By Abrahán Monzón

Contributor

Dear Cougars,

An important Letter to the Editor was published in the Women’s Herstory Month edition of The Cougar Chronicle. Titled, “Gender Equity Center Changes Raise Questions About Loss of Women’s Power,” the letter posed the chief question “How can we empower women at CSUSM?” citing that the Gender Equity Center is “run by men.” The letter provides the platform for a critical discussion about women, gender, patriarchy and institutional support systems.

It is imperative that we remain critical of the ways in which institutions uphold or challenge traditional distributions of power. I want to begin by sharing about my personal process leading to my position as the Assistant Director of the ASI Community Centers.

Since I was an undergraduate, I have been passionate about gender and sexual equity, feminism and social justice. I completed a Bachelor’s degree in Feminist Studies and pursued graduate studies in Student Affairs in order to continue advocating for, and supporting students on issues of gender and sexual equity. When I applied to CSU San Marcos, I was excited about the prospect of working with a number of students who are passionate about these issues.

When I was invited to a video interview with the search committee, I learned more about the organizational and staffing structure. I learned that my supervisor, and his supervisor, were both cisgender, queer or gay men who are read as White. As a disabled, gender non-conforming femme, queer, Chicana I thought about the ways in which I could add to the dynamics of the office. At the same time, I realized that I am at times read as cisgender, gay, white and masculine.

Gender-related programming in higher education touches on many topics including sexual violence prevention, support for survivors, discussing body acceptance, supporting parents and addressing the intersections of gender and other identities. I also thought about how my experiences as a survivor, a person of size and as someone from a working class immigrant family influence my drive. I accepted a campus interview, and eventually the job, after conscious reflection about positionality.

Professional competencies for Student Affairs professionals include Personal Foundations, Ethics and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. In embodying these competencies, I strive to be self-aware of my identities and positionality in any institution. Any candidate in my position would have had many strengths as well as blind spots. For this reason, it is important for me to not do this work alone and that I partner with others promoting gender justice on campus and that I create space to listen and grow from critique.

If you have any ideas of how the Gender Equity Center can empower women, I encourage you to reach out to the Gender Equity Center. You can see me in USU-3200B or e-mail me at [email protected]. I also encourage you to apply to work at the ASI Community Centers. Peer Educator applications are being accepted until 3 p.m. on April 12 and can be found on the ASI website.

In Solidarity,

Abrahán Monzón