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Tuesday, March 26, 2024

First Women’s Leadership Conference to occur in January

Gender inequalities are not a thing of the past, women leaders on campus say. In order to level the playing field, students have organized the first Women’s Leadership Conference.

Alison Tanner, ASUCD senator and senior women studies and political science double major, said that she felt there was a need for a conference because of the gender imbalance she witnesses at the senate table.

“[It’s] the same imbalance of leadership I have witnessed in student organizations and classrooms all over campus,” she said.

The goal of the conference is to reach out to female students and educate them about opportunities on campus through clubs, honor societies, academic research and ASUCD, as well as build a community between women leaders and students, said Alison Bollbach, president of Feminists for Equality and senior women studies and history double major. It’s also an opportunity for students to network.

The conference will be held at the Gunrock Pub on Jan. 14 from 4 to 6:30 p.m. and light refreshments will be provided. There are 50 available spots and applications can be acquired and submitted at ucd.wlc@gmail.com. Applications or resumes are due Dec. 10.

Different female leaders such as Griselda Castro, assistant vice chancellor of Student Affairs, Annette Spicuzza, UC Davis chief of police, Selisa Romero, ASUCD senator and senior sociology major and Bree Rombi, former ASUCD senator, will speak about leadership and how they worked toward their positions.

The is a collaborative event between the Gender and Sexuality Commission, Student Assistants to the Chancellor, Feminists for Equality and several ASUCD senators.

“We are trying to get a strong women leadership base from the UC Davis community and help them pass on the skills they have gained to future female leaders,” Bollbach said.

Women are not as involved in leadership positions around campus as they could be, so they need more confidence, awareness and empowerment to get involved, Romero said. Women lead only two ASUCD commissions and only two out of six ASUCD senators elected this fall were women.

Tanner said the purpose of the application process is to bring together a diverse group of people from different backgrounds on campus.

“We want people who are established leaders as well as women who are seeking to become leaders on campus, so there is a commingling of the two at the conference,” she said.

Feminists for Equality was established this academic year to unite feminists on campus, as there was no other campus group after the feminist group National Organization for Women at UC Davis fizzled out last year, Bollbach said.

JASPREET BAHIA can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

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