Three hours ago Time Magazine named the women and men of the famous #MeToo movement were named Person of the Year. While officially naming them as the “Silence Breakers,” the #MeToo movement was created after multiple women came out naming men who had sexually assaulted or harassed them in the past. Time says the movement has, “…provided an umbrella of solidarity for millions of people to come forward with their stories.”The nationwide focus on issues related to harassment of women and workplace culture is a topic that hits close to home.

However, times are changing. Campuses now have organizations dedicated to empowering and uplifting women for their futures in whichever industry they are pursuing. According to Ithaca College’s student organization website, Orgsync, the college currently has several associations and clubs dedicated to this cause.

Kristina Keenan is president of IC Women in Computing, which works with women in the computer science field. The club was created in 2015 and Keenan said they meet weekly and attend events throughout the year. She said they recently worked with elementary school kids at an event called Math Engaged, where they led computer science-related activities.

“One of the big things about computer science is you want to start [kids] early,” Keenan said. “Once they reach a certain age it’s been shown that they lose a lot of interest making it hard to get them back on the computer science track.”

A key reason behind that lack of interest in children, especially girls, is the imposter syndrome, Keenan said.

“[Imposter syndrome] is where, even if you have the qualifications and the ability and the knowledge to learn, you feel like an imposter in your environment,” she said. “You feel like you don’t deserve to be in those environments. And the feeling can get so strong that you drop it. What we try to work on is ‘hey you do these amazing projects, you do deserve to be here.’ That’s the club. Coming together and saying ‘yes, we belong here and we’re doing great things!’”

Lexy White, president of IC Women in Communications, said her club works to combat the sense of otherness women feel when entering male-dominated spaces. They launched a mentorship program this semester where members of the group’s executive board partner with interested club members.

“We help them any way we can, whether it’s professional help or just grabbing a coffee or having someone to talk to,” White said.

In addition to the mentor work, they also host two big trips, one each semester, to New York City through the New York Women in Communications organization, and they discuss current events in the club and ways that women can combat workplace problems.

“It’s so important to feel safe and secure in your workplace,” she said. “You should speak up when you have issues that need to be resolved, or when you’re disrespected in the workplace and when you see others being disrespected in the workplace. You make the work environment. If it’s a bad work environment, do what you can to fix it.”

The Association for Women in Sports Media is a new organization on campus launched by junior Danielle Allentuck. She said she experienced firsthand how difficult it is for women in the sports media industry.

“We have a lot of sports journalist stuff here…but we don’t have any specific area for people to go,” she said. “Also, as a female sports journalist, you experience obscenities all the time. I walk into a radio meeting and there’s three women in a room of around 40 people. I just think there are more people interested in sports journalism, but they might be intimidated by a room full of men.”

The common element all three women shared was the driving force behind their organizations was to provide a haven for women on campus. With many of them entering their respective workforces soon creating an atmosphere of inclusion and positivity was essential. When asked why Allentuck decided to start up her chapter she said:

“I wanted a space for women to feel comfortable to do what they love.”