After three years of inactivity due to former leaders’ graduation, several students have banded together to restart the DU Women’s Council as a student organization by the end of this week, according to Undergraduate Student Government Joseph Korbel School of International Studies (JKSIS) Senator Aly Higgins.

The new council will be led by Higgins, USG Vice President Katrina Yoshida, and Director of Gender and Women’s Studies Hava Gordon.

In addition, Gordon said the Women’s Council will work with the Gender Studies department on events and activities serving the goals of both organizations.

With the time left in the school year, the major focus of the council will be planning events for Women’s History Month in March. These events would include International Women’s Day on Saturday, March 8 and a variation of Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues” tailored for DU students, according to Higgins. To carry out these events, the new council will draw upon funds from the old council, as well as acquiring a surplus of excess funds from USG’s Sustainability Committee.

An additional goal of the council, according to Higgins and Gordon, will be to eliminate the stigma they believe surrounds feminist ideals.

“I feel that some think the history around feminism is really extreme and ‘anti-men,’ and because of that men and women are scared to call themselves feminists. I want the council to change feminism from being the domination over men to bringing everyone to the same level,” said Higgins. “Issues of race, class status, gender and sexuality are feminist issues, so it belongs to everyone.”

Higgins’ desire to restart the organization came from her personal views on the subject of women’s rights, and the need for people to be able to discuss them.

“Throughout high school I was always a proponent of women’s rights and I was always made fun of and put down for it,” said Higgins. “Women’s Council at DU is designed to be safe for [people] to have their voices heard. While I think DU is a very inclusive community, I believe that there’s a lack of leadership opportunities for women on campus.”

The DU Women’s Council is currently accepting anyone who wishes to be a member, with no limits on how many people can join. Any students interested in joining are encouraged to attend a meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 28, from 7-8 p.m. in the Driscoll Student Center. For more information, the council can be contacted via email at ugwc.du@gmail.com or at their Facebook group page.