Jane Kopas Women's Center
The Jane Kopas Women's Center is committed to fostering an inclusive campus community where individuals advocate for the respect of the human dignity of all people. The center strives to engage people of all genders in advancing gender equity and inclusion.
To do so, the center facilitates meaningful dialogue, co-curricular learning, and skills development in the areas of feminism, advocacy, leadership, and empowerment so that students may become catalysts for a more just world. Striving to form people who are committed to living their lives for and with others, the center offers opportunities for awareness, education, and dialogue on issues related to diversity, identity, privilege, oppression, equity, and justice.
The Women's Center and the Jesuit Mission
To overcome “the legacy of systematic discrimination against women,” described in the Jesuits’ 34th Congregation document, the center was founded in 1994 to empower women to reach their fullest potential.
The ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ recognizes, however, that gender discrimination affects folks of all genders. Therefore, we recognize the need for all people to work together for gender equality.
The center respects cultural and racial diversity as an expression of this commitment to equality, working to dismantle the internal and external structures of discrimination to develop new models for gender equality and justice.
The center is uniquely positioned to fulfill the ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ’s promised commitment to social justice. Social justice is not merely the understanding of a need; it requires action. We participate in continuing education on social justice issues and we develop initiatives intended to respond to the often-repeated student query, “So what do we do?” We view this as the most vital step in social justice work – connecting awareness to a plan of action. Both components are imperative if the ÐÓ°ÉÔ°æ is to educate and model how to become people for and with others.