Women's Council Media Backgrounder

Press Contact: Megan Stephens, stephe21@wwu.edu

Overview:
Women's Council is a nonprofit Associated Student club at Western Washington
University. They strive to bring attention, awareness, and education to women's/gender
binary issues. WC members believe in getting involved politically to try and see a change
happen regarding women's rights. They want to break down the systematic structure of
ingrained misogyny and sexism and collaborate to build an equality of the sexes, and
also spread the word that everyone is affected by these issues, not just women. They
consist of seven student-run positions and a range of seven to 26 who show up to their
weekly meetings on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. at Miller Hall. The president is Megan
Stephens and the vice president is Brianna Pedicone. WC was established in spring of
2016 when it was founded by Kenyon Andres.
https://www.facebook.com/wwuwomencouncil/
http://asclubs.wwu.edu/show_profile/137322-womens-council

Key Terms

Sexual assault is any kind of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without
explicit consent from the recipient. This includes forced sexual intercourse,
forcible sodomy, child molestation, incest, fondling and attempted rape. (Justice
2016).
Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on sex. It is any behavior that
enforces social roles based on gender (Merriam-Webster 2016).
Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behavior one partner inflicts on another
to gain control over them. This type of violence can be physical, sexual,
emotional, economic or psychological threats. This includes behaviors that might
intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, injure or wound someone
(Justice 2016).
Sexism is the prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women,
on the basis of sex. Similarly, misogyny is dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained
prejudice against women.

Feminism is the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social,

and economic equality to men.
An ally is a person who is a member of the dominant group or majority group
who works to end oppression in his or her personal and professional life through
support of, and as an advocate with and for, the oppressed population. (Patricia)

Current activities:
The Womens Council began last spring is beginning to brainstorm events for this
upcoming school year. Their main priority for this quarter is fundraising and getting the
general word out to students that the club exists since its new. This fall theyd like to
start offering self-defense classes to students so that theyll know how to combat sexual
assault. Theyre also thinking about volunteering at homeless shelters and handing out
feminine packets to women-in-need. Their main project that theyre hoping to
accomplish by the end of the year is Take Back the Night which is a march around
campus with the goal to spread awareness about how women dont feel safe walking
home alone at night. They are partnering with the Womens Center and the Queer
Resource Center on this event.
Womens Council believes in:

Community engagement

Safe space for all genders

Raise and promote awareness

Enact change

Educate about various gender issues

Accurately informing the public

Facebook: wwuwomenscouncil

Facts about Womens Council:

Here you will find facts about the impact of sexual assault on female
students and educational pursuits, how disruptive it is and what the
legal/ethical issues on the part of the universities to address this and the
challenges. Students are still forced to face their alleged rapists even when
there is a no-contact order, which poses many ethical/legal issues. Many
students report their attacks and feel like their voice has not been heard

Sexual Assault happens to both women and men. Womens Council seeks to
advance women, but is open to all gender identities who have been victims of
sexual violence. Womens council is a safe place for sexual assault victims to come
break their silence.
Local
From 2013-2015, there were eight forcible sex offenses on campus at WWU, five
rapes, and seven stalkings. All of these statistics are only the reported cases.
(Annual)
WWU is one of more than 100 institutions in the country under investigation for
their compliance with Title IX standards, which prohibit discrimination on the
basis of sex in any federally funded education program or activity.
When men perceived consent before sexual activity to be a strong norm for both
females and males, they were more likely to report that consent was personally
imperative. (Patricia)
WWU is now requiring all students to complete the EverFi Haven and
AlcoholEdu trainings before registering for classes. (Bruce)
A total of 12 forcible or non-forcible sex offenses were reported on or near
WWUs campus from 2012-14 (Higgins 2015)
WWU requires all students to complete the EverFi Haven and AlcoholEdu
trainings during their first quarter so that they have a better idea of how to
recognize potential sexual assault and report it (Shepard and Wolter 2015).
Within the last five years, no students have been expelled for sexual misconduct
at WWU. (Criscione 2015)
29 percent of those counted as homeless in Whatcom County listed domestic
violence as a reason. This amounts for a total of 102 households (Bellingham
2014).
WWU is currently under investigation for possible violation of federal law over
handling sexual-violence and harassment reports (Higgins 2015)

