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(Feminist Campus and Reproaction speaking out for abortion rights outside the Students for Life gala in DC.)
THE FEMINIST STUDENT VOICE
Welcome to The Feminist Student Voice—your go-to source for unapologetically feminist news, stories, and action, straight from students!
Each month, we’ll bring you the latest on campus activism, reproductive rights, gender justice, and everything in between—written for students, by students . Whether you're looking for ways to get involved, need a feminist take on current events, or just want some inspiration from badass organizers across the country, we’ve got you covered.
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(Sela Turkel tabling at Georgetown's Supreme Court Term in Review.)
How Do You Celebrate a Nation that Doesn’t Celebrate You? [[link removed]]
Sela Turkel, Miami University of Ohio | June 26
Summer in the United States is full of anniversaries. Of course, the Fourth of July celebrates our nation’s independence from England in 1776. But this isn’t the only notable anniversary this season. On June 23, we celebrated the 53rd anniversary of Title IX, a landmark law that remains under constant attack. On June 24, we remembered the 3rd anniversary of the devastating Dobbs decision.
With Independence Day quickly approaching, I find myself asking: How do you celebrate a nation that doesn’t celebrate you?
House Democrats came together to recognize the anniversary of Dobbs in a recent press conference. Representative Katherine Clark (MA-5) powerfully pointed out how young women in America today hold less rights than their grandmothers.
Ayanna Pressley (MA-7) remembered June 23, 2022 by saying, “My daughter was going to sleep with fewer rights than she woke up with that morning.”
At a time where so many women feel abandoned and targeted by our current administration, it can be challenging to find space in our hearts to celebrate our country.
Lately, I’ve been reflecting on what it means to be an American patriot. So often, patriotism is framed as blind allegiance, a concept that has been co-opted by far-right nationalism. I’ve heard the criticism that liberals “hate” this country because we challenge its failures. And at times, I’ve even internalized that framing myself. When I take a step back, though, I realize why I’m dedicating my life to this work.
I love this country. I believe in this country.
Our country’s progress has always come from those willing to challenge its shortcomings. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X stood up to institutionalized racism, often at great personal cost. Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Harvey Milk pushed forward in a time when queer identity itself was criminalized. And women like Susan B. Anthony, Gloria Steinem, and Ida B. Wells spoke out boldly when society tried to silence them.
America has never been perfect, nor will it ever be. But the American people have proven time and time again that in periods of upheaval, we unite and make change.
I don’t expect our nation to be without flaws and conflict. All I want is what we all deserve: a country that’s truly for everyone.
Isn’t that why the colonists came to America in the first place? Isn’t that what we’re truly celebrating on the Fourth of July?
While I don’t agree with the idea that Independence Day should be a time to ignore our nation’s flaws and celebrate uncritically, I do think this day can be used as a powerful reminder of all the freedoms we still have.
We have the right to fight for what we believe in. Rising protests across the country demonstrate this beautifully. Americans of all genders, races, and ages are coming together to fight against the rising authoritarian regime in Washington. Those in power today do not represent us. They do not represent what we’re celebrating.
New York City just saw an astounding mayoral Democratic primary that placed a Muslim Democratic Socialist on the ballot. Virginia and Pennsylvania have upcoming general elections for governor, attorney general, and municipal officers, respectively. There are opportunities for change, and we must take them.
This Fourth of July, I call on everyone to remember our past in order to fuel our future. Celebrate the wins we’ve already seen in this current administration, even if they seem small. Use this enthusiasm to continue the fight for freedom; freedom for all .
Hope isn’t blind optimism. Hope is the light we carry through the darkness.
FEMINIST QUAD TALK
[[link removed]] Feminist Campus: Quad Talk is your platform to share bold opinions, fresh takes, and thoughtful reflections on the world we’re navigating. Whether you’re tackling the latest social issue or cracking a joke about the chaos, this is where your voice matters. Submit your piece (500 words or less please!) to be part of the weekly collection on the Feminist Campus Website of young people’s perspectives on the political and social issues shaping our lives today. Let’s talk about it—your way.
Submit your piece here!
FEMINIST GROUP FEATURE:
Salem State Intersectional Feminist Collective
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(Salem State IFC attending the 2025 National Young Feminist Leadership Conference.)
What key issues have you been organizing around this year?
Our group centers around intersectionality, and the implications of that within feminism. Intersectionality is the core principle of our fight for equality as an organization. As the intersectional feminist collective, we acknowledge the various aspects of a person, and how this relates to a persons personal experience, facing inequities.
What campaign or event are you most proud of and why?
As a collective, we are most proud of our drag brunch event, held for the first time this Spring semester. As a first-time event, we put countless hours into planning, coordinating, and decorating the venue. We were proud to host 3 local drag performers and provide our community with a brunch. It was amazing to see our community get together, socialize, and enjoy amazing performances by local queer performers. This upcoming year, the IFC looks forward to hosting this event again!
