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About the Gender Equity Center

A division of Associated Students, Inc.

Mission Statement

The Gender Equity Center is the collective voice for gender equity and justice at CSUSM. Serving as a catalyst for ending gender oppression and violence, we advocate for full equality and inclusion of students of all gender identities and expressions, using a social justice frame to provide education and foster inclusive, empowering communities.

Vision Statement

Our vision is a CSUSM community with gender equity and justice, in which students of all genders and diverse identities feel safe, valued, and respected.

Values

To accomplish our mission, we base our strategic decisions and actions on the following core values.

• Feminism - the movement for social, political, and economic equality for all people regardless of gender is the lens through which we view our work. Feminism embodies the values of equal access to resources, equal representation in leadership positions across all sectors, personal agency and choice, and psychological and physical safety.

• Social Justice: We practice our values of social justice by actively and mindfully working to eliminate all forms of oppression and inequity.  Our process is participatory, inclusive, and affirming of human agency and individual capacities for working collaboratively to create change. We commit to self-exploration of our targeted and privileged identities, and challenge ourselves to grow as agents of change through our actions, behaviors and relationships.  We are deeply committed to our collaboration with the CSUSM LGBTQ Pride Center and Cross-Cultural Center, collectively known as the Social Justice Centers.

• Community: We creatively work to build and celebrate community based on inclusiveness, support, the affirmation of all identities, and diversity.  We strive for safe space created through respectful dialogue, collaborative relationships, challenging one another with compassion, and caring for each other within and across communities.

• Empowerment: We empower women to achieve self-determination; to find and use their voice in advocating for themselves and others; in practicing holistic wellness of body, mind, and spirit; and to strengthen their capacity and courage for leadership and higher education. We actively foster leadership development and the empowerment of women through personal relationships, mentorship, and collaborative work methods.

• Creativity: The Women's Center values holistic transmissions and experiences of knowledge, including the creative and the artistic. We foster creative exploration and expression of the self and of one’s identity in the context of broader society. We value the creation and participation of all mediums of art as a means of empowerment, activism, community building, giving voice, and developing understanding of diverse experiences.