Regional
Washington ranks sixth in the nation for open federal investigations under Title
IX law, aimed at discovering how colleges are mishandling sexual assault and
rape issues. (Megan)
In the 2007 the investigation found that WSU failed to properly include two
forcible sex offenses in their annual report. Due to violations of statutory and

regulatory requirements, they were subsequently fined $82,500. The fine was
later reduced to $15,000. (Megan)
In 2011, Washington State University was chosen randomly to be investigated for
compliance under the Clery Act, a law that requires federally funded post
secondary schools to disclose crime statistics. (Megan)
WSU executive director for compliance and Title IX coordinator Kimberly
Anderson says the high number of open Title IX investigations are a good thing,
indicating an empowered student body that is more likely to submit complaints.
(Megan)
Three universities with the highest number or rate of reported rapes in 2014
(WSU, UPS and Whitman) do not have climate surveys that are available to the
public, or surveys that include questions relating to sexual assault. (Megan)
In 2011 there were 46,444 reports of domestic violence in Washington (Bensley,
Hobart and Niolin 2013).
Sixteen percent of women and six percent of men in Washington state reported
being physically harmed by their significant other at least once in their lives.
(Bensley, Hobart and Niolin 2013).
Twenty percent of women and 5 percent of men report being sexually assaulted
by physical force or while incapacitated (Anderson and Clement 2015).
Factors associated with sexual assault include alcohol, being at least
acquaintances with the assaulter and being in a sorority or fraternity (Anderson
and Clement 2015).
Factors not associated with sexual assault include large vs. small schools, private
vs. public, social class, attending worship services and living on vs. off campus
(Anderson and Clement 2015).

National
As many as one in five women are raped or sexually assaulted in college. (Poll)
Twenty percent of women and five percent of men have reported sexual assaults
in college. (Poll)
Only nine percent of colleges in the United States have reported any instance of
rape, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking since 2014,
when federal law began requiring them to report annually on these crimes. (Poll)
Of surveyed college women, about 90 percent of rape and sexual assault victims
knew their attacker prior to the assault. (How)

ational surveys of adults suggest that between 9-32 percent of women and 5-10
N
perfect of men report that they were victims of sexual abuse and/or assault
during their childhood. (How)
The ratio of boy-centered stories to girl-centered stories is five to two, according
to the 1972 Princeton Chapter of the National Organization of Women Study.
(John)
Eighty-five percent of all elementary school teachers are women; 79 percent of
all elementary school principals are men. (John)
One out of every six women are raped or sexually assaulted in their lifetime
(Lowen 2016)
Intimate partner violence is most common among women between the ages of
18-24. (Truman and Morgan 2014)
One in three women and one in four men have experienced some form of physical
violence by an intimate partner within their lifetime (Black 2011)
By the end of 4 college years, 88% of women experience at least one incident of
physical or sexual violence in their lifetimes (Ottens 2001)
Women who experienced sexual violence reported high levels of psychological
distress (Ottens 2001)

Bios:
Megan Stephens
Megan Stephens is the president of the Womens Council and is a sophomore at WWU.
She is planning to major in Political Science and Womens Studies. She joined the club
because she felt the issues facing women today hit close to home and she wanted to
create a safe space for people whove also experienced sexual assault. She wants the club
to be more inclusive to all gender identities.
Email: stephe21@wwu.edu

Bri Pedicone
Bri Pedicone is the vice president of Womens Council and is a senior English and
Creative Writing major at WWU. Shes an RA who says that she sees sexual assault every
day and wants to raise an awareness to an issue that is still very prevalent on campus.
Email: pedicob@wwu.edu

