they gave everybody a sex education/sex talk with humorous content.
“But it was not all just a sex ed program,” Lee said. “It was about respect and empowerment.”
Lee said she actually had fun during the meeting.
She even recommended people to come to the future meetings as well. “They didn’t make it seem awkward at all and were very conversational,” she said. “I found it helpful because growing up in a conservative Asian household, my parents never gave me ‘the birds and the bees’ talk. Neither did any of my teacher in school.”
After attending the meeting, Lee realized that sex education is not something people should shy away from or avoid talking about it.
“We all need to know this,” she said. “And again, it was not only about sex education but it was also about women empowerment and respect.”
Beside I Heart Female Orgasm, Bonilla informed about other events of the club. She said many of them focus on the social justice areas.
“We have annual Take Back The Night event, which celebrates the survivors of domestic violence, intrapersonal violence or sexual assault,” Bonilla said.
She also informed about their first annual poetry slam last year and said that they probably will bring it back this year.
“That’s a night when we work with other clubs on campus like The LGBTQ* Student Union and the Organization for Women of Ethnicity,” Bonilla said. “We all create a poetry night for intersectional poetry.”
Throwing it back to the last event, she said many people felt free to share their experience.
In addition, she said they also do the Vagina Monologues every year in February.
“It just basically celebrates women’s sexuality, but each monologue is different,” Bonilla said.
She said they are also working with the Native People Association about Pocahontas.
What they want to do is inform everybody how Pocahontas is portrayed in Disney movie, and how she actually was in real life.
“Our weekly meeting is on 7p.m. Wednesday in Meeting Room 4,” she said.
Next, the CWC will be working with the fraternity Alpha Sigma Phi to hold an event about human trafficking awareness on Oct.19 at 7 p.m. in Yokum 200.
They will be showing pieces of the movie Tricked and having a panel discussion with students and faculty about the issues surrounding human trafficking.
“We want to continue to be a safe space for Plattsburgh students and continue to educate on gender-related issues,” Wilcox said.
Email Hilly Nguyen at cp@cardinalpointsonline.com
