Proponents argue male students require a safe space too, but opponents worry equality issues are overlooked.
Thirty years after Simon Fraser University's Women's Centre opened its doors, the campus is now considering a proposal for its first ever Men's Centre.
Last Wednesday the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) Board of Directors approved a budget of $30,000 for the project. The project was initiated by Keenan Midgley who, as treasurer, also writes the budget. "We were in a financial position to expand our services and I think this could be really useful on campus," he said.
But the creation of a Men's Centre at SFU stirs unease among feminist scholars and other women's advocates on campus, who say it's not clear the new institution will promote equality among men and women, that the process for creating it has been fast-tracked and without collaboration, and its backers don't acknowledge the reasons why women in particular need a safe space.
An SFU women's studies undergraduate student has added new voices to the controversy by creating a video featuring some of her classmates' thoughts on the proposal (watch it towards the bottom of this article). "I didn't feel like we were being heard so I put it into a video just so that the board could hear how people were feeling about the project," explained video-maker Natasha Clearly-Dulai.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_fiMg8N79Us
SFSS president Jeff McCann said the purpose of the Men's Centre is not specifically about gender equality, but rather to build a support structure and community for men who've come to SFU from out of town and are having a difficult time finding ways to get involved on campus.
"That also ties into men's issues and mental wellness and all the different things that come along with that," he said.
'Not apples to apples'
At the heart of the debate is how people think about "equality." Mary Shearman, a graduate student and instructor in the Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies (GSWS) at SFU, disagrees that just because there is a Women's Centre, adding a Men's Centre would create a better and more naturally just balance.
That way of thinking ignores that women, overall, still face more discrimination and hardships than men. Establishing a Men's Centre, she said, may give the impression of creating a "formal equality" without taking needed steps towards "substantive equality."
The idea that the definition of equality should be that all people are treated the same is something that women's studies scholars have challenged through research and theoretical work over the years -- including Shearman, who said "I don't necessarily agree that 'formal equality' works."
As Clearly-Dulai said about levels of oppression faced by women compared to men, "It's not like comparing apples to apples."
McCann said the project is in its early stages. While the Board of Directors has committed to pursuing the project, there is no plan, as of yet, for what exactly the centre will look like.
But he's determined to press ahead. "The next step is to start planning programming and looking at different opportunities for space," said McCann.
A place of men's own
While women's centres exist on most college and university campuses across Canada, men's centres remain something of an anomaly.
According to the SFU Women's Centre's website, the need for women's centres is fairly obvious: "The men's centre is everywhere else."
Shearman said the Women's Centre is particularly important as it provides a safe space on campus -- women go to the centre to deal with issues like assault and harassment, as well as to just hang out and take a nap. "It's politically and historically important, as well as being valuable in terms of the services it provides."
Shearman isn't necessarily opposed to the Men's Centre but wonders what purpose it will serve. "I think if the Men's Centre is going to talk about questions of masculinity, that would be beneficial for everyone. You could then talk about what living in a rape culture is all about from the masculine standpoint. I think that could be really interesting."
McCann emphasized that the Men's Centre is intended to be a place where men can find support not available in other settings. "Once you have a support structure and there is a safe place to talk about things, then you're going to be able to start talking about some of the issues impacting men," he said.
One of the statistics included in the proposal for the centre showed that suicide rates are higher among men than women.
Cleary-Dulai said such statistics are misleading and don't necessarily equate to a need for a space specific to men.
More: The Tyee – Does Simon Fraser University Need a Men's Centre?
Thirty years after Simon Fraser University's Women's Centre opened its doors, the campus is now considering a proposal for its first ever Men's Centre.
Last Wednesday the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) Board of Directors approved a budget of $30,000 for the project. The project was initiated by Keenan Midgley who, as treasurer, also writes the budget. "We were in a financial position to expand our services and I think this could be really useful on campus," he said.
But the creation of a Men's Centre at SFU stirs unease among feminist scholars and other women's advocates on campus, who say it's not clear the new institution will promote equality among men and women, that the process for creating it has been fast-tracked and without collaboration, and its backers don't acknowledge the reasons why women in particular need a safe space.
An SFU women's studies undergraduate student has added new voices to the controversy by creating a video featuring some of her classmates' thoughts on the proposal (watch it towards the bottom of this article). "I didn't feel like we were being heard so I put it into a video just so that the board could hear how people were feeling about the project," explained video-maker Natasha Clearly-Dulai.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_fiMg8N79Us
SFSS president Jeff McCann said the purpose of the Men's Centre is not specifically about gender equality, but rather to build a support structure and community for men who've come to SFU from out of town and are having a difficult time finding ways to get involved on campus.
"That also ties into men's issues and mental wellness and all the different things that come along with that," he said.
'Not apples to apples'
At the heart of the debate is how people think about "equality." Mary Shearman, a graduate student and instructor in the Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies (GSWS) at SFU, disagrees that just because there is a Women's Centre, adding a Men's Centre would create a better and more naturally just balance.
That way of thinking ignores that women, overall, still face more discrimination and hardships than men. Establishing a Men's Centre, she said, may give the impression of creating a "formal equality" without taking needed steps towards "substantive equality."
The idea that the definition of equality should be that all people are treated the same is something that women's studies scholars have challenged through research and theoretical work over the years -- including Shearman, who said "I don't necessarily agree that 'formal equality' works."
As Clearly-Dulai said about levels of oppression faced by women compared to men, "It's not like comparing apples to apples."
McCann said the project is in its early stages. While the Board of Directors has committed to pursuing the project, there is no plan, as of yet, for what exactly the centre will look like.
But he's determined to press ahead. "The next step is to start planning programming and looking at different opportunities for space," said McCann.
A place of men's own
While women's centres exist on most college and university campuses across Canada, men's centres remain something of an anomaly.
According to the SFU Women's Centre's website, the need for women's centres is fairly obvious: "The men's centre is everywhere else."
Shearman said the Women's Centre is particularly important as it provides a safe space on campus -- women go to the centre to deal with issues like assault and harassment, as well as to just hang out and take a nap. "It's politically and historically important, as well as being valuable in terms of the services it provides."
Shearman isn't necessarily opposed to the Men's Centre but wonders what purpose it will serve. "I think if the Men's Centre is going to talk about questions of masculinity, that would be beneficial for everyone. You could then talk about what living in a rape culture is all about from the masculine standpoint. I think that could be really interesting."
McCann emphasized that the Men's Centre is intended to be a place where men can find support not available in other settings. "Once you have a support structure and there is a safe place to talk about things, then you're going to be able to start talking about some of the issues impacting men," he said.
One of the statistics included in the proposal for the centre showed that suicide rates are higher among men than women.
Cleary-Dulai said such statistics are misleading and don't necessarily equate to a need for a space specific to men.
More: The Tyee – Does Simon Fraser University Need a Men's Centre?
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