Girls-girls on campus: Women’s Coalition provides a safe space and enacts lasting change

Many college students struggle to form long-term friendships on campus. With limited interactions in class and demanding student schedules, making time for self-care and cultivating peer connections is frequently pushed aside in favor of other priorities. However, organizations such as the Arizona State University Women's Coalition seek to address this issue by establishing a feeling of community and campaigning for practical action on campus.

The Women’s Coalition, affectionately known as WoCo to its members, was founded at ASU in the early 2000s by female students looking for a community on campus. Nikhila Basana, the current president of the Women’s Coalition, shared how motivations back then turned into missions today.

“That was when conversations were starting about having a place where any gender minority could come together and advocate for issues on campus,” Basana said. “It became a fun space where people could get to know each other and feel the community, which is what we still do now.”

The Women’s Coalition is one of eight student coalitions on campus that work to create “welcoming, inclusive and supportive communities that respect and honor all cultures and identities.”

This coalition in particular partners with ASU organizations rather than having general body members, expanding their outreach to a variety of women. Some of these clubs include Women in Animation and Women in Computer Science.

“Currently, our coalition has an executive board of around 16 e-board members, and we have 11 member organizations under us,” Basana said. “We reach a large and diverse body of students, with up to 150 people at our past events.”

Basana first joined the Women’s Coalition during the spring of her first year at ASU, when she was looking for an empowered female space to engage in. After beginning as a marketing intern for the coalition, she quickly rose in the ranks, acting as a co-president intern and treasurer before assuming her current position as president.

“I did dance growing up, so I was always in very women-centric spaces,” Basana said. “I wanted to find something similar at ASU and get to know people through an organization. I’ve loved trying so many different positions and ways that I could help WoCo and, by extension, the community.”

What distinguishes the Women’s Coalition on campus is its commitment to causes. The Mutual Aid Drive, a recurring event, was started by the Women’s Coalition and its member organizations to help spread their work to other communities.

“We table once a month outside of the Memorial Union on the Tempe campus,” Basana said. “We hand out hygiene and menstrual products to those who might need them. That includes pads, tampons, condoms, pregnancy tests, deodorant and more. It’s always really cool to see how students can support other students.”

Outside of adapting to community needs, the Women’s Coalition is passionate about supporting the interests of their team.

“One of our members is really passionate about crocheting, so we have a weekly crochet town hall on Wednesdays from 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.,” Basana said.

During these meetings, a central dedication remains: to create lasting change at ASU. Women across college campuses feel a universal sense of fear when it comes to walking home late at night — the Women’s Coalition tackled this issue head-on.

The coalition partnered with Zen, a rideshare service in Tempe that uses golf carts, and created discount codes for ASU students. By using these codes, Sun Devils can get discounted rides, a safe alternative to trekking home alone at night.

“Our program director and our co-president came up with that idea,” Basana said. “Someone in our general body meetings mentioned that they were scared of walking around campus at night, and it inspired the initiative.”

The most critical part of helping the community, according to members of the coalition, is to listen to their needs and concerns. While there are shared experiences felt by many, some members of the coalition have unique concerns that need to be addressed.

“It’s just important to have a space for women and gender minorities to come together, get to know each other, and talk about the issues they face here at ASU,” Basana said. “We want, most of all, to know how we as a coalition on campus can support them in navigating their lives.”

Some events hosted by the coalition this year were both professional and social. E-board members hosted a Barbie-themed Women’s Welcome Event to encourage first-year students to participate, teaching them more about what a coalition is and what action they take on campus. In collaboration with the New Venture Group, the Women’s Coalition also hosted a career panel.

“We had a couple female consultants come in and talk about their experiences in their respective jobs and fields,” Basana said.

The coalition is hosting an event in honor of Women’s History Month on March 26, 2024, from 5-8 p.m. This HerStory Block Party is a community celebration that brings together local woman-owned businesses, organizations and artists. Sun Devils can walk around the Senita Ballroom at the Student Pavillion, explore new connections and support some female changemakers.

If you are interested in getting involved with the Women’s Coalition, consider joining one of their many member organizations. Beyond that, the coalition is looking for new executive board members for fall 2024 and will be posting available positions in the coming months.