Boilerplate:
Womens Council is a WWU AS Club founded in April 2016 by Kenyon Andres. Their
mission is to create a safe space for students of all gender identities to come together
and discuss womens issues while taking political action in the community. They
currently have recruited twelve members since the club began last spring and they meet
every Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Miller Hall room 225. Megan Stephens is the current
president of Womens Council. For more information, see their orgsync page at:
https://orgsync.com/137322/chapter

Sources:
"Sexual Assault." U.S. Department of Justice. April 1, 2016. Accessed October 6, 2016.
https://www.justice.gov/ovw/sexual-assault.
"Domestic Violence." U.S. Department of Justice. October 5, 2016. Accessed October 6,
2016. https://www.justice.gov/ovw/domestic-violence.
Criscione, Wilson. "Students Decry WWU Sexual Assault Reporting Process;
Investigation Underway." Bellinghamherald. October 31, 2015. Accessed October 6,
2016. http://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/article42031710.html.
Ottens, Allen J., and Kathy Hotelling. Sexual Violence on Campus: Policies, Programs,
and Perspectives. New York: Springer, 2001.
Lowen Women's Issues Expert, Linda. "10 Shocking Facts That Show the Difficulties
Women Face." About.com News & Issues. February 7, 2016. Accessed October 10, 2016.
http://womensissues.about.com/od/feminismequalrights/a/Top10FactsAboutWomen.
htm.
Truman, Jennifer and Morgan, Rachel. Nonfatal Domestic Violence, 2003-2012. U.S.
Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics. April
2014. http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/ndv0312.pdf
Black, Michele, Basile, Kathleen, Breiding, Matthew, Smith, Sharon, Walters, Mikel,
Merrick, Melissa, Chen, Jieru, and Stevens, Mark. The National Intimate Partner and
Sexual Violence Survey: 2010 Summary Report. National Center for Injury Prevention
and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. November 2011.
http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/nisvs_report2010-a.pdf

Higgins, John. "Western Washington University under Review in Sexual-violence Case."

The Seattle Times. April 29, 2015. Accessed October 10, 2016.
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/education/western-washington-universityunder-review-in-sexual-violence-case/.
Anderson, Nick, and Scott Clement. "Poll Shows That 20 Percent of Women Are
Sexually Assaulted in College." Washington Post. June 12, 2015. Accessed October 6,
2016.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/local/2015/06/12/1-in-5-women-say-they-were-vi
olated/.
"Annual Crime Statistics 2013-2014-2015," Western Washington University,
accessed October 9, 2016, http://www.wwu.edu/vpess/crimestatistics.shtml.
Bruce Shepard and Annika Wolters, EverFi and Western Washington
University. Prevention & Wellness Services, Western Washington University (2015),
http://www.wwu.edu/pws/everfi_wwu.shtml.
"How often does it happen?" Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs,
accessed October 9, 2016. http://www.wcsap.org/how-often-does-it-happen.
John R. Kazalunas, Sexism in Education (1978), 388-391.
Megan Murnane, "Exposing sexual violence at Washington colleges," Crosscut:
News of the Great Nearby (2016), accessed October 9, 2016.
Patricia M. Fabiano PhD , H. Wesley Perkins PhD, Alan Berkowitz PhD, Jeff
Linkenbach EdD & Christopher Stark MS (2003) Engaging Men as Social Justice Allies
in Ending Violence Against Women: Evidence for a Social Norms Approach.
"Poll: One in 5 women say they have been sexually assaulted in college,"
Washington Post (2015), accessed October 9, 2016.

