When scrolling through Twitter or Instagram, there may be a lot of posts about women’s sexual empowerment or queer mental health. These topics are very important, but a large group that is missing in this discussion is people who identify as men. There has been a lot of progress made around discussing men’s mental health, but there is still a culture in male-dominated groups that excludes vulnerability and open conversation.
The university has re-established their Men’s Resource Center under a new mission and new leadership. Arian Mobasser, who acquired his doctorate in psychology from UO, is the new center coordinator. He took on his position this past spring and has a new vision for the Men’s Resource Center.
“I want the new Men’s Resource Center to be a place where people can hang out, but also to be a space where there is an intersection of health, wellbeing and identity,” Mobasser said.
A big mission of this center is to create a space where people can relax, hang out and have a safe space to talk. Mobasser went on to explain that many male-dominated spaces do not even talk about relationships or sex.
“While locker talk is the stereotype, many male groups actually do not engage in deep discussions around healthy sex lives and sexuality,” Mobasser said.
A large goal of his is to make the Men’s Resource Center a safe community for male-identified people to have these conversations. He hopes to put on programs, like focus groups, that prompt conversations around sex, relationships and masculinity.
Along with Mobasser, student coordinator Nathaniel Leof said, “I have had life experience that have to do with men’s health,” which spurred his interest in working in the new space. “I had heard of the men’s center before, but never really was involved in it,” Leof said.
Leof said he got involved in the Men’s Resource Center to find or create a community on campus where he felt comfortable having real conversations. He said he hopes the Men’s Resource Center becomes a place that is welcoming and encourages students to be their best selves.
When it comes to men’s sexual health, Leof said he wants men to feel comfortable talking about topics like consent, STI and STD testing and self-worth around male sex lives. He added that there seems to be a very small campus culture when it comes to men’s sexual health.
Throughout the last few years, there has been a limited amount of events that are tailored to encouraging men’s sexual health and well-being. While Get Explicit discusses consent, self-worth and boundaries, most organizations do not focus on men’s sexual health. The conversation does not continue.
Because of this, Leof said he wants to create trust and community within the Men’s Resource Center to learn more about the needs of students. Once that has been established, the programming that the Men’s Resource Center puts on can reflect the actual needs of students, he said.
The Men’s Resource Center is rebranding its image and striving to become a comfortable place for people to take a load off and recollect themselves. While “men” is in the name, it’s a space for everyone to come and enjoy.
“I want to help the men’s resource become a place where all students can come and get support and help create a community that is welcoming and encouraging to students,” Leof said.
The Men’s Center can be found on the top floor of the Erb Memorial Union in room 211 and can be accessed by anyone Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
