The Women's Center offers a variety of services and educational programming, including confidential consultation, presentations, workshops, support groups, and cultural events, that examine a variety of issues related to women and gender.

Women Mentoring Women
WMW matches women postdoctoral scholars and graduate students for a formal, one-to-one mentoring experience. The purpose of the program is to provide support for women graduate students as they negotiate their academic, professional, and personal development. WMW includes monthly mentoring meetings, group workshops, and access to other resources.

Graduate Women's Discussion Group
This drop-in gathering allows graduate women to explore topics pertinent to their academic, professional and personal lives. By sharing our own stories and hearing those of others in a comfortable and confidential atmosphere, this is a great opportunity to tap into the strengths and supportive network of graduate women at Caltech.

First Year Programming & Lunches
The First Year Programs includes drop-in lunches which allow first year undergraduate women to explore topics pertinent to their academic, professional and personal lives. Guest speakers briefly discuss their experiences as women at Caltech. By sharing our own stories and hearing those of others in a confidential and comfortable atmosphere, this is a great opportunity to tap into the strengths and supportive network of women at Caltech. We also offer programs throughout the year to allow first year undergraduate women to meet and interact, such as movie nights, slumber parties, and academic development opportunities.

Reading Women
Reading Women is a lively and always fun, monthly reading group comprised of staff, students, and scholars. Participants choose readings, fiction and non-fiction, which are largely by, for or about women, to read and discuss.

Past readings include diverse selections such as:

• The Argument Culture by Deborah Tannen
• Hardball for Women by Pam Heim
• The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
• Gift of Fear by Gavin DeBecker
• Sex & Power by Susan Estrich
• A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf
• Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen and David Oliver Relin
• Peony in Love by Lisa See

This is a great way to introduce others to your favorite works of literature or to explore new areas of interest. Plus, you get to meet great women from around campus! Reading Women meets the last Friday of each month (with some exceptions) at noon at the Women’s Center. For more information, contact Renee Soriano at Renee.Soriano@caltech.edu.

Self-Defense Workshops
Classes highlight skills for avoidance, deterrence, and resistance of physical and verbal assault. Introductory, intermediate, advanced and specialty classes are offered throughout the year.

A Woman's Best Defense
One in every three women in Los Angeles County will be assaulted in her lifetime. This is a frightening statistic, but each woman has the power to decrease her chances of becoming a victim of violent crime. This introductory workshop features skills for avoidance, deterrence, and resistance of physical and verbal assault.

Intermediate Self-Defense
This class is for those women who have participated in the introductory workshop, A Woman’s Best Defense, and would like the opportunity to deliver full force, debilitating blows to a padded assailant in a variety of simulated scenarios.

Advanced Self-Defense
This is a 15-hour comprehensive training covering weapon defense and multiple attackers. Participants MUST take both Introduction & Intermediate classes first.

Survival Series
The Survival Series explores all the issues and experiences associated with surviving Caltech and is coordinated in collaboration with various campus departments (e.g. The Staff and Faculty Consultation Center, Campus Security, the Counseling Center, Staff Education, International Student Programs, the Caltech Y, Office for Minority Student Education, and Health Education.) Examples of programs include: Surviving Rotation, Surviving Midterms, Surviving the Caltech Workload, and Surviving in the US.

Society of Women Engineers (SWE)
The Society of Women Engineers is a national organization devoted to the advancement and education of women in science and engineering. Its members are professional engineers and engineering students. The national organization provides scholarships and a free resume database. The Caltech section organizes many local activities, including dinners with Professors, Dress for Success, Reception with Industry (coinciding with the Career Fair), workshops, speakers, monthly meetings and more. Visit http://www.its.caltech.edu/~swe/ for more information.

The Caltech Women's Club
The Women’s Club is a group of women who have a connection with Caltech in common. The object of the club is to promote friendliness and the sharing of mutual interests. Members are of different ages and races and nationalities and have different interests and lifestyles. Visit www.its.caltech.edu/~cwclub/ or email cwclub@its.caltech.edu.

The Caltech Women's Glee Club
The Women's Glee Club welcomes all women in the Caltech/JPL community. It is the oldest organization for women on campus. The Glee Club rehearses three hours per week, preparing music in a wide variety of styles and languages. Featured events include the annual December Holiday Concert, Winter Concert, and Spring Concert, as well as participation in the Pacific Southwest Intercollegiate Choral Association Festival. Performances have included Britten's Ceremony of Carols, Purcell's Come Ye Sons of Art, and a concert of works by Daniel Pinkham conducted by the composer. Combined with the Men's Glee Club, the women have also sung Bach's Magnificat and Cantata #4, Handel's Messiah, Poulenc's Gloria, Faure's Requiem, Charpentier's Midnight Mass for Christmas, Bloch's Sacred Service, and Orff's Carmina Burana. Visit http://www.music-theater-art.caltech.edu/gleeclub/ for more information.

Graduate Student Council: Underrepresented Students Committee
The Graduate Student Council: Underrepresented Students Committee serves those graduate students whose concerns have historically been underrepresented. As a sub-committee of the Graduate Student Council, the Underrepresented Students Committee serves as a liaison between students and resources, promotes awareness, and advocates for new resources to serve student needs. Visit www.its.caltech.edu/~gscus/women.html for more information.