The Panhellenic Council of Valparaiso University is hosting its annual Women’s Empowerment Week from March 21-26.
“This is a week dedicated to organizing women’s and women’s empowerment events and doing things on campus to show support for each other,” said Kristen Flaws, president of the Panhellenic Council.
Even though the week is organized by the Panhellenic Council, the events are open to all women on campus, not just those affiliated with Fraternity and Sisterhood Life.
“I don’t want people to feel like they have to be in the sorority community to come to these. We really want it to be open to everyone on campus, whether you’re affiliated or not, because that’s really not the point,” Flaws said.
Additionally, the Panhellenic Council has collaborated with other organizations on these events such as the University Programming Council (UPC), Student Philanthropy Programs, Office of Multicultural Programs (OMP), Department of Health Sciences, recreational sports, the Interfraternity Council and the University of Valparaiso. Police Department (VUPD).
“We tried to get involved with a lot of other groups on campus and get them involved in our events,” Flaws said.
All money raised from the events will be donated to the nonprofit that was selected during the pop-up donation circle on Tuesday, March 22.
“A pop-up giving circle is looking at different nonprofits in the area and everyone who attends this event, we’re going to choose one and it will be our nonprofit for the entire week,” Flaws said. . “So we’ll raise money through the sale of t-shirts, stickers, buttons, and then on the last day we’ll have a dodgeball tournament.”
The selected nonprofit organization is Alice’s Halfway House for Women, located in Valparaiso, Indiana.
They also hosted a talk by Lizz Clarke called “Perfect Isn’t Real: Exploring the Lies We Believe”.
“So getting someone to come from out of town doesn’t usually happen, but we saw her at a convention and she was an awesome speaker,” Flaws said.
On Wednesday, March 23, there will be a women’s health education event at 8 p.m. in the Harre Union A Ballroom.
“We are educating women [event] so we’re going to be aiming for what young women need to know about their health, what to look for, what to expect when you go to the gynecologist for your first pap test, stuff like that, that people don’t don’t want to talk,” Flaws said.
Along with VUPD, the Council is hosting a vigilante session on Thursday, March 24 in Ballroom A at 6 p.m. This is partly due to the fact that sorority women do not feel safe walking to the sorority compound at night.
“So one thing that’s happening right now, especially with the sorority community, is there’s no safe way to get back to the sorority complex at night. The car parks are far away, it is not well lit and there is no [police call boxes] over there, so what are you supposed to do,” Flaws said.
On Friday, with UPC, they will present the film “On the Basis of Sex” in room 234 of the Neils Science Center. Additionally, there will be a Preparing for Your Future Forum in the Christopher Center Community Hall co-sponsored by OMP. Both events are at 6 p.m.
“They are [the OMP] going to talk about interview skills, but in the sense of how to answer inappropriate questions or how to derail them that are asked of women trying to join the workforce,” Flaws said.
On Saturday, they will host a noon “He For She” Men’s Dodgeball Tournament on the West Lawn with the Recreational Sports and Interfraternity Council. It costs $10 per team to register.
“And then we’re having a men’s dodgeball tournament to get the men on campus involved to give them something to show their support for the women as well,” Flaws said.
The goal of the week, according to Flaws, is to educate, inspire and empower women.
“We’re going to announce them on social media, we’re going to advertise in the Union, we’re going to file. We really want people to come to what matters most to them, so whether it’s talking about your health or taking a self-defense class, come to how you feel,” Flaws said.
For more information, please contact [email protected].
