Women's Center

Since the 2004 Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, the conversation about body positivity continues to evolve. Our goal at the Women's Center is to engage with these complex challenges by creating a safe space for dialogue about reframing our purpose, treating ourselves with compassion, and celebrating the innate dignity of our bodies and body diversity.

Post-It Positivity Campaign

Each year, countless students, faculty, and staff write more than 3,000 positive affirmations on colorful notes that are displayed on campus. The exhibit aims to bring joy and inspiration to those who pass by. If a particular message resonates, people are invited to take it with them as a source of encouragement.

Caregiving comes in many forms: from biological parenting, to emotional support of colleagues and students, to vital self-care and beyond. We strive to make UD as inclusive and supportive as possible for all students, faculty, staff and guests who are caregivers of any kind.

Breastfeeding and Lactation Rooms

Lactation rooms are available across campus. Rooms are equipped with a comfortable chair, electrical outlets and cleaning supplies. Sinks are located within the room or nearby.

Members of the UD community can find the location of all campus lactation rooms and get instructions for obtaining access in Porches.

Guests and visitors can access a lactation room via a guest card, which can be obtained from:

• Alumni Hall, room 204
• Curran Place, front desk
• Fitz Hall, front desk (Public Safety window)
• Kennedy Union, room 241
• Kettering Labs, room 565
• Roesch Library, main desk (Information Point)
• St. Mary's Hall, room 315
• The Hub, front desk
• 1401 South Main Street, Fitz Center front desk

To access lactation rooms in Hathcock Hall, the Center for Leadership or Roger Glass Arts Center, guests and visitors should contact caregiving@udayton.edu.

Mini-Refrigerator Loan Program

The Women's Center provides free, mini-refrigerators for UD employees to keep in their offices to store breast milk. While there are several refrigerators available at any given time, these refrigerators are loaned out on a first-come, first-served basis.

Mentoring

Mentoring relations have been identified as one of the most important aspects in career success.

Members of the UD community can access our mentoring toolkit, which provides resources, best practices and a basic structure for impactful mentoring. Cultivated from a variety of institution-based resources and other sources, this toolkit represents best practices and foundational resources to support mentoring initiative.

Students can also participate in an Alumni Mentoring Program, offered through Career Services and the Alumni Association.

HERS Institute

The HERS Leadership Institute is a transformational, leadership development program for higher education professionals, founded to fill leadership pipelines across the United States with dynamic leaders, each capable of ushering their respective institutions into a more inclusive and equitable future. The HERS Leadership Institute is an inclusive program, with a focus on women and people who are gender diverse. HERS programs and services are open to all regardless of gender identity. Current students, faculty and staff can view the list of UD HERS alumni on Porches.

Women of Color Collective

The Women of Color Collective is available for faculty and staff women of color to participate in leadership opportunities through mentorship. This space is for women of color and anyone else who has experienced similar types of marginalization.

Research on the gender pay gap shows that, one year out of college, women are already paid significantly less than men. Women who work full time take home about 80 cents for every dollar a full-time male worker is paid. And over a lifetime, those lost potential earnings add up. Women who negotiate increase their potential to earn higher salaries and better benefits packages. By negotiating fair and equitable salaries, you’ll be better able to pay off loans, buy the things you want and need, and even save for retirement.

Negotiating salaries and benefits is a challenge for individuals at all stages of their careers, and we offer workshops for both current students and individuals who are already in the workforce.

Workshops for Current Students

Our in-person workshops employ the latest in research and negotiation strategies to help you navigate the complexities of job offers. You'll learn how to identify and articulate your personal value, benchmark a target salary and benefits, and gain strategies for making your ask.

Workshops for Individuals in the Workforce

A free, online module is available for those who are already in the workforce. This workshop will provide the tools you need to ask for a promotion or raise, or to successfully negotiate salary for a new position.

The UD Women's Center internship program is an opportunity for students to delve deeper into their understanding of social justice topics related to gender and to develop skills in advocacy, communication, community building and program design. The program focuses on three NACE competencies: communication, critical thinking, and equity and inclusion.

Students in the program have a variety of responsibilities that support the work of the Women's Center, including:

• Writing educational articles for the Women's Center Weekly
• Designing and facilitating educational programming on social justice topics
• Supporting caregiving initiatives 
• Supporting the planning and execution of Women's History Month

For more information, contact womenscenter@udayton.edu.