We would like to focus on the way the health center treats LGBTQIA+ students at Bryn Mawr College. We want to do further research on the purpose of the health center, and the kind of things that they can and cannot do when it comes to dealing with student health on campus. We specifically want to focus on sexual health and the treatment of students here that may identify with different genders. We also plan on interviewing people from the health center and people of the LGBTQIA+ community, specifically transgender students. We believe that this research will give us a more holistic view of BMC's health center.
Also, we want to know how the health center staff treats differences in levels of sexual activity in students. In a society where issues such as "slut shaming" and misgendering of transgender individuals are common, we feel that it is important to regularly check in on facilities such as the health center to ensure that the community is truly benefiting from their work. The two of us are interested in this topic because of what we have heard about the health center, as well as our own experiences. It seems that there are some major issues regarding health care on campus at BMC. Through our project we aim to pinpoint these issues while praising the health center for its benefits. Over all, we want to help make Bryn Mawr College a better place to live and work.
Comments
gender/sexuality/health center
Submitted by jccohen on October 10, 2016 - 13:11 Permalink
Delilah and Kayleigh,
I appreciate the focus of your project and the way that it’s coming from a desire to look further into some of what you’ve heard and experienced. For background info, you’ll want to see whether and how these issues are represented on the BMC website and any other “official” sources; it might also be worth checking in with the archivist at the library (we’ll put you in touch if relevant) to see whether there’s already any material on this. You might also do some “deep background” research on how these issues are handled at other colleges, e.g. other Seven Sisters colleges.
In terms of interviews, it’s a good idea to talk with both “insiders” at the Health Center and students who have experiences at the Health Center. I wonder also about getting another administrative perspective on these questions, perhaps from a dean – you might look into whether the Health Center is the particular purview of one of the deans.
During conferences let’s discuss what kinds of interview questions you’ll use for each of these populations. Looking forward to what you'll learn!
Jody