Gender Equity Resource Center

Welcome to The Gender Equity Resource Center! As a unit within the Dean of Students’ Center for Student Equity, Empowerment, and Belonging, The Gender Equity Resource Center strives for education, empowerment, and strength for women and gender-expansive students. The center aims to foster a vibrant and supportive campus community to help empower students to bring their full and authentic selves to every part of their lives – on campus and beyond. We fully believe that it is best to champion gender justice from an inclusive and intersectional place that acknowledges and supports individuals across their multiple identities. Through leadership development opportunities, dynamic programs, and educational events, the center seeks to build community and promote gender equity and inclusion at Cornell and beyond.

Check out the Gender Equity Resource Center on Linktree for our social media links, and resources and to schedule appointments with staff members. You can follow our Instagramor find us on  Campus Groups to stay up-to-date on all of our upcoming events and programs and to engage with the Center virtually and in person!

Our History

The spirit of the Gender Equity Resource Center dates back to the early 1970s as a student organization called Sister’s United with a physical space in downtown Ithaca. At a time when political awareness was at the center of the Women's Movement, the center was active in sponsoring discussions and events on issues such as abortion, equal pay, racism, and women's health. A lending library, as well as comprehensive directories of campus and community services, was established.

In the mid-1990s, the center was housed on campus and had a large cohort of dedicated student volunteers. These volunteers worked many hours each week staffing the office so that visitors could access the services provided. These services included a lending library, lectures and events, community service opportunities, and a chance to work on Forword, a literary magazine published by the center.

In the fall of 1998, the first full-time director was hired, made possible by the support and funding of the Undergraduate Student Assembly. This professional position supported the work of the center’s Executive Board, a byline funded student organization that was heavily involved in campus gender justice work and supported signature campus events such as Feminism Food for Thought, The Vagina Monologues, and Take Back the Night.

In 2016, the center’s first Assistant Director was hired, expanding the capacity for professional staff to support the student experience through advising and programming.

In 2018, the student-led Women's Resource Center Executive Board became a student organization distinct from the Center and was renamed to The Gender Justice Advocacy Coalition and focused on activism and funding events designed to uplift women on campus. The Center, still housed under the Office of the Dean of Students, as part of the Centers for Equity, Empowerment, and Belonging, began to focus on longitudinal programming with the intention of supporting all women and gender-expansive students while centering the experiences of historically minoritized communities on campus. These changes allowed both organizations, still closely linked through advising relationships, to flourish.

Learn more about GenEq:

Student staff talk about the values, programs and resources of Cornell's Gender Equity Resource Center.