Men's Resource Center
Men’s Resource Center
As gender roles and expectations have changed in recent decades, many men have experienced a sense of disorientation with regard to their male identities. While once far more narrowly defined, rigid gender roles constrained men with regard to a plethora of issues, within a more progressive society men today enjoy greater freedom to define and express themselves in their own individual manner. Despite this, many biases and stereotyped expectations remain prevalent within our society. Men are therefore in a difficult predicament. Specifically, many culturally harbored beliefs suggest that men are expected to be sensitive, caring, androgynous, and emotionally available, while other lingering competing beliefs suggest they are also expected to be dominant, decisive, masculine, and invulnerable.
Modern men face both new possibilities and uncertainties with regard to education, employment, career success, and retirement. Additionally, changing “scripts” for dating, relationships, and commitment have left many men with a sense of bewilderment regarding love and intimacy. The many changes in what is expected of men with regard to provider roles, career, relationships, sexuality, monogamy, marriage, fatherhood, and other issues have been both liberating and confusing for many men.
The Men’s Resource Center, located in 366 MSC, serves to bring progressive men’s programming to campus, in order to educate all members of the community about the changing realities of men’s experience within our society. Through poster displays, ad campaigns, and a collection of readings, resources, and referrals, the Center offers men on campus an opportunity to learn more about the many possibilities which are now a part of our modern world.
Online Resources:
The Men's Health
Network
Description: MHN was founded in 1992
by a group of men's activists and writers interested in improving the health and
well-being of men, boys and families. It exists as an informational and
educational organization recognizing men's health as a legitimate social
concern.
Information Available: MHN coalition, educational
campaigns, data clearinghouse, National Men's Health Week, other awareness
weeks, hotlines, surveys, specific initiatives and programs, reference library
and men's health links.
The Commonwealth Fund
Men's
Health
Description:
The Commonwealth Fund seeks to understand and minimize barriers to effective
health care services for all people. The Fund supports research into the state
of men's health in the United States. A large proportion of American men have
limited contact with doctors and the health care system in general. Many men
fail to get checkups, preventive care or counseling on their health, and they
often ignore symptoms or delay seeking medical attention when sick or in pain.
These and other findings point to a need for greater efforts to address men's
health concerns and risks and their attitudes toward health
care.
Information Available: Publications and journal articles
related directly to men's health issues.
Community Voices:
HealthCare for the Underserved
Men's
Health
Description:
Community Voices focuses on making health care available to all. They are
helping ensure the survival of safety-net providers and strengthening community
support services. Launched in 1998 by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the eight
sites involved in the project are part of a national effort to sort out what
works from what does not in meeting the needs of those who receive inadequate or
no health care.
Information Available: Policy briefs, Community
Voice communities working on this issue, related websites, press releases,
public service announcements and specific program highlights.
Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Men's
Health
Description:
The CDC, recognized as the lead federal agency for protecting the health and
safety of people, provides credible information to enhance health decisions and
promotes health through strong partnerships. The agency serves as the national
focus for developing and applying disease prevention and control, environmental
health, and health promotion and education activities designed to improve the
health of the people of the United States.
Information Available:
Health topics include: dating violence, heart disease, impaired driving,
intimate partner violence, reproductive health, National Colorectal Cancer
Action Campaign, skin cancer, sexual violence, prostate cancer, spinal cord
injury, traumatic brain injury and water-related injuries.
National
Fatherhood Initiative (NFI)
Description: NFI leads a
society-wide movement to confront the problem of father absence and to improve
the well-being of children by increasing the proportion of children growing up
with involved, responsible and committed fathers.
Information
Available: Resources, Public Service Announcements, events, NFI newsletter,
links, trainings and programs, fact sheets, legislative updates and a catalog of
fatherhood resources.
The Fathers
Network
Description: The
Fathers Network celebrates and supports fathers and families raising children
with special health care needs and developmental disabilities. They provide
up-to-date information and resources for fathers, family members and care
providers.
Information Available: Products and curriculum, current
news, press releases, articles, conferences, seminars, personal stories from
fathers and resources for providers.