Women’s Center remains place
for academic, social experiences
despite locale, structural changes
_ Robin Trimarchi/DN
Gwen Fischer, Resource Coordinator at the Women s Center.
By Gwen Fischer
Diversions Contributor_
There are lots of places for
women lo hang out on campus.
Love Library has a nice environ
ment for studying and plenty of
books. The furniture is, well,
furniture, and the atmosphere is.
. . library. The women’s lounge
in the Nebraska Union has thick
carpet and comfortable couches.
This is a great place to nap or
write that letter, but what if you
want to watch TV? The Hollow
on Fast Campus is nice for lunch
with soap operas, but studying is
tough. My point? There is a place
on campus where you can study,
look at books, talk with friends,
eat lunch and check out Oprah
Winfrey. This place is the
Women’s Center.
The Women’s Center was first
opened as the Women’s Resou rce
Center in theturbu lent 70s. Femi
nism was in the air, and the WRC,
as it was called, was a place for
women4.o gel together and talk
about what was happening to
themselves and to society.
Women students were recogniz
ing the educational system as
sexistandunsupportive, and they
got together to try and change
that. Through the WRC, women
sponsored rallies, marches, lec
tures and dances.
This time last year, some
changes were made at the
Women’s Resource Center. Be
cause increased funding was forc
ing increased accountability, the
structure of the center was forc
iblydisbanded. Even people who
agreed with the university’s per
spective on management struc
ture found the events of last
spring repugnant. In the first of
many changes, the Women’s
Resource Center was renamed
the Women’s Center, to fall in
line with a move on the part of
women’s centers nationally and
to reflect the increased role and
services of theAVomen’s Center.
The most dramaticchange was
the change in location. In a move
that created twice the amount of
space, the Women’s Center
moved to the third floor of the
Nebraska Union. The Women’s
Center now boasts a large meet
ing room, new bookshelves and
desks and even a copy machine.
The new TV and VCR make it
easy for the staff and speakers to
present video materials, as well
as provide relaxing television
viewing for students using the
lounge space.
The staff team at the Women’s
Center coordinates a variety of
programs and services for stu
dents and community members
alike. Each semester a wide of
fering of support and discussion
groups meet in the Women’s
Center. From the Latina Reading
and Discussion Group to the
Sexual Assault Survivors Support
Group, the programming is de
signed to meet the various needs
of women on campus.
The support groups are coor
dinated through the counseling
program of the Women’s Center.
Peg Miller, a student pursuing a
PhD. in counseling psychology,
is thestaff member who oversees
the counseling program, which
includes peer counseling and in
dividual crisiscounseling as well.
Student volunteerscan train with
Peg to be a part of the peer
counseling program.
Volunteers and interns form a
vital part of the Women’s Center
atmosphere. Students interested
in volunteering can work with
Amy Van Pelt, volunteer coordi
nator, to receive training in every
part of programming. Besides
the counseling program, volun
teers and interns take care of the
Resource Library, assist callers in
finding services for women at
the university and in Lincoln,
maintain an employment oppor
tunity listing, and do many other
activities essentia I for thesmooth
operation of the center. This se
mester, internsarereceivingcredit
for running the advertising pro
gram, designing computer soft
ware for the Resource Library,
creating a men’s outreach pro
gram and leading discussion
groups.
The Resource Library contains
more than 2,000booksand maga
zines purchased and donated
over the course of 20 years. The
focus of the collection is women
and their concerns. Good fiction
and practical health books rest
side by side with scholarly works
See WOMEN on 11
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