Ohio University Women’s Center and ohiowomen collaborate trying to empower women at the open house.
The Ohio University Women’s Center and ohiowomen are teaming up Thursday for an open house that aims to bring women together within the university.
This event is meant to honor all OU women and also introduce M. Geneva Murray, the new director of the Women’s Center.
Pam Benoit, executive vice president and provost, will welcome Murray at the event.
“People can come and they can have the opportunity for networking with other people and to become more familiar with what ohiowomen and the Women’s Center have to offer,” Murray said. “We will be able to answer questions that they have about our program, how you can get involved but really it’s going to be a great opportunity to meet other people who are interested in empowering women.”
ohiowomen replaced Women in Philanthropy more than a year ago.
There will be another speaker, René Banglesdorf who is an OU alumna and the CEO and owner of Charlie Bravo Aviation in Austin, Texas, according to the event’s itinerary.
“ohiowomen has just been a wonderful group to work with and they offered to host this program as a way to welcome me to the community,” Murray said. “And also for us to have an opportunity to listen to their speaker at the end of their evening.”
Sarah Jenkins, program coordinator for the Women’s Center, said she thought it would be good to collaborate with ohiowomen because of the organization’s broad purpose.
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“It worked out that it was also going to be the beginning of Geneva’s career here,” Jenkins said. “So we are hosting this open house together which is also … in conjunction with this Women and Entrepreneurship day.”
Ann Brown, assistant director for special initiatives, said Murray has a new vision for the Women’s Center and is trying to make the center a more inclusive place for all women.
Brown said she feels the different groups on campus such as Greek Life, LGBT and Women in Communication are not cohesive on campus.
“I mean people are sort of not kind of finding a way to get together,” she said. “When I found out there was going to be a new director of the Women’s Center I thought this is a real opportunity for the campus to meet her.”
Brown said it is important to have this event in order to create an alliance of women.
“I think the thing to focus on is that we are really trying to build it — some place where women can come and find things that are helpful or interesting or connect,” Brown said.
One of the events the ohiowomen organization has done is a group photo shoot of women in the OU community that gave women t-shirts that said “I’m an ohiowoman” each with a bubble on it for them to write what is really important to them, whether it be ‘love’ or ‘freedom’ Brown said.
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“When I have been to (these) different events you know in Columbus, in Cleveland, and then also the photoshoot, the room is electric,” Brown said. “I just really like working with women and empowering women and so I’m hoping that a lot of people will come and that it’ll just be loud and beautiful and fun and that’s what I’m (looking forward to) is a party.”
—Rachel Hartwick contributed to this report
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