What challenges have you faced organizing on your campus?
Some specific challenges we have faced while organizing is space availability on campus. The rooms available for holding events have limited availability, making it difficult to hold campus community events. Additionally, obtaining a consistent audience for these events is difficult. Although we have a core base of supporters, reaching out to new students to attend our events has proven difficult in recent times. This outreach is something we will work on.
How does your group define feminism, and how does that guide your work?
We identify as intersectional feminists and always use that to guide our meetings. Our goal is to continue providing a safe space for people to be themselves in an accepting and empowering space. we also promote equity to promote a more just and healthy society and lifestyle. We make sure to focus on real people and the power that we have as feminists.
Follow them on Instagram @salemstateifc [[link removed]] !
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(Sabene Rizvi)
What’s Left for Students to Trust at Purdue Fort Wayne? [[link removed]]
Sabene Rizvi, Purdue University Fort Wayne | July 16
Note: Sabene provided us with an update on her previous Quad Talk piece [[link removed]] from May about the attack on DEI and academic freedom at her university.
One of my earliest and most meaningful discoveries at Purdue University Fort Wayne was the Q Center—a space I proudly called home by the end of my junior year. The Q Center supported LGBTQIA2S+ students, especially students of color navigating multiple identities. It was alive with energy, welcoming faces, and resources that truly mattered to students like me.
Then came the layoffs. An email from the Chancellor announced the elimination of 45 positions. I rushed to the Q Center to say a final goodbye to a friend, mentor, and safe place to vent—only to find his desk empty and the door left open. Library staff were packing away the remaining books from four dusty shelves—almost poetic in their symbolism, each representing one of four vital offices: the Q Center, the Multicultural Center, the Women’s Center, and TRIO Upward Bound. Once vibrant hubs of student support, they now stand as hollow shells.
With their closure, students lost more than safe spaces—they lost jobs. Many of these centers employed student workers, providing not only income but mentorship, leadership experience, and a sense of belonging. Their elimination is yet another way these cuts have directly harmed the very students the university claims to serve.
Each center fulfilled a vital role:
● The Multicultural Center was a home for Black, Brown, and international students, celebrating cultural identity and inclusion.
● The Women’s Center supported parenting students and survivors of domestic violence.
● TRIO Upward Bound offered critical guidance to high school students as they transitioned into first generation college students, who comprise over 50% of our student body.
The Chancellor’s office cites budget cuts and insists the university remains committed to student success. But how can that be true?
How can it be true when a student was publicly singled out by the Chancellor for asking about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) during the 2025 Top 50 Award Ceremony?
How can it be true when some administrators dismissed DEI as “not necessary” months before these cuts?
How can it be true when a student organization was told to raise a million dollars to support refugee students, with no institutional backing?
How can it be true when a group offering to install a free emergency contraception machine has received no response for over a year, despite IU Bloomington and Purdue West Lafayette already providing similar resources?
Emergency contraception, once accessible through two campus offices, is now out of reach. This loss disproportionately affects the 55% of our student body who are women—many balancing school and parenting.
Programs like Adopt-A-Don, which provided warm coats to students and their children each holiday season, have vanished. Student groups running baby drives and support circles for student mothers no longer have the critical infrastructure once provided by the Women’s Center. Alternative budgets were proposed—and ignored.
Even basic health and survival needs have been neglected. The PFW Medical Center never accepted Medicaid, and now, due to federal rollbacks, many students have lost Medicaid coverage altogether. SNAP benefits have also been slashed. Students are left to starve. Left to get sick. Left to suffer in silence. We’re not just losing services—we’re losing the right to exist safely and with dignity on our own campus.
These are not isolated incidents. They form a pattern—one that raises serious questions about priorities, transparency, and whose interests this university truly serves.
Even my degree has not escaped political interference: what was once a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science has been reclassified as a generic Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences—stripped of the specificity and intention I chose. This comes as the state forces schools to merge, close, or scale back programs with fewer than fifteen graduates. Master’s programs have closed. PhD programs have closed. Political science and humanities degrees have been forever altered.
I can’t help but wonder: do they want us quiet? Are our educations being robbed, weakened? These aren’t decisions we take lightly—they’re responses to an environment growing increasingly hostile or indifferent to who we are and what we value.
It’s time for the Mastodon community—and all students—to demand transparency and genuine support for those historically marginalized. We must hold leadership accountable for decisions that silence vital programs and ignore real student needs.
Reach out to university administrators. Attend campus meetings. Support student organizations fighting for equity and inclusion. Most importantly, raise your voice.
Because the future of Purdue Fort Wayne—and of this country—depends on students standing together to reclaim the values we once proudly stood for.
Those in power, on campus and beyond, claim to care about students. But our lived reality tells a different story: our services have been slashed, grants decreased in value, and even our degrees redefined without consent.
What exactly is left for students to trust?
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