Two new directors for the Women’s Resource Center have high hopes that they can turn the flailing program into a success.
Sarah Demers and Carly Thomsen, both graduate students in women’s studies, have drafted a proposal that includes a comparison of similar resource centers at Pac-10 schools to show how the Associated Students of the University of Arizona’s WRC is under-funded.
Jennette Silleck, a women’s studies graduate student, did the comparison, which she said showed most other centers have at least one paid full-time staff member and budgets upward of $100,000. On the other hand, the WRC at UA received about $3,000 this year, Silleck said.
“”We’re essentially volunteers at this point,”” Demers
We want to put on car and bike maintenance workshops, bring in someone to do sex and condom education in the dorms once a month, then maybe expanding that to sorority houses.
– Sarah Demers, graduate student in women’s studies
said. “”Our goal would be to have at least two half-time grad students, paid real graduate student wages with health insurance.””
Additionally, the money would be used to be more productive as a resource center.
“”We want to argue for more money to put on more programs,”” Demers said. “”We want to put on car and bike maintenance workshops, bring in someone to do sex and condom education in the dorms once a month, then maybe expanding that to sorority houses.””
In addition to asking the university for more money, the proposal might establish a two-year internship program with the WRC so students could get academic credit.
Demers and Thomsen will meet with Melissa Vito, vice provost of student affairs, in order to get the
proposal to the right place. Thomsen has also been talking with ASUA President Erin Hertzog, who knows more about who to talk to, Demers said.
The WRC is open to other women’s interest groups on campus, such as the UA Feminists.
“”We’re definitely all about collaborating with other groups,”” Demers said.
Laura Hoffman, president of UA Feminists, said her group is also figuring out what they want to do with their struggling organization.
Hoffman said that the UA Feminists have been around in some form for the last six years. While the group put on many projects last semester, such as the Clothesline Project and Love Your Body Day, planning this spring has been slow.
One of the projects that the UA Feminists might be interested in getting involved with is Girls, Inc., a self-described “”national nonprofit youth organization dedicated to
inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold.””
Hoffman said one of the things that drew her to UA Feminists was the after-school program that helps girls with math and science, helping to break the negative stigma that girls are not good at those subjects.
The other main project the group will focus on is Take Back the Night, a march against rape and violence against women, in coordination with UAPD.
Although her group is not going as strong as she wants, Hoffman said that she knows her group’s ideas will be expressed.
“”There will always be a group somewhere on campus for student feminists to have a voice,”” Hoffman said.
The WRC is located in the ASUA offices on the third floor of the Student Union Memorial Center. UA Feminists meetings are Wednesdays at 6 p.m. in the Social Justice Leadership Center, across from the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership.
