Women's Identity Centers

Reviewing literature related to identity centers provided clear positive aspects of all identity centers; including Women's Identity Centers.  Universities and colleges’ Women’s Centers, throughout the United States, are successful as they help change individuals and institutions, by providing education that combines academics and innovation and development of  leadership aptitudes that are rooted in collaboration with different areas within the college or university. The best centers aid universities and colleges in responding to particularly difficult challenges in higher education related to gender (Davie, 2007).

Women’s Centers  focus on social issues and the reactionary and wide-ranging challenges facing centers, including for example, sexual harassment, racial divisions among students, the climate for women in the sciences, and the need to build a stronger sense of academic community  (Davie, 2007).

When will we (women) find our identities or be comfortable enough to be strong within ourselves to not need Identity Centers? Will the IWD, Women’s History Month, women leaders in government and fortune 500 companies, and Women’s Identity Centers be enough? Will our struggles outweigh our growth, keeping us in denial of our true identity of power, resolution, and beauty?

CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY



Today is International Women's Day (IWD) which has been observed since in the early 1900's. Annually on  March 8th, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate women’s achievements. The United States even designates the whole month of March as 'Women's History Month'. 

In 1908 there was great unrest and critical debate occurring between women. Women's oppression and inequality was spurring women to become more vocal and active in campaigning for change. New York City saw 15,000 women march through Manhattan demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights.

Since its beginning in the socialist movement, International Women's Day has grown to become a worldwide day of recognition and celebration across developed and developing countries alike. IWD is now an official holiday in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China (for women only), Cuba, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar (for women only), Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal (for women only), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zambia (International Women’s Day, 2012).  In some countries IWD has the equivalent status of Mother's Day.

CELEBRATE THE WOMEN IN YOUR LIFE TODAY AND EVERYDAY!

Are Students with Disabilities an Identity?

College students with disabilities are covered by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 (Hadley, 2011). However, unlike high school, it is the college student’s responsibility to initiate services in the postsecondary environment. When students make the evolution to higher education, they are required to contact the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD), identify themselves as a student with a disability, offer documentation of their disability and the modifications needed, self-advocate to instructors, and contribute to services that will reinforce their academic progress.  

Freshmen entering secondary systems must adjust intellectually and socially to the college setting. This change generally necessitates a degree of physical separation and emotional disconnection from parents and friends who were important during high school, along with an acceptance of college-level expectations and rules. These adjustments may more challenging for students with disabilities, who often have difficulty knowing how their disability will affect them in college, including new types of testing situations and classroom instruction, social interactions, and the need to organize thoughts, information, and tasks (Milsom and Hartley 2005). “While complying with legal mandates to provide reasonable accommodations, higher education administrators may also need to assist students with disabilities in the development of their independence and self-determination skills”  (Brinckerhoff, 2002 as cited in Wadley, 2011, p. 2). Students are required to survive increased levels of freedom, handle unique challenges associated with their disabilities, and to matriculate into a new environment.

Now that we have provided a picture of students with disabilities let’s look back to the February 19th blog.  I introduced Renn’s purpose for identity centers…Typically, identity centers are designed to promote learning and development of the student defined as, “disempowered, underrepresented, or otherwise in need of designated support programs and services” (Renn, 2011, p.246).  

Are students with disabilities often disempowered, underrepresented, and in need of designated support programs and services? 

McCarthy (2011) states there are four models shaping “society’s understanding of and response to disability: the moral lens, the medical/rehabilitation lens, the civil rights or legal, and social lens” (McCarthy, 2011, p. 299). Do students with disabilities have similar struggles as other ‘identities’? 

Overwhelming majority (95%) of you felt as if Identity Centers are a positive aspect of Higher Education, in other words, they were not a waste of money and time. So, my next question is, should there be Identity Centers for Students with Disabilities?

Refences:

Hadley, W. M. (2011). College students with diabilities: A student development perspective. In New directions for higher education (pp. 77-81). doi: 10:1002/he

McCarthy, D. (2011). What are the implcations of providing  special considerations to particular students? In P. M. Magolda & M. B. Baxter Magolda (Eds.), Contested issues in student affairs: Diverse perspectives and respectful dialogue (pp. 298-315). Sterling, VA: St.

