Q&A with Holly Jasinski, New Director of the Center for Women and Gender Equity

Holly Jasinski is the new director for the Gayle R. Davis Center for Women and Gender Equity (CWGE). Coming from the world of nonprofits, she began in June with a focus on elevating collaboration and student voices through the center. Learn a little more about Jasinski and her plans as she looks ahead to her first semester at Grand Valley.

Tell me a little bit about your background, and your history with GVSU.

I did a graduate certificate at GVSU for nonprofit leadership, but before this position, I'd never worked in higher ed. I come from a long history in nonprofits, most recently in Holland at Resilience: Advocates for Ending Violence. Most of my career has been in domestic violence/sexual assault advocacy and prevention. That's one of my passions, and gender equity fits really closely with all of that.

In a lot of the work I did before, we would partner with the Women's Center. I've always had interns from Grand Valley; I was a preceptor for some grad-level research on sexual assault on college campuses as well. I've always felt very connected to Grand Valley, and this position so far has proven to be just a perfect fit for me.

What drew you to the CWGE?

I'm very passionate about social justice issues and intersectionality, and I've wanted to work with college students for a while. I remember when I was a college student, that's when I first became aware of a lot of issues of oppression. I started hearing words like "privilege" and getting a better sense of the broader world and the issues in it, and that's when I feel like Ibecame an activist of sorts. I really enjoy that when the light bulbs start going off and students are learning about issues in the world and how they can work towards equity. I just really want to be a part of that conversation. I'm excited.

You said your history is in nonprofit work. Coming from that to the world of higher education, what skills are you bringing to the CWGE?

I think one of the skills anyone would get working in nonprofits as long as I did is the need to be resourceful and the ability to be constantly collaborating. When you're working with people, no one person is like the next person you meet. For example, a student came in recently and mentioned that they were having some car problems and might have to think about dropping out of school. We provided some resources and connected them to this emergency fund for students, and helped them see that there are options that might be able to help.

Somebody might be coming to you for one issue, but that issue is not occurring in a vacuum. So I think it's seeing people in a very holistic way, having a keen understanding of intersectionality and knowing that my experience doesn't reflect those of anybody but me. I think that "whole person" approach, which is very big in nonprofit work, is important. Also being able to collaborate and know who in the community, or in this case on campus, is doing what. And there's such a wealth of resources here that my mind is blown! Every time I think of something, like, oh do we do this? It's like yep, we've always done that. So I think the opportunity for a collaboration is going to be huge.

What does the future of the CWGE look like?

One of the things I'm looking forward to most is when students come back and being able to tap into what they want to see for the upcoming year, and the ways they want to get involved. It's not up to me to decide what should happen next. It's up to all the students that are gonna be part of that. I want this to feel like a very welcoming place. Anyone interested in gender justice, or knowing more about reproductive health care and other issues that are sometimes very contentious, I want this to feel like a safe place where you can come, learn more, and get involved in ways that make sense to you.

I want to have the center be a place for creativity and ideas. So if a student comes in and says, for example, they have an idea for a workshop where we sew pads. Ok, cool. What resources can I provide, and then let me get out of your way. I feel like the best way for people to learn and feel empowered is if you let them lead, so acting more as a resource for them, and not centering myself in it.

I would also love to see us really promote our films that we do on Fridays, and our Talk Back Tuesdays. Those are both great ways to get students involved and start conversations. You can expect to see more programming like that, not another really big event, but more informal opportunities to engage and learn from one another and have crucial conversations about gender. We were also talking about stickers, just little things like that.

What are you most excited for in the coming school year?

More than anything it's fostering those student activist leaders. I think a lot of times we have this idea that activism has to be going out into the street with signs, but that's not necessarily what it is. It's a lot of raising awareness around issues within your own circle of influence. I'm also really passionate about people understanding what their rights are, and understanding that we can make a difference in terms of elected leaders, and that we dohave a voice. And helping people see that there are ways to raise awareness around issues and get to a place where people hopefully will listen.

Describe the Center for Women and Gender Equity in a few sentences for someone who may not be familiar with what you do.

The Gayle R. Davis Center for Women and Gender Equity advocates for gender justice. Gender justice is the full realization of rights and opportunities between men and women, as well as between diverse gender identities. We use a holistic approach in our programs and service by addressing the root causes of gender discrimination and empowering students and the greater GVSU community to be active in advocating for human rights for women and all other gender minorities.

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