Although Title IX and other initiatives have lead to greater possibilities for gender equality throughout higher education in the early 21st century, there are nonetheless still important commonalities in the conditions under which diverse women labor, serve their communities, and balance personal and work lives.

Through a series of activities, the commission will continue to call attention to particular issues (i.e., concerns as well as causes for celebration) in the lives of women associated with Union College community.

For instance, our major annual event has been a reception to welcome new women to the campus. While the aim of the reception is to provide a proactive and obvious support network for women joining our community, invitations will be made to the entire campus in order that all women and men may choose to participate in the events sponsored by the commission.

Additionally, usually once a term, the commission will sponsor a junior faculty lecture on research by or about women. Whenever possible, these talks should be held in the Minerva House with which the speaker is affiliated and special invitations should be made to members of that house, as well as the speaker’s department.

Other possible activities might include: choosing a recently published article or book to read and discuss as a group; sponsoring student groups promoting gender analysis; working with the Women’s & Gender Studies Program on curricular or other issues. Through these activities, we will work to build coalitions among different groups of women on campus so that we can recognize similarities in our position as well as appreciate the unique roles we have on campus.