Looking for the UA Women’s Resource Center is a little like being on a scavenger hunt. Located in the back of the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership, this small student-run organization is striving to make a big impact in the lives of UA women.
Tiffany Tedesco, co-director of the WRC, said that they are currently in the process of petitioning for funding for a full-time faculty director, which would allow them to raise more money and thus provide more programs to the UA community.
The WRC is among several groups vying for funding from the Student Services fee.
They’ve collected about 2,500 signatures so far, according to a large chart demonstrating their progress on the WRC’s wall. “”Which is really awesome,”” Tedesco said.
Besides Arizona State University, the UA is the only Pac-10 university without a professionalized women’s center, according to a proposal written by WRC director Carly Thomsen.
The Oregon State University Women’s Center is in the second-oldest building on the OSU campus and can fit about 75 people, said OSU Women’s Center director Beth Rietveld.
“”(There are) so many things that people don’t realize can happen through having somebody who is here full-time to support any student need,”” Rietveld said.
Helping students obtain financial aid to stay in school or finding a way for students without insurance to receive medical assistance are some of the benefits Rietveld said a full-time faculty member brings to a university.
Currently, the WRC receives approximately $6,000 from the Associated Students of the University of Arizona, according to the proposal.
Tedesco said volunteers generate the remainder of the funding by applying for grant money. Comparatively, Rietveld, said she receives a $170,000 budget at OSU.
Tedesco said that if they had a full-time adviser, the WRC would be able to offer more resources to women..
“”For the WRC, we do comprehensive sex education,”” Tedesco said. “”That is proven to reduce unwanted pregnancies, STIs, eventually abortion – and without putting a negative spin on abortion.””
Tedesco said one goal of the center is to educate women about their options when it comes to having safe sex, she said.
“”All of the studies that have been done show that abstinence-only education does not work,”” Thomsen said. “”We need to arm everybody with the education to be able to make the right decisions.””
