Men's Forum and Women's Forum, founded in fall 2010 and this term, respectively, supplement other single-sex spaces on campus by providing a support network for both freshmen and upperclassmen. The organizations allow participants to share concerns about their positions at Dartmouth and in the world, according to Men's Forum co-leader Michael Gordon '12 and Women's Forum co-leader Erin Klein '13.
Members of Men's Forum gathered in a circle at the Tucker Foundation on Sunday evening to discuss perceptions of masculinity, specifically how they translate to clothing. The evening's conversation focused on investigating why a man might choose to wear a specific shirt and "what that says about you and about men," Gordon said.
"We try to develop a fluency of language to talk with about issues surrounding gender not brought up within the community," Gordon said.
Men's Forum's designation as a male-only space is important in preventing a "colored" discussion, according to Men's Forum co-leader Martin Kulander '12.
Discussion topics at Men's Forum vary from College-specific issues like hazing to more general concerns such as masculinity in the family and workplace. Leaders facilitate a discussion on a predetermined topic, according to frequent participant Roland Mansilla '13.
At Women's Forum, women across campus gather weekly to listen to a speaker, according to Klein. They then break into discussion groups or have a question and answer session, she said.
"My long-term goal is to have it be a place where people can have frank discussion and give advice, whether it be on academics or social life," she said.
Klein said she hopes that the group, which is sponsored by FemNEW, Women of Color Collective and Panhellenic Council, will provide an avenue for women to make new friends and form connections between classes.
The group has discussed topics including mentorship, diversity, women's health and happiness at Dartmouth, according to Klein.
Provost Carol Folt, who will assume the interim College presidency on July 1, will speak to the group about being a "woman in leadership" at next week's meeting, Klein said.
Women's Forum attracts about 70 participants each week, while about 15 men attend Men's Forum weekly, according to Klein and Gordon. Women's Forum may attract greater campus interest because women tend to deal with insecurities by talking about them while men may be more inclined to internalize their anxieties or talk about them with close friends, Gillian O'Connell '15, co-founder and treasurer of Women's Forum, said.
Klein said she did not expect Women's Forum to have such a high attendance.
"I ordered food the first week for 30," she said. "It really speaks to the need on our campus for this kind of body."
Gordon said he recognizes that it takes courage for men to attend a gender-focused forum.
"As white, fairly affluent, athletic men on this campus, the world is kind of handed to you," he said. "Understanding that this is not for everyone is a hard step to take but one that is very important if we're going to develop a more pluralistic society."
Diverse women from many class years and affiliations attend Women's Forum, according to Klein. Gordon said that Men's Forum has reached out to a greater variety of men since its founding.
"Calling ourselves Men's Forum, we realize there is a certain implicit men of Dartmouth,'" he said. "We are trying to be more diverse in our population and at least extend an invitation to as many groups as we can."
Klein said she created Women's Forum after the "wonderful" conversations she had with women involved in V-Week, an annual campaign that addresses violence against women.
"I thought it was a shame we didn't provide that support network and that vehicle for conversation for all women of Dartmouth," she said.
Chinedu Udeh '12, Sarah Wildes '13 and Hikaru Yamagishi '12 helped Klein generate ideas that lead to the group's creation. O'Connell and Sophia Pedlow '15 co-led the implementation of the group, according to Klein.
Women's Forum and Men's Forum, along with Gender Sexuality XYZ, held a "Cocktails and Mocktails" event in One Wheelock during Pride Week at the end of April. Klein said that the event was "a huge hit," and she hopes to plan more social activities for the group.
Klein said she is implementing a lunch date program for women to connect with each other. Men's Forum has already instituted lunch "man dates," according to Mansilla.
Klein said she is also working with the Office of Pluralism and Leadership and the Center for Women and Gender to plan a women's leadership program over the summer.
"It's really going to be equipping women to be to be the leaders of our organizations," she said.
Both Men's and Women's Forums hope to connect with similar campus organizations, according to Klein and Mansilla.
Men's Forum facilitated discussion with first-year men in Fahey-McLane Hall and plans to strengthen the group's relationship with undergraduate advisors, according to Mansilla. Women's Forum is working on planning an event with Panhell for first-year women in the fall, according to Klein.
O'Connell said she appreciates that Women's Forum is a "casual" place for women to convene on campus.
"I felt like something was missing in my Dartmouth experience," she said. "I was looking for a way to meet upperclassmen, and other '15s even, who wanted to talk about campus dynamics."
Mansilla said that Men's Forum offers a similar space where like-minded men can come to talk about their ideas.
"This is a place where you can open up and talk about anything on your mind," he said.
Kaila Cauthorn '15, a frequent participant in Women's Forum, said the group has allowed her to think about her experience as a minority woman. She said she hopes to help create diversity of opinion in other women's organizations on campus.
"The important thing is to somehow get people to not be afraid in different forums that they wouldn't normally go to in order to create a broader discussion," she said.
Pedlow is a member of The Dartmouth Staff.
