Women’s Forum Discusses How To Improve First-year Women’s Experiences
On the evening of Mon., Apr. 22 a group of women gathered in Casque and Gauntlet society to discuss things they wished they had known as prospective and first-year students. Women’s Forum holds weekly discussions relating to campus events and the like. With the campus winding down from Dimensions weekend, Women’s Forum picked this topic with the goal of exploring how to make the first-year experience better for the incoming class of women.
As the discussion commenced, it became clear that all of the upperclasswomen and first-year women in attendance had a lot to say about their own experiences and what events they wished they had attended during orientation. Ideas ranging from Panhellenic Council-sponsored events to a different housing system were examined as viable options to provide first-year women with more opportunities to meet upperclasswomen.
“These students are entering into a new environment, and we need to remember how our experiences were that first year,” Katie Gibson ’15 said. “Every student comes in with very different backgrounds and ideas. Having a support system in place and being approachable and able to discuss these important topics is necessary.”
For many of those in attendance, this topic was something that felt personally relevant in light of Dimensions weekend and the upcoming graduation of the Class of 2013.
“This is something that I have been reflecting on a lot as a senior about to leave, what my wishes are for the incoming class of women,” Anna Fagin ’13 said.
Women’s Forum is a space for under- and upperclasswomen to mingle, but it also serves as a place for people from different areas on campus to converse about important subjects.
“We can always look for better ways to unify communities on campus and it’s important to have open communication within these communities,” Co-Director of Women’s Forum Gillian O’Connell ’15 said. “This discussion leads to ideas to create new spaces on campus.”
Women’s Forum itself is not involved with the implementation of changes on campus; it serves as more of a discussion group for these topics, according to O’Connell. However, many of the women bring ideas from these forums back to their own organizations on campus in order to continue the conversations and look for ways to apply the ideas generated.
“In other groups that I’m a part of here, I look forward to bringing some of the ideas that were brought up to those committees and to people who I meet with to hear what they have to say about it,” Fagin said.
Some participants at the event have already been thinking about ways to implement some changes in their respective communities.
“I’m going to be an [Undergraduate Advisor] next year, and hearing a current UGA talk about how she integrates her floor makes me want to do that as well,” Felicia Jia ’16 said. “My dorm is going to have a lot of upperclassmen, so I’m thinking of ways to reach out to them and see if there’s anything we can set up like a mentoring relationship.”
Gibson echoed the feelings of many women at the forum in saying that all upperclassmen need to challenge themselves and reach out to underclassmen in order to improve the first-year experience for all students.
“Whether it’s in the classroom or you see someone who looks lost, challenge yourself to form a relationship and a bond with the underclassmen because they are a part of your community now and they will be for the rest of your time at Dartmouth and for the rest of your life,” Gibson said.
*Women’s Forum holds weekly discussions Mondays at 6 p.m. in Casque and Gauntlet. For more information, you can blitz their account and check out their Facebook page.