A new dynamic for the annual Bridge Speaker event

The Gender Institute for Teaching and Advocacy and the Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies program in 2022 celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Bridge Program, which marks the intersection between Black History Month and Women’s History Month. In honor of this milestone, GITA and GWSS will pause the traditional Bridge event format to host a series of gatherings highlighting the program’s impact.  

Roadrunners and community members are invited to attend the following events. More details and speaker bios are available online. 

More about GITA  

“GITA is an intersectional space, an embodiment of decades of commitment to student learning and advocacy, an office on campus that welcomes all students and does what it can to ensure that they are heard, seen and taken care of both in the classroom and in our community space,” Rodriguez said. “The study of gender is an intersectional and expansive movement that involves many more folks than women, and we have always served many more folks at GITA than (only) women.”  

Jodi Wetzel and Tara Tull founded the department in 1986, and Arlene Sgoutas has been instrumental to the institute for over 20 years, formerly serving as chair and interim dean of the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and currently as a GWSS professor. Today, the program is headed by Russo and Rodriguez as well as a team of committed and welcoming student staff members. 

It remains one of few models across the nation where academics and services are intentionally housed together. The program serves roughly 2,000 students annually through diversity/equity/inclusion trainings, tabling events, programming co-sponsorships, community fairs, online workshops and academic courses as well as through speaking engagements and office walk-ins. Additionally, the program is a Rowdy’s Corner satellite site, helping to address food insecurity and strengthen the visibility of both services.  

During the 2016-17 academic year, the department changed its name from the Institute for Women’s Studies and Services to GITA. Similarly, the Women’s Studies program became the Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies program to better encompass the subject matter and reflect advocacy efforts. 

“(These changes also represent) a more holistic approach to our mission and vision at GITA, the values that are core to our curriculum and in manifesting the essence of who we are,” Rodriguez said. “Currently, GITA’s core values are intersectional feminism, activism, access, community and learning.” 

The program was awarded the 2020 Women’s Center Award from the National Women’s Studies Association, and Rodriguez received the 2019 Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Award.