The Feminist Student Activist Collective, or “FSAC” for short, is the best place on campus for feminists to engage with other feminists. Located on the second floor of Coffman, FSAC is home to some of the strongest activists this campus has seen, and here’s some insight to what they’re about.
Q: What is the mission of FSAC?
A: The purpose of the Feminist Student Activist Collective is to empower women, transgender, and gender nonconforming people to make positive changes in society by eliminating interrelated inequalities that produce oppression, with a focus on gender and sexuality. As a part of our mission, we advocate with all communities facing marginalization both on and off campus.
Q: What is intersectional and inclusive feminism?
A: Intersectional feminism focuses on the the intersections of gender, sexuality, race, class and other factors and how they affect the experiences of people in society. Inclusive feminism is inclusive of trans women, gender nonconforming individuals that may share experiences with women and other individuals that may share similar experiences with oppressive structures in society. Unlike waves of feminism that came before today, intersectional feminism means understanding that every person has overlapping and simultaneous identities that “intersect.” Essentially, intersectional feminism believes that every issue of marginalization is a feminist issue.
Q: What kinds of things to you do on campus?
A: Throughout the year, we hold educational and advocacy events, partner with other student organizations, run campaigns and meet weekly as a collective to discuss important topics and make group decisions. We also have a new group that started this year called the Trans Feminist Book Club. They are a book club that centers on trans feminist issues, and read one book per semester written by trans feminists for trans feminists. Folks are always welcome to stop by for a meeting, to pick up free condoms or menstrual supplies, study, watch a movie or hang out in our room! On March 3 from 3:30-5:00pm, we will be hosting an F word event, which is held during during our normal meeting time. These events focus on a specific “hot topic” that people might be interested in. This F word will have a Kink and Consent theme and will focus on the role of consent in Kink. In April, we will also be holding a consent week which will feature a movie screening of The Mask You Live In and a facilitated discussion by the Aurora Center.
Q: What makes you different from other student groups on campus?
A: We are the only student group on campus that practices a collective structure. That means that we don’t have a hierarchy like a president, secretary or anything similar. We also don’t take attendance at our meetings. Instead, whoever is present at that meeting carries a vote except for our staff advisor. Every decision we make is made unanimously as it is super important to us that the impression we make on campus is supported by as many voices as possible. FSAC is considered a student cultural center on campus, and we therefore have a physical space on the second floor of Coffman Memorial Union. Our room is one of the few designated “safe(r) spaces” on campus, which means that we try to use harm reduction techniques in our space and honor everyone’s lived experiences
Is feminism something you’re interesting in? Stop by their room Coffman 215 or swing by on of their meetings on Fridays from 3:30-5:00 p.m.