By Maria Chacin
The Edgewood College student organization Women Empowerment held its first meeting on Feb. 10.
The club – which is still in its early stages – discussed its future plans and goals. Women Empowerment President Ellie Olbinski said she was surprised by how the meeting went and is excited about what’s next.
Olbinski said there was a good turnout, though not as many students attended as she expected.
“It was short and basic,” she said. “We did an introduction of the people who have been working on it –me and the other officers – and then we talked about what we wanted the club to be.”
They also brainstormed ideas, went over the organization’s constitution, and took polls to decide the focus of the club – if they want to focus on speakers, activities in the area or other kinds of events.
“I want this to be a safe place to have fun and to bring awareness of some things that may not otherwise be brought to this campus,” Olbinski said.
Although the meeting’s attendance wasn’t as large as Olbinski expected, she said she was glad the people who went were excited about the initiative. The smaller group allowed the officers to establish a better connection with the attendees.
To get more students to join, Women Empowerment officers are considering hosting much larger events, such as female-directed movie showings in the Anderson Auditorium, where anyone who wants can go without being a member of the club and without directly engaging with the activity.
“We don’t want it to be just women,” Olbinski said. “We want the club to be open for everybody to come, but the topics will be women focused.”
Among some of the topics she mentioned are sexual health, sexual assault and job opportunities for women.
“My biggest worry beforehand was that everyone would be silent, and it would be just us taking the lead,” Olbinski said. “But I was really excited to see everyone participating and shouting out their ideas.”
She intends for the club to keep growing and expects good things for its future.
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