Imagine a feminist campus : what does it look and smell like ? Who is seen ? Who is heard ? How do you feel ?
We ask because, dreaming
beyond ‘problem-solving’
is urgent.
Hera Rizwan
A feminist campus for me is where there are special programmes dedicated to women’s issues, very active feminist alliances and student bodies that bring women’s and gender issues to the forefront of campus culture.
It is a campus where there is an equality of opportunity, from holding position of power to participating in any curricular activities. All this is done, keeping intersectionality in mind. Every woman should get a place to lead and to speak.
anonymous
● I would imagine a feminist campus would not have dress codes, especially those only targetted at non-masculine individuals.
● I would also want mental health care resources for everybody, but especially for trans individuals.
● Perhaps ally groups and support systems for LGBTQ+ individuals, and awareness regarding gender and sexuality spectrums.
● Repercussions and consequences for all forms of sexual harassment on campus and around campus.
● Zero tolerance for bullying, body shaming, slut shaming, and hate, including that on social media.
●Newsletters that publish content advocating for sensitivity and awareness regarding these topics.
● Strict investigation into faculty and staff members when confessions are made regarding sexual violence. No victim shaming and vilifying.
● Changes in infrastructure, like the provision of gender neutral washrooms.
● Changes in employment. Job opportunities for the transgender community.
● Workshops / courses that include feminist literature in their curriculum.
● Machines that provide sanitary napkins and allow for their disposal in the washrooms: women, men and neutral.
● No heteronormativity.
●A culture that encourages students to share their pronouns in their introductions.
●Changes in infrastructure for individuals with disabilities.
●College housing for trans folks and intersex individuals.
●Students’ right to legal aid, and freedom of speech and expression.
Nazrah Shah
A safe campus would constitute as being a closed campus. I would not have to worry about going out at any hour, and imagining something like that with curfew timings and outsiders living in the same space is very unlikely. A safe campus would also involve me to dress up according to my idea of being comfortable and not being picked upon the same whether religiously/spiritually/what constitutes as their idea of decent clothes.
This campus would also have signboards and helplines to resolve any issues for all men/women/LGBTQ who have been subjected to any kind of harassment. Most of the time, people who face such violent behaviour are unaware of what to do and how to handle the situation. These helplines for setting up counsellors would be an effective means to enable communication so that every kind of menace can at least get reported in the future.
Aparna sanjay
To my imagination, a feminist campus would be the one which has a space and a culture of engagement.
A place where there is engagement and also the fact that you look at everything with a gender perspective.
Where you come and you are being made to realise your privileges that you have had. If it is a feminist campus, then you have to, it has to be intersectional, understanding that, even women as a category are not a homogenous group and have a hierarchy amongst ourselves.
Aishwarya Srivastava
Safe aur feminist campus unke liye ek aisi jagah hai jaha unke opinion ko value kiya jata hai aur unke independent voices ko suna jata hai.
(Translation from Hindi to English: A safe and feminist campus is one where there is a similar place for everyone, and where their opinions are valued and their independent voices heard.)
Alryk Ben
Awareness of rights. Regardless of genders.
Fast action and response to complaints/queries.
Safe spaces to share and connect.
Open and panel discussions about whatever it is that is concerning.
Equal right to everyone. No hierarchy.
Awareness circles for men to unlearn and shed baggage.
Creative outlets.
Educating and building awareness amongst security staff, faculty and officials about victim blaming and how to handle situations.
Developing a toolkit for the above mentioned to act upon the problem aptly.
Presence of some form of communication service wherein we get to share information about what is happening around so that the action could be taken faster. (without supporting or expanding fear or negativity or rumours or fake news.)
Existence and functioning of safe spaces where one can share. And has a sense of trust attached to it. To address experiences of violence and patriarchy, within or outside campus and if it is within campus, taking action after consent of the person who spoke.
Open discussions about dissent, about disagreements, and to work together to reach common goals that are in the right direction.
Having a specific department to be at the forefront in handling cases like this.
Education about non-violent communication.
Tarangini
“A campus where you feel ‘safe’ and comfortable.”
“A campus where you feel like you don’t even need to think about your safety, where it is guaranteed.”
“A campus where my voice is heard.”
“A campus that follows what they preach.”
“A campus where I don’t feel ‘Looked at’ uncomfortably.”
“A campus where conversations are possible, without judgement or enforcement of someone else’s views.”
“A campus where I don’t have to think constantly about what I’m wearing.”
These are just a few responses to the question ‘What makes a campus ‘safe’ ’ that I heard during our conversation, during conversations that followed with friends and family, and most importantly through conversations that I had with myself shortly after talking to everyone. Somehow, each of these answers resonated with me.
I was quite blind to the reality that I am constantly, even if it’s just in the back of my head, feeling like I need to look out for myself when I’m on campus. This is not something that should be ignorable, It should never be something that we normalize. I find the fact that all the time I spend on campus, is time spent worrying or just hoping to feel ‘safe’ something that I want to eliminate.
I have come to realise that most of what we feel and face in college carries a reminiscence of our experiences and morals that were forced upon us in schools. What we have been exposed to as children attending schools gets carried into our lives. Lives as adults, and lives as students on campus.
Something else that echoed how I feel about campus safety was the need for my voice to be heard, to feel like my opinions matter and they are welcome, and to know that conversations surrounding the topic of my safety and well being are not only possible, but encouraged. I feel that the day that this becomes possible, is the day that we start inching a little closer towards a campus that makes every single member on it feel safe.
I’m waiting for the day when I can answer my phone and say “I am on campus, I am safe now”. Every college prides itself on calling the campus a ‘second home’ for all the students that study there. Some day, with conversations made possible, changes encouraged, and voices made heard, it will become real. Where we spend the maximum amount of time outside of home becomes ‘safer’
I realize that I always put the word ‘safe’ in quotes, and prefer the term ‘safer’ because for me, it is an idea that I hope one day becomes the norm. It is a feeling so important, that by putting it in quotes I am saying that even though it isn’t the case today, I like to believe that some day it will be.
srusti mangaraj
According to me a feminist campus is where your opinion matters, your freedom matters and there is equality among everybody and safety. As a person and an individual you are not subjected to sexism or some sexist remark. You can be who you want to be.
There should not be any kind of restriction on what we wear, or what we eat or what we speak or whatever we do. There should not be any kind of restriction. And we should feel safe inside our own campus.
somya matta
The first thing that comes to my head while thinking of a feminist campus is a safe campus, a place where I will be physically safe. Where I will not be harmed or hurt, not harassed or threatened, where I can exist peacefully without having to think constantly over my actions.
But a feminist campus should aim to be much more than that. It should be an inclusive campus. A place where I can feel heard. Where I can explore ideas and build my opinion by learning and unlearning, where I can question what I am being taught without fear or apprehension.
A feminist campus would be somewhere difference and diversity are not only tolerated but appreciated.
