Our Vision
Through outreach, education, and advocacy, in pursuit of a more compassionate society, The Women's & Gender Equity Center envisions a safe, empowering, collaborative, inclusive, and liberating, social justice focused campus environment where all students, regardless of their gender or sexual identity, thrive academically, personally, socially, and professionally.
The Old Dominion University Women's & Gender Equity Center envisions being part of a community where students:
- feel safe expressing all aspects of their identities
- can achieve their academic goals
- are safe from interpersonal violence
- are supported in their work to create equity
- inspire others to act in challenging oppression
The programs and services the Women's and Gender Equity Center (W&GEC) offers are rooted in advocacy, community building, education, self-empowerment, justice and equity. Through our many programs and services, we strive to:
- Provide a space for respectful dialogue about gender, gender equity, and sexuality
- Illuminate the interrelationship of sexism, homophobia, transphobia and gender bias & violence
- Create a campus free of violence and hate
- Educate and inform on current issues impacting marginalized communities across the gender and sexuality spectrum
- Provide leadership opportunities
- Advocate on behalf of survivors of sexual, hate, dating and gender-based violence
- Foster a thriving community of women, LGBTQIA, and men leaders
- Be a portal to campus and community resources on women, LGBTQIA, and the many intersections of identity (e.g., race, class, ability, etc...)
History
The ODU Women's Center founded in October 1976. In 2021, they were renamed the Women's & Gender Equity Center, where they continue to provide information and support to women students through a variety of educational programs. It also provides advocacy to victims of sexual assault, relationship violence, stalking and sexual harassment on campus.
Approximately 1,000 items, including newsletters, event fliers, brochures, memos, annual reports, photographs, and newspaper clippings were given to the University Archives in July 2011 and added to an existing collection of papers through 2004. Browse Digital Collection >