The Women’s Center has been around for decades and has been on campus since 1972. Having a conciliation agreement with the University of Idaho, the university has committed to provide funding for the center and its dedication to gender equality. They are incredibly involved with the community and have community partners on and off UI’s campus.
“We’re certainly not the only voice for gender equality on campus but we’re a voice for gender equality,” Women’s Center Program Coordinator Jackie Sedano said.
The Women’s Center hosted their annual open house Sept. 2 and their event was not conducted traditionally as in past years. Normally held in their physical space, the Women’s Center held their event outside with plenty of breathing room.
The staff were thinking of ways to show students who they are and services they do. The office is tricky, it’s a little tucked away in the Memorial Gym, Sedano said. It isn’t in the Idaho Student Union Building where everyone knows where the offices are.
People can casually walk past the office because there’s not a lot of foot traffic at the Memorial Gym. This way students can be introduced to the Women’s Center, programs, resources and their mission.
“We really want to get word out there that we’re a resource, and that we’re a confidential resource for students, staff and faculty,” Sedano said.
Their mission is to advocate for gender equality. Along with their many resources, they offer presentations for club leaders that cover topics about gender equality, gender and women that can be requested. They also offer work studies, internships and have plenty of volunteer opportunities.
“The Women’s Center is here for students, staff and faculty and even community members will access our resources,” Sedano said.
In their physical space they have a study for students, and a lounge with limited capacity. They have computers and a printer where people can come do homework and relax in between classes. Typically, they have a kitchenette, but it is temporarily unavailable due to COVID -19.
In their office, they have a changing table and lactation room that can be transformed into a private space students can use. The room has a second purpose called the advocacy room, where students can join Zoom classes and reserve the space.
Inside their office, students are required to wear masks, or they cannot come into the center. In their office, they have a large bottle of hand sanitizer and follow a disinfecting routine every night before closing.
“We’re going to do everything we can to keep everybody healthy,” Sedano said.
The Women’s Center will still do their big signature events, virtual events and manage their social media campaign. Students can look forward to their annual Take Back the Night event in a couple of weeks.
“We’re still dedicated to providing whatever programming we can if we’re able to force students to do that in a healthy, safe way,” Sedano said. “We do programming for students to just come together, learn about gender justice become educated about it or maybe even raise questions about it.”
Emily Pearce can be reached at [email protected] on Twitter@Emily _ A_ Pearce.