About Us
Why a Women's Center?
Women’s Centers exist because gender equity has still not been achieved in any country around the world. Women with the same level of education, experience and responsibility still earn less than their male peers, and women of color face an even larger pay gap. Women hold fewer tenured faculty positions and continue to face challenges in many professional fields. Women of color are underrepresented in many areas of higher education. Violence against women is rampant in America with more than a half-million women reporting assaults by intimate partners and four women dying each day as a result of domestic violence.
Clearly, we still have a lot of work to do!
We’d love your involvement in raising awareness of women’s and gender-related issues. Every woman you meet is someone’s mother, daughter, sister, wife or partner. Help us to build a more just and equitable world for the women in your life. Achieving equality means involving everyone. The Women’s Center is for individuals of all gender identities to explore these issues in a safe and nonjudgmental space.
Come learn about and help us address important social issues, including pay equity, reproductive health, ending violence against women, LGBTQIA+/gender discrimination and harassment, racial equity and equality, and re-examining all aspects of our lives for how they have been socially constructed along race, class, sex and gender lines.
About Us
Mission
The Women’s Center promotes and advocates for gender equity on campus and in the community. We facilitate opportunities for learning and activism to support and empower all individuals in building an inclusive and compassionate society.
Vision
We envision a Vandal family that promotes women’s full participation in a safe, supportive, and affirming environment that values the contributions of all members of our university community.
Integrity | We acknowledge the prevalence of discrimination against women and other identity groups in our society. We seek to empower those who strive to end these and all other forms of inequity. To this end, we promote and uphold an ethic of honesty and sincerity in our actions, values and principles.
Understanding | We are committed to practicing compassion, openness and empathy towards all, free from judgment or assumptions.
Inclusion | We affirm the dignity and worth of all individuals. We recognize and honor the many social and cultural identities that add richness and complexity to our campus and communities.
Engagement | We model and advocate for the empowerment for women and other underrepresented groups by building solidarity among students to be catalysts for positive social change.
Collaboration | We foster cooperative relationships on our campus, in our community and with individuals and organizations. We recognize the importance of hearing and honoring all voices.
The University of Idaho acknowledges and supports the principle that everyone is a unique person who possesses diverse qualities and traits, and who interacts with diverse others within a larger inclusive civil society.
At its core, the University of Idaho embraces the complementary principles and behaviors of diversity and inclusion. We seek to protect and promote a respectful and civil learning environment for the discussion of the concepts and the development of practical skills associated with diversity and inclusion.
As a place of learning and training, the university adheres to the standards of ethical and civil diversity and of inclusive discourse and action within our classrooms, offices, hallways, student organizations, and gathering places.
The university community values people of diverse cultures, classes, races, ethnicities, sexes, gender identities, mental and/or physical abilities, citizenship, nationalities, sexual orientations, religious backgrounds, ages, epistemologies, academic disciplines, veteran status, life experiences, and identities. As a living document this list is intended to be additive as we become a more inclusive learning community.
The university community welcomes and respects all people.