Karim Wimbley (right) talks with students
as a part of the Women’s Center Monthly Visitor Series
on Wewdnesday evening.
CHRISTA SCHROEDEL / THE DEPAUW
The Women’s Center on campus is celebrating their 10th anniversary this year. Director of the Women’s Center, Ms. Sarah Ryan said, “The mission of the Women's Center is to serve as a resource for students, faculty, staff and the Greencastle community interested in acting on behalf of women's issues at DePauw.”
The Women’s Center was initially created as a direct result of the 2002 Task Force on the Status of Women at DePauw.
“The Task Force, which included students, faculty and staff, envisioned a place that would serve as a resource to those acting on behalf of women's issues and a center for education, activities and programs,” said Ryan.
The creation of the Women’s Center was motivated by women’s negative feelings toward the campus. Data collected at that time showed that women on DePauw’s campus did not feel comfortable both in terms of the campus climate and institutional support. Now the Women’s Center is fully operational and fulfills all sorts of needs or requests.
Any students, faculty or staff are welcome to use the space for meetings, study groups, classes or simply to come hang out or pick up information. The Women’s Center The former house is equipped with a comfortable living room and a full kitchen. Ms. Ryan said, “[The kitchen] can be used for events or just to bake an impromptu batch of cookies.”
The Women’s Center offers a 24/7 Safe Room for any student who needs emergency housing. The center provides service, advocacy and referrals to students dealing with a variety of difficult situations. “The 24/7 Sexual Assault Survivor Advocates (SASA) program is also part of our services,” said Ryan.
In celebrating the 10th anniversary, the center has teamed with the student body, faculty and staff across campus to organize a program to raise awareness and advocate the use of the center. The staff at the Women’s Center organized a week of events that cover topics including education, identity, film, friendships, consent, literature, bystander intervention and sexual violence.
The Women’s Center celebrated
its 10th anniversary this week.
CHRISTA SCHROEDEL / THE DEPAUW
The staff of the center met with numerous outside programs groups and departments to make sure they were meeting most interests and needs presented by the students. The goal for this year’s program was to present a wide variation in hopes to raise awareness and appeal to the needs of everyone.
As of now, the only activity that has taken place was a promotion day in the Hub. The faculty of the Women’s Center set up a table there and had many people come to talk or collect flyers. One of the most popular goods offered by the center are ‘Shag Bags.’ Shag Bags are the Women’s Center’s ‘sack for getting in the sack.’ The bags include a condom, personal lubricant, dental dam, breath mint and information.
Other programs offered include guest speakers, regular discussions, and film screenings. These different educational or enrichment programs are hosted over a range of topics. The center is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. Both men and women are welcome to take advantage of the assortment of services offered through the center.