Two Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) service centres held their respective alternative orientation weeks Sept. 21-26.
The Womyn’s Centre held the first ever Fem(me) Frosh and the Gender and Sexuality Resource Centre (GSRC) hosted Rainbow Ravens. The two centres held their own events, but also partnered on several workshops throughout the week.
Fem(me) Frosh is a feminist-focused frosh week, with activities centered around feminist resources in Ottawa, the Take Back the Night walk Thursday, and the Ravens women’s soccer game against the University of Ottawa Gee Gee’s Saturday.
CUSA president Fahd Alhattab said alternative frosh weeks provide important educational opportunities.
“We call it frosh week to sell it and market it, but the idea is that we have a week where we are promoting women’s issues and getting people out there,” Alhattab said.
“Fem(me) Frosh started as a response to the 2014 safe space fiasco with frosh week,” said Debbie Owusu-Akyeeah, programming coordinator for the Womyn’s Centre. “I also had a conversation with a friend who thought it would be a good idea to have a frosh week that centres around feminism.”
The first event of Fem(me) Frosh was a meet and greet at the centre, where those new and old to the centre gathered to discuss feminism and catch up.
“[Feminism] is about reading books and educating yourself and being free with yourself,” said Aprile Harrison, a second-year psychology student. “I heard about Fem(me) Frosh in the Atrium . . . and I think it is a great way to meet people like you and [who] have the same ideas as you.”
Rainbow Ravens continues to hold activities based around gender and sexual orientation, including a board game social, workshops, and a barbecue. This year was the second year that Rainbow Ravens was held.
Merissa Taylor-Meissner, programming coordinator at the GSRC, said Rainbow Ravens is a chance for queer students to join the Carleton LGBTQ+ community, and allies to learn.
“It is an opportunity for LGBTQ+ students to meet new friends, to learn new things, and it is open to the community at large so that anyone with any identity is welcome to come and learn more about LBGTQ+ issues,” Taylor-Meissner said.
“Sometimes it can be difficult to find people like yourself, especially if it is not a physically marked identity,” Taylor-Meissner said. “We are a safe space for all queer people to come hang out . . . We’re also really interested in providing education for allies.”
The first event was the Queering 101 workshop, which spoke about queer terminology and allyship. Fourth-year law student Jonlou Czajka came to the workshop as an ally for his friend.
“I wanted to support him as best as I can, . . . [in high school] I was very insensitive,” Czajka said. “I wanted to learn how to be more open to everything and more supportive.”
Many students said they felt like the GSRC was a place to feel like they belonged on campus, and that Rainbow Ravens was an extension of that.
“I’ve always had straight friends . . . and always learned everything through a straight lens, so recently I got into a queer relationship and it was so exciting to learn everything through a queer lens,” said Sam Richardson, a participant in Rainbow Ravens. “Coming [to the GSRC], it is like a queer overload, and everyone understands.”
“I just want to cry. I feel so loved and I feel like I belong,” Richardson said.
