WHERE DID THE WOCO GO ? Words by the UofA Women’s Collective To answer the question, the WoCo didn’t really go anywhere. We are still here, and we are still trying our best to advocate for women and non-binary folks’ rights on campus and beyond. This is a call to action. So, what did the UofA WoCo get up to in 2021? Let’s do a quick recap! To begin, we collaborated with a lot of student clubs. Our biggest event of the year was our collaboration with Adelaide Sustainability Association and the Adelaide Fashion Collective for Sustainability Week - we had some of our members donate some of their pre-loved clothes to a clothes swap, which was a HUGE success! We also had the opportunity to co-host a Birthing Kit Assembly shop with the UofA Geography and Development Society, which had been a goal of ours since the beginning. We once again thank these clubs for their support, and cannot wait to work together again! We hosted our annual bake sale, which allowed us to connect with the campus community and spread awareness about who we were and what we aimed to do.We hosted a Social High Tea for NOWSA, the Network of Women Students Australia’s conference. We co-hosted a stall for mid-year O’Week with On Dit, offering a badge making workshop and a friendly face to have a conversation about safer campus culture with. 26
Even though we were dealing with a global pandemic, this did not stop us from advocating for women’s rights beyond our campus. We attended March4Justice, to march for everyone who wants equality, justice, respect and an end to gendered violence. We have and continue to advocate for better communication and effort from the University in regard to their sexual harassment and assault policies and support women navigating harassment/assault incidences both within universityand outside of it. The reporting process can be seen as confusing, frustrating and even traumatising to many. So much more work needs to be done. Part of our responsibility as a committee is to maintain the Anna Menz Women’s Room, which has been created as a safe space for women and non-binary folk on campus. We’ve provided tea and coffee supplies from our own pocket as well as kind donations from those who’ve benefited from the room. A little goes a long way is what we have found!