Womens Council Top 10 FAQs

1.
What is Womens Council?
Womens Council is an associated student Western Washington University womens
rights clubs. We are a safe space for people of all identities to raise awareness of gender
issues and enact change in our community!
2.
Why should I get involved?
We believe feminism and sexism affect everyone and it is up to all of us to change ittogether.
3.
What is feminism?
Feminism is the belief in equality of genders, so chances are, youre already a feminist!
4.
How can I get involved?
We have weekly meetings Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in Miller Hall 139. We also have a
newsletter for everyone involved, whether or not you can attend meetings!
5.
Who can I contact and where can I find information?
Our president is Megan Stephens. You can contact her via email at stephe21@wwu.edu.
We also have some social media presences! Follow for updates and information.
AS website: http://asclubs.wwu.edu/show_profile/137322-womens-council
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/wwuwomencouncil
Instagram: wwuwomencouncil
6.
What are your upcoming events?
We are currently gearing up for a series of self-defense classes as well as a panel with
some wonderful educators. Furthermore, we are planning a Take Back the Night Walk at
the end of spring quarter. Anyone can participate!
7.
What is the Take Back the Night Walk?
Take Back the Night Walk is a march through campus to raise awareness about sexual
violence and show support for survivors of rape and sexual assault. We are partnering
with the A.S. Womens Center to host this event and were always looking for more help!

8.
Do I have to know anything about politics or gender issues to join?
Nope! We are all here to learn! You may even know some information that we dont.
That is what is so great about a group of people coming together who are from all
different backgrounds! All we ask of you is to be passionate about what we are working
towards and express your knowledge/ideas during our meetings!
9.
Im not a woman, can I still join?
Of course! Yes, we are passionate about women's issues, but we are passionate about all
gender issues, and women's issues affect everyone in the end.
10. Are there any fees?
Nope... zero. Aren't we all supposed to be broke college students?

Logo with Tagline

For the time being, this is the logo Womens Council is using. The arrow represents
moving forward and enacting change on campus and in the community. The arrow is
always white surrounded by a bold purple. The name of the club, Womens Council, is
always below the arrow.
Another logo is in the works. The sketch is provided below the current logo to give you a
general idea of what the new logo will look like.
The tagline is, This Life is Rightfully Yours.

Potential Feature Story Ideas

1. Director/president profile
Womens Council is a new club on campus as of last spring with a mission to
create a safe space for people of all identities to raise awareness of gender issues and
enact change in our community. President sophomore Megan Stephens came to
Western to pursue an environmental science degree until she noticed the lack of women
in STEM fields. She has also experienced sexual violence in the past and chose to lead
the Womens Council because gender inequality hits close to home. She hopes the club
will grow in size so that theyll have opportunities to host more events and possibly take
political action by lobbying in Olympia.
2. Member profile
Jessica Lederman was a leading force in starting up The Womens Council at
WWU. Once she transferred to Western last spring, she immediately got to work in
establishing the club. Shes not an official leader of the club but she plays a huge role in
leading club discussions and events. In a sense, shes their communications advisor and
the heart of the club.
3. Mission/ issue story
The Womens Councils main mission is to create a safe space for people of all
identities to raise awareness of gender issues and enact change in the community. One
of those main issues is sexual violence on campus. At Western there have been some
cases where students have reported sexual abuse and no investigation or punishment
followed. The Womens Council is doing their part to host a Take Back the Night Walk
on April 21st to spread awareness about the ongoing issue throughout our countrys
college campuses with sexual violence.

Scripts for Radio and Video PSAs

Western Washington University Womens Council Script:
30 sec. Radio PSA
Who needs the gender binary? Not Womens Council, a new Associated Student club on
the W-W-U campus. We strive to bridge inequalities between all genders and foster a
safe community so we can all fight back, together. Whatever level of involvement is right
for you, weve made it simple to be included, any gender or species you may be!
Womens Council [pause] This life is rightfully yours. Visit W-W-U Womens Council on
Facebook for more information.
###
Tagline (currently): This life is rightfully yours.
Soundcloud link: https://soundcloud.com/beckabrooke/womens-council-radio-psa

Western Washington University Womens Council Script:

30 sec. Video PSA
When you leave the library on campus after a long night of studying, you shouldnt have
to worry about your safety. Unfortunately, every two minutes, someone is sexually
assaulted. Hello, I am Alexa. Im here to tell you about Womens Council, an associated
students club that provides a safe space for all gender identities and victims of sexual
violence who have been silenced. Learn more by liking our Facebook page and join us in
fostering community and campus awareness about sexual violence. Womens Council:
This life is rightfully yours.

###
Tagline: This life is rightfully yours, Info Force: https://www.rainn.org/statistics