The Womyn of Colour network has been striving to be noticed by the ISU campus.

The organization started last year in February after half of the Women’s Enrichment Grant was received.

Womyn of Colour was started by five doctorate students and now has expanded to staff, faculty, undergraduate and graduate students alike.

The committee has 11 members, and the number of undergraduate students vary upon different events.

One of the founding members of Womyn of Colour is Lissa Place, doctorate student in educational leadership and policy studies. Place encourages women to partake in events, and potentially join the group that the Womyn of Colour undergraduates hope to launch.

“The undergraduates will be starting a club that will hopefully attract more women,” she said.

Womyn of Colour did not have a booth at ClubFest, although members walked through the Memorial Union handing out around 100 bookmarks, giving the organization recognition to other students.

Events for the network take place at the Sloss House, where students are welcome to bring friends and family. The events are a get-together for women to have in a good environment.

“The purpose [of the event] is for women of colour to have a place for support and to be 100 percent who we are,” Place said.

The events are for all women of multiple identities, and Place emphasized that “everyone is welcome to laugh and cry here.”

The environment at the Sloss House is open and can be helpful for women who need to get away. “We have informal conversations, talk about issues, and everyone is comfortable,” Place said.

Womyn of Colour hosted a retreat in the fall, along with a welcome social for new members. There are study breaks during finals for members to get together to relieve the stress of the week.

The odd spelling of women is a symbol for women everywhere. The spelling of women takes the men out of the center, but more importantly, puts the women in the center, Place said.

Most women in the network are women’s studies majors or minors, and the importance of women is crucial.

The Womyn of Colour has received an award from the Martin Luther King Jr. Advancing One Community Group Award, as well as a national American College Personnel Association Award through the Social Juice Graduate Award.

The network receives awards due to the foundation it has set. The recognition is important, and members want to be acknowledged among the ISU community.

“We want [everyone] to know that we matter. We’re here, we’re involved, and we’re not invisible,” said Natasha Croom, assistant profess of education leadership and policy studies.

Womyn of Colour are involved in the Vagina Monologues, Lucky Fish Presentation, Women and Gender Studies 35th anniversary panel, and the Veishea Day of Service.

To learn more about Womyn of Colour, students are encouraged to visit its Facebook page and the Multicultural Student Center. The Womyn of Colour Club at Iowa State also will soon be listed in student organizations under the “multicultural” tag.