Letters to the Editor #1

To Whom It May Concern:

Not many students are aware of the fact that our campus had a professionally staffed Women's Resource Center since 1987, let alone where it is located. However, in the last semester I have become very familiar with the WRC because I have worked there organizing events, helping keep it open during office hours and hoping that more people will utilize the services offered. Unfortunately there is already a plan in motion to contain diverse services on campus such as the Intercultural Center, GLBTQ services/resources, and the Women's Resource Center, by combining them into one center. The administration also plans to cut the staff for this new center by providing only one full-time staff member to oversee these diverse resources, which is insulting. Prior to this year both the ICC and WRC had their own separate full-time staff members. I feel that the Women's Resource Center will fully disappear if this happens, and I also feel as though this school is attempting to suppress diversity by melding these three distinctly different and multifaceted issues together into one center. I think that students need to be more aware of what services are offered on this campus before they disappear. The WRC used to offer a professional staff member who was trained in sexual assault education and due to the increase in sexual assaults reported on this campus within the last year, I feel that terminating this position, which is what is planned, will provide such a disservice to this campus. Those who are assaulted will be discouraged by not having a resource conveniently located on campus. The director also played a pivotal role in providing services and referrals to students on a range of issues including reproductive rights, eating disorders, body image and sexual violence, as well as working collaboratively with faculty teaching courses related to gender across campus.

I am graduating this semester and am being as vocal as possible about this issue, hence writing to the Star, so I am hoping that survivors of sexual assault, as well as others concerned about this issue will stand up and speak out against the way in which the concept of the Center for Gender and Cultures has been developed (without consultation with the students from the three constituent groups or any faculty involvement) and the proposed limited staffing of the center. I hope others will join me in asking the university to support its commitment to diversity and not eliminate services and professional staff that have been critical to the retention of students from diverse backgrounds.

Sincerely,

Robin Mangini