Hello other HCCers!
With midterms cropping up and school starting to get stressful, I’d like to take a minute to talk about what’s happening outside of the realm of class. Recently, I have joined two clubs on campus that are incredibly fulfilling and are helping me to establish my own sense of self. I wanted to feature both of these clubs since they are amazing outlets for women on Colby’s campus.
The first club I want to highlight is FemAlliance, Colby’s feminist club. As Laura Jensen ’17, one of the presidents puts it, “The mission of the Feminist Alliance is to improve the lives of all women, believing ourselves to be part of a broader feminist movement by supporting equal opportunity for all. Our goal is to help Colby students of all identities and backgrounds find a voice within the feminist movement. Through our meetings, activism, and programming, we bring a wide variety of feminist and justice issues to light. We are an open group and always welcome new members, whether you’ve always considered yourself a feminist, or are simply interested in the movement.” I went to my first FemAlliance meeting this week, and it was a close-knit group of funny girls who were all united by the cause of Equality. They have specific things that they try to accomplish each month, such as body image awareness and canvassing for Planned Parenthood. This club has the awesome opportunity to go see Michelle Obama speak at UMaine Orono through a connection with Planned Parenthood, and they truly believe in equality across the gender spectrum!
WOCA, the Women of Color Alliance, is another one of these clubs that focuses on the female experience at Colby in a slightly different light. Even though I might not fall into the traditional definition of a woman of “color,” it’s a group that I am ecstatic to join! The club was started in 2011 and serves as a safe community for all women on campus. The girls in this club share a bond that is very deep and are able to provide advice and a support system for girls who are experiencing issues related to sexuality and race. WOCA is unified by the shared experience of living on a campus that is predominately white, but they are open to all who want to join regardless of skin color, and they are an incredibly open and warm group of girls. They have teatime meetings during the week where different issues are addressed. This week, the theme is sexual violence and I’m counting down the minutes until I can be a part of this conversation!
As a woman on campus, there are so many safe spaces for you! FemAlliance and WOCA are both incredible support systems for anything gender related and both are actively working to create change in their environments. Come check out one of these clubs if you are interested!
Good luck on exams!