69色情视频

The Women鈥檚 Center was first established in 1974, around the time that women across the country first started to attend college in large numbers.聽Originally the center helped support women as they entered the largely male academic world, but as the college atmosphere changed so did our mission. Today the Women鈥檚 Center still works for gender equality and we’ve expanded our mission to serve the entire campus, men and women.聽We welcome聽EVERYONE聽to come learn more about gender equality and social justice. We provide a place to meet and socialize, get confidential support, and become an active leader! Our goal is to ensure聽our campus a safe and welcoming place for all students.

Lynne Farrow鈥檚 account of the founding of the 69色情视频 Women鈥檚 Center:

Gloria Steinem, Second Wave Feminist Activist, speaking at 69色情视频 in 1980.

Lynne Farrow is a key player in the founding of the 69色情视频 Women鈥檚 Center and the first professor at 69色情视频 to teach 鈥淲omen in Contemporary Society鈥�.聽 She was Ramapo鈥檚 youngest professor when she began teaching this class in 1972 at the age of 24. This course was required for all returning adult female students, and it ultimately had the effect of radicalizing a generation of returning female students through feminist epistemology. Lynne later recalled that the tremendously successful returning adult women鈥檚 program really put 69色情视频 on the map as an institution which prioritized women鈥檚 educational experiences.

The scholarly field of Women鈥檚 Studies was just beginning to emerge. At that time, Lynne鈥檚 M.A. from Goddard College was the terminal degree in women鈥檚 studies, and feminist texts such as Sexual Politics were just beginning to be published. Lynne had previously taught a similar class focused on women鈥檚 experiences at the New School, and was very interested in the newly emerging field of women鈥檚 studies. One of the moments that inspired Lynne to teach in this field was when she met Alice Paul, a prominent suffragist and the original author of the Equal Rights Amendment. Alice and Lynne shared a conversation over a plate of veggies, where they spoke about Alice鈥檚 hunger strikes and the difficult struggle for women鈥檚 suffrage. During her time at Ramapo Lynne was also a member of the Rockland County feminist group which published the feminist journal 鈥淎urora鈥� for several years. One of her associates from the Rockland County Feminists was Phyllis Frank.

As her semesters at Ramapo progressed, Lynne began collecting resources for the women in her class. 聽One folder of resources turned into several folders, and slowly an entire file cabinet started to fill up. She began to provide information and referrals to her students and members of the college community. Several of Lynne鈥檚 students took on internship positions and assisted in gathering local and national women鈥檚 resources. This was incredibly significant work during the early 70鈥檚, when there was no publicized information for resources that we take for granted today including services for domestic violence, sexual assault, divorce, sexual harassment, childcare, women鈥檚 shelters, access to abortion, and reproductive healthcare.

As demand for these resources grew, Lynne decided that there needed to be a space on campus where women could come for resources, support, and consciousness raising. No longer content working out of a filing cabinet in her office, Lynne decided to create such a space. The walls between the offices of three faculty members (Lynne, Ros Petchesky and Jackie (last name unknown, artist)), were torn down with the help of nighttime maintenance staff to create the Women鈥檚 Center. Chairs and couches from the Student Center were 鈥渞eappropriated鈥� to this space, and the Women鈥檚 Center was born. The Women鈥檚 Center was housed within the Human Environment school until the late 70鈥檚 (possibly in room D101), when it relocated to the space next to the Fishbowl where it remains today. Although the space for the Women鈥檚 Center was created in 1972, it was not a recognized campus office until 1974 when Lynne secured funding for a part time director and an operating budget. The office was also partially staffed by student volunteers and interns. Faculty members were also heavily involved in the Women’s Center, including聽founding faculty member聽Dr.聽Carole Campana who joined the College as a professor of Psychology in 1971.

Lee Sennish honored at the 2010 Women’s Center Reunion by Laura Gunn, ’11.

The first Director of the Women’s Center, Lee Sennish, was hired in 1974.聽Right from the start the Women鈥檚 Center was utilized by many different groups. There were several consciousness-raising groups, a Lamaze group for activist mothers, a lesbian women鈥檚 group, and many returning adult women who sought to put into practice the theory that they learned in Lynne鈥檚 class. Lynne later recalled that the Women鈥檚 Center also served as a place for people who saw themselves as outsiders in the community. She viewed these people as kindred spirits of the Women鈥檚 Center and sought to create a space where everyone could feel welcome. The early Women鈥檚 Center also had an association with an anarchist cafeteria worker who provided students with food at wholesale cost.

Domestic violence and sexual harassment were two of the most prominent issues that the early Women鈥檚 Center dealt with. As the first Women鈥檚 Center in Bergen County, the center received many calls from women in abusive relationships seeking information about battered women鈥檚 shelters and medical treatment. The Women鈥檚 Center also played a role in a 1983 sex-bias suit when a group met to share their experiences as women at the college. Several women in the group came to came to realize that they had each experienced sexual harassment from an assistant vice president. One of the women in that meeting later sued the assistant vice president聽for sex discrimination and harassment which prevented her from getting tenure.聽聽After 6 days of trial in聽Federal court a聽settlement was reached for $230,000.聽Lynne recalls that this experience illustrated for her that the personal truly is political, and that the power of women coming together to share their truth is a powerful experience that can be used to effect change.

-As told by Lynne Farrow, January 2010

Lee Sennish

A Remembrance of Lee Sennish (1927-2018):聽

The Women’s Center could not exist as it does today without Lee’s vision, contagious passion, and love of sisterhood. She was a fierce advocate for civil rights who raised feminist consciousness daily, and raised hell when needed.

Long after she retired Lee continued to support the mission of the Women’s Center with her mentorship and an annual scholarship, and even in her late 80’s Lee came to the College to support student events. Her fierce sense of humor and keen insight will be missed, but her legacy will continue for many generations to come.

-By Kat McGee, ’06

Famous speakers hosted by the Women’s Center throughout the years include:

The 2010 Women’s Center Reunion. Coverage from the Ramapo Magazine, Summer 2010.