My name is Denise Sanchez, a Northwestern CLAVE Coordinator. I am a sophomore from Chicago, Illinois, majoring in Social Policy and minoring in Legal Studies. As a young woman in college, it is crucial for college campuses to provide resources for individuals who identify as women on campus. When we say women, that word always includes trans women. One of my favorite things about attending Northwestern is the available resources that make women more comfortable and secure on campus. 

Women’s Resources at Northwestern

One of the most beneficial resources on campus is Northwestern’s Women’s Center. The Women’s Center pursues gender justice for undergraduate students, staff, and faculty. Their strategic plan includes committing to gender justice institutionally, locally, nationally, and globally for women and gender-expansive people. The Women’s Center hosts support spaces and thematic programming for students, such as determining our educational goals, advocacy work, research agendas, and support commitments. 

Northwestern’s Commitment to Gender Equity

Most importantly, The Women’s Center is devoted to ending gender-based violence on campus. Their relationship with The Center for Awareness, Response, and Education, assists students who have experienced sexual violence, domestic violence, or stalking by working on educating the community through their programming and close advisement of student groups. Likewise, The Women’s Center also works closely with Northwestern’s Office of Equity, which conducts investigations, offers informal support and accommodations, and produces outreach and education for the university.

Northwestern Advocacy and Feminist Organizations

Furthermore, many organizations and clubs on campus also advocate for the rights of women on campus. One example of this is Northwestern’s College Feminist. This organization discusses issues ranging from domestic violence to the college hook-up scene and abortion and birth control. Northwestern’s College Feminist aims to educate students and the community about women’s rights and counteract negative images of women and gender stereotyping. 

Lastly, Northwestern strives to make menstrual products accessible to all those on campus who menstruate, including transmasculine and nonbinary individuals. Facilities on campus have modified dispensers in women’s multi-occupancy restrooms in all academic and ancillary buildings on both the Evanston and Chicago campuses. Similarly, low-volume dispensers are also located in single-occupancy toilets and the last stall of the men’s bathroom on the ground floor of each academic building. 

I hope this blog lets you learn more about the resources Northwestern University offers students. If you have any concerns, do not hesitate to contact me or any of the resources mentioned above. 

GO CATS!

	Denise Sanchez CLAVE Coordinator Chicago, IL Second-Year SESP: Social Policy