A Post from Women’s Center staff member, Dan. 

It’s a new semester and I gotta say– I’m torn. Sure, it’s nice to be forced to exit my cave, shower, and see everyone again, but that requires pants. And if you know me, you know exactly how I feel about pants. I spent the entire winter break being the absolute laziest person ever. I dropped my class and NBC’s Friends came on Netflix. It was great.

But now it’s Monday and I’m on my third cup of coffee and, regrettably, wearing those dreaded pants so I guess it’s time to start being a productive student again. Wah.

Now, we all know how fun it is to hang out in the Women’s Center between class, see friends, eat lunch…and get absolutely no work done. I’m certainly guilty of sitting with my laptop and completely ignoring the six tabs of readings I have open for the entire duration of my stay in the center so I’m pretty excited about our new set-up. I’m the kind of person who needs to be around people but not distracted by them when I work and our new quiet study space is perfect for me. I can see what’s happening in the lounge with the added bonus that (hopefully) nobody will talk to me. It’s a win-win.

I’m also super stoked for our new Brave Space Guidelines. I find myself applying the guidelines to my life outside the center, especially in my personal relationships. Learning to be vulnerable and speak thoughtfully is a difficult but worthwhile endeavor no matter what you’re doing with your life. My conversations are richer and I learn more from everyone I meet because I seek to understand as many perspectives as I can. I’m not perfect at it and my new skills still need some practice, but I think I’m on my way. Now, if only there was a way to discretely send the guidelines to some of my Facebook friends…