Advocacy

The Carolina Women's Center strives to be a leader in efforts and initiatives related to gender equity at UNC. Our advocacy work seeks to enact our vision of a safe, inclusive, equitable campus community. Examples of our ongoing advocacy efforts include:

  • Closing Gender Gaps: The Center is currently involved in campus projects focusing on women in the sciences and faculty equity issues. The CWC also participates in the Orange County Women's Agenda Assembly, which meets biennially to discuss and prioritize the social and political issues that are important to women in the community.
  • Violence Prevention: The CWC is an active member of the Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence Training and Education (SARVTAE) task force and Orange County Sexual Assault Response Team. The Center participates in a number of ongoing advocacy projects, including a cell phone donation program and a community effort exploring the possibility of bringing a domestic violence shelter to Orange County.
  • Combating Sex Trafficking: The CWC is an active member of RIPPLE: The North Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force and the anti-trafficking coalition NC Stop Human Trafficking. The Center supports state legislative efforts to establish a North Carolina human trafficking commission, and worked with the Chapel Hill Town Council to craft one of the first anti-trafficking resolutions passed by a North Carolina municipality.
  • Family Advocacy: The Center works on issues including child care, campus lactation resources, parental leave, and student parent support. The CWC leads the Chancellor's Child Care Advisory Committee, and is engaged in efforts to increase access to quality, affordable, accessible child care for all UNC families. Center staff serve as advisors to the Student Parent Association, helped produce and distribute a Student Parent Resource guide, and are collaborating on crafting a proposed undergraduate pregnancy policy.
  • Redefining Gender Norms: The Center supports both the M@C (Men at Carolina) and WELL (Women Experiencing Learning & Leadership) living learning communities. As part of the Provost’s Committee on LGBTQ Life, the CWC participated in the process to add gender expression and gender identity to UNC's non-discrimination policy and is working on equal access to health insurance and other benefits for all employees and their partners/families.