Who We Are
The Penn Women’s Center was founded in April, 1973, after protestors occupied College Hall for four days to protest a series of rapes on campus. We moved to our current location on Locust Walk in the early 1990s, following the “Diversify Locust Walk” movement that sought to make Penn safer for minorities and female students. For over 40 years, the center has been active in promoting the rights of women on campus and beyond. We strive to include voices of gender, sexual, and racial minorities, acknowledging that feminism has historically been white and cis-centered. Come visit us to walk through a timeline of our history!
Contact Us
Address:
3643 Locust Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Hours:
- Monday – Thursday 9:30 am – 5:30 pm
- Friday 9:30 am – 5:00 pm
- Evenings and weekends by special arrangement.
Our Team
As Director of PWC, Elisa supports and advocates for gender equity among all areas of the campus community. Elisa focuses on PWC’s educational programming, community outreach, and on mentoring key student groups such as PAGE (Penn Association for Gender Equity). Prior to joining Penn in 2017, Elisa served as the Manager of the Women’s Leadership & Mentorship Program at Robert Morris University where she supported peer and professional mentoring relationships and developed leadership training programs for undergraduate women.
As Associate Director of PWC, Jasmine leads various programming and student engagement initiatives, while also advising organizations supported by PWC. She has held various roles in K-12 and higher education settings, which include working in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging offices, along with serving as an adjunct professor of legal research and writing.
As Associate Director of PWC, Catharine’s main responsibility is providing confidential support and resources for students on campus as well as supporting student-led initiatives, such as Take Back the Night. Catharine has previously worked at non-profit organizations supporting students and women who have experienced trauma. Catharine is passionate about gender equity and focuses particularly on trauma-informed care and trauma prevention.
Hitomi Yoshida has worked in higher education and qualitative evaluation since she graduated with an M.S. Ed. from Penn’s Graduate School of Education (GSE) in 1995. Before joining Penn Women’s Center, Hitomi served as the Program Coordinator at the Pan-Asian American Community House (PAACH) and as the Diversity Programs Manager for the Penn Museum. Before she returned to Penn campus, she was the Associate Director for the Intergenerational Center at Temple University for many years. Hitomi is experienced in facilitating collaborative learning and community engagement and appreciates the welcoming space and dynamic programs that the Penn Women’s Center offers for the community.
What We Do
Sponsored Programs
We are affiliated with a number of centers and programs on campus, with the goal of centralizing women, gender, and sexuality focused resources. We encourage you to look at our support services and affiliated groups for further information. We offer programs related to: Career Development, Stress Management, Parenting, Sexual Violence Prevention, and Health and Wellness.
Events
We sponsor a number of events throughout the year that highlight issues of gender justice and promote women and gender equity writers, activists, artists, and political and professional leaders. These events include conferences, trainings, and workshops, with topics ranging from restorative justice, to healthy relationships, to men and masculinities. Major sponsored events, co-produced with student groups, include Gender Equity Week, OWN IT Women’s Leadership Summit, Penn Gender Equity Pre-Orientation Program, Reproductive Justice Conference, and Take Back the Night.
Advocacy
We play an advocacy role regarding issues of gender equity, health, childcare, workplace discrimination, domestic and sexual violence, and mental health.
Trainings on Gender Equity and Wellness
The Penn Women’s Center offers a variety of interactive trainings designed to promote gender equity, wellness, and supportive practices within our community. Our current menu of training topics includes:
- How to Talk to a Friend About Mental Health
- Body Neutrality
- Dealing with Failure
- Trauma-Informed Care (Faculty and Staff)
- Trauma-Informed Care (Students)
If you’re interested in scheduling a training for your group, department, or organization, please email us at vpul-pwc@pobox.upenn.edu. We look forward to working with you to foster a more inclusive and equitable campus!
Our Space
Located in the heart of campus, at 3643 Locust Walk, the Penn Women’s Center offers the perfect space for women, female-identified persons and feminists of all genders to study, relax, host meetings, and workshops or team up for civic engagement projects.
More than just a building, we are also home to a fully equipped nursing room, complete with a Medela Symphony breast pump, that provides a cozy private space for breastfeeding and/or pumping. We also have an eco-kitchen (PEEK) that can be used for cooking, events or hanging out, a film and book library, a TV lounge, wireless internet access and assorted meeting rooms.