Erinn Finley
Staff Writer
efinley1@murraystate.edu
The Women’s Faculty Caucus changed their name to the Gender Equity Caucus to be more inclusive of the transgender community.
Danielle Mužina, president of the Gender Equity Caucus, said the organization started talking about changing the name in spring 2021 but decided to wait until all officers were on board.
She said they talked about it as an executive committee in fall 2021 and presented it to the full caucus.
Mužina said the name change was decided by a formal vote.
“We very much value our advocacy for women faculty and women’s issues on campus, Mužina said. “But [we] came to the realization — through the interests of our executive board and other members — that perhaps a name change might be more welcoming of membership and involvement from other faculty who wanted to support gender equity overall, not just women faculty,” Mužina said.
Mužina said the executive board and many members found it necessary to change their name to something less aligned with the gender binary since gender disparities fill all sectors of society. She said these disparities have serious and long-term impacts, which affects those who identify as women.
Mužina said it also affects nonbinary, genderqueer, gender-nonconforming and transgender community members who face layers of inequality beyond those that cisgendered women experience.
“I am proud to be a queer faculty member, so the name change means a lot to me personally, as it seeks to better represent more members of the LGBTQ+ community,” Mužina said. “While we still have a lot of work to do under this new name change, I am energized by the support of the Caucus in this move towards broader inclusivity.”
Mužina said the organization is a membership group open to all interested faculty
Sara Cooper, vice president of the organization, has been with the group for four years. She said they wanted their organization to be more inclusive since many of the issues they address impact women and nonbinary faculty.
“We wanted our new name to focus on gender inclusivity and to emphasize equity since much of the work we do is toward more equitable policies and practices on and off campus,” Cooper said. “We also wanted to emphasize, through our name, that all faculty are welcome in our organization.”
Marcie Venter, a member of the Gender Equity Caucus, said many people in and outside the group felt the new name would be more inclusive.
“I see their perspectives and appreciate them, even though I am not one of those other groups that wasn’t served by the former title,” Venter said.
“Our mission is to advocate for women and nonbinary faculty members and improve the professional environment through networking, sharing concerns, identifying opportunities, taking action and providing input into policy,” Cooper said.
Cooper said some of the organization’s past and ongoing projects include advocating for faculty caregivers, conducting a campus salary study and working with administration to open a lactation room for faculty, staff and students. She said some other projects included initiating the development of a Faculty Senate task force on teaching evaluations, working with aligned interest groups at Murray State and in the community and organizing a Vigil for Violence against Women and Femmes.
“Every year we host events for International Women’s Day,” Cooper said. “We will once again be hosting a Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon this year, inviting the campus community to participate in editing Wikipedia entries to be more inclusive.”
Cooper said the Gender Equity Caucus is planning an event for faculty that will focus on tools and resources for supporting survivors of sexual assualt.
The group’s ongoing work includes improving working conditions for women and nonbinary faculty.
Cooper said they will be hosting a panel titled “Advocating for Indigenous Women and Girls” on March 8 at 3 p.m. as part of their celebration for International Women’s Day.
This panel discussion will feature Rebecca Balog, who is part of the Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition, and activist Denise Pictou-Maloney.
Venter said she is particularly looking forward to the round-table discussion of “Violence Against Indigenous Women” happening on International Women’s Day.
Mužina said the group is working to reconnect with other organizations on campus to reorganize efforts and conversations that have dissolved or fallen off because of the pandemic.
“We want to align with other groups and support their important work and find ways to build equitable futures together,” Mužina said. “I think collaboration and communication are key to an organization’s success, and we are trying to put in more effort there.”
Mužina said she wanted the group is trying to amplify the Pride Center’s Chest Binder Drive.
The Pride Center has a set of binders people can try on to determine size. With a gift card, people can purchase what they need from GC2B, a transgender-owned, gender-affirming clothing store. The Pride Center is asking for donations in the form of gift cards from GC2B’s website.
Mužina said $35 is a good amount to donate to cover the average cost of a chest binder.
“This endeavor is really important because some campus members might not have access to a binder otherwise,” Mužina said. “The availability of gender-affirming experiences and resources is so important and can be incredibly meaningful.”
For more information on the panel “Advocating for Indigenous Women and Girls,” visit the Gender Equity Caucus’s Instagram, @gecmurray.