Milsom, A., & Hartley. M.T., (2005). Assisting students with learning disabilities transitioning

to college: What school counselors should know. Professional School Counseling, 8 (5), 436–441. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.ohiou.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=17402990&site=ehost-live

Renn, K. A. (2011). Do identity centers (e.g., women’s centers, ethnic centers, LGBT centers) divide rather than unite higher education faculty, students, and administrators? If so, why are they so prevalent on college campuses? In P. M. Magolda & M. B. Baxter Magolda (Eds.), Contested issues in student affairs: Diverse perspectives and respectful dialogue (pp. 244-254). Sterling, VA: Stylus.

Do Institutions Have a Moral Right?

A common realization across the U.S. is that diversity in schools will continue to increase in terms of ethnic groups, cultural diversity, socio-economic status, learning styles, linguistic diversity, and the list goes on. How teachers and students view this diversity is significant in each person’s acceptance and acknowledgement of their own identity, values, culture and language (Maduram, 2011). Therefore, it is necessary for faculty and college staff to become aware of the unique differences within cultures and to broaden their understanding of how a student’s cultural identity is shaped outside of the school environment (Edwards & Kuhlman, 2007).

Can this be done by the presence of identity centers on college/university campuses?  Or do such centers divide cultures, cause discrimination and/or cause campus racial strife?

Typically, identity centers are designed to promote learning and development of the student defined as, “disempowered, underrepresented, or otherwise in need of designated support programs and services” (Renn, 2011, p.246). Yet, Identity Centers are continually under the watchful eye of administrators; cost, space, staffing, segregation of groups and increase in campus discourse. The majority (most often, White males) often wonder why there is a women’s center, a LGBT center, multi-cultural center. Why do they need a space? 

 Patton (2006) did a study of an identity center on the University of Florida’s campus. She found that although it was underfunded and on the corner of campus, students looked at it as a safe comfortable refuge on the predominately white campus. Students used words and phrases like “my space” and “house” to describe the center (Patton, 2006). Patton’s response to Renn’s insights related to identity centers, suggests “diverse campus settings are important for the education of majority groups, White students in particular, because they gain benefits from cross-cultural interactions” (2011, p. 255). These arguments have brought attention to the debate: Do college institutions have a morale right to provide diversity initiatives to students as a way for them to learn their identity and diversity? If so, are identity centers addressing or hindering these issues? 

References: 

Edwards, S. & Kuhlman, W. (Summer 2007). Culturally responsive teaching: Do we walk our

talk? Multicultural Education, 14(4) 45-49. Retrieved from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-168587715/culturally-responsive-teaching-do.html

Maduram, I. K. (2011). The significance of cultural center and text in shaping Native American student’s cultural identity. JGIP 4(4), 19-25. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.ohiou.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=0f3af495-62f-43c3-b397-43b12321986f%40sessionmgr112&vid=7&hid=113 

Renn, K. A. (2011). Do identity centers (e.g., women’s centers, ethnic centers, LGBT centers) divide rather than unite higher education faculty, students, and administrators? If so, why are they so prevalent on college campuses? In P. M. Magolda & M. B. Baxter Magolda (Eds.), Contested issues in student affairs: Diverse perspectives and respectful dialogue (pp. 244-254). Sterling, VA: Stylus.

Patton, L. D. (2011). Promoting critical conversations about identity centers. In P. M. Magolda & M. B. Baxter Magolda (Eds.), Contested issues in student affairs: Diverse perspectives and respectful dialogue (pp. 255-260). Sterling, VA: Stylus.

Have Identity Centers Worn Out Their Welcome?

Historically, identity centers have produced communities for students, faculty and administrators representative of their identity (e.g. Women’s, LGBT, Hispanic, and African American centers). These centers have provided support, strengths-based identity development and a safe ‘space’. However, some believe that they have “become lightning rods for accusations of self-segregation or campus balkanization and locations for in-group discrimination…” (Renn, 2011).

Should Identity Centers exist? Are they promoting reverse sexism, racism or heterosexism?