Emily Gillispie
News reporter
Women on campus won't have to travel far if they want information about women's issues - not if the Women's Resource Center has anything to say about it.
Started by Women's Studies history professor Irene Guenther, the Women's Resource Center is a campus group with a goal of providing resources, information and support services to inspire women to succeed.
The center, which is located in room 208 in the A.D. Bruce Religious Center, would better serve the university if it were housed in a more central location like the University Center, said WRC member Melanie Barr.
"It's nice to have a place for a support group," said Barr. "It's a more relaxed atmosphere than a formal group meeting. But we still want to move to a more central location that women on campus will notice more."
The meeting room is small and intimate with every item in it donated, even the paint and the pictures on the walls. The room was donated by a campus minister, and the phone line was provided by Dean for the College of Humanities, Fine Arts and Communication Lois Zamora.
"If not for the support from the faculty, students and staff, we couldn't be doing this," said Katherine Lane, a senior English major and WRC member.
The group is now waiting on funding from the Student Fees Advisory Committee. If this funding is passed, the group will become an official campus organization, with more resources such as more volunteers to answer phones. Right now the organization has an office, but no office person to answer questions, Lane said.
Upon receiving funding, the WRC plans to offer events such as a women's job and health fair, guest speakers and workshops.
WRC is now in the process of holding an Artist Way workshop, a creativity workshop.
That the workshop is sponsored by a women's organization should not scare off interested men. After all, the WRC "isn't just for women," said creative writing major Gillian Reingold.
However, the WRC does mostly attract women members who are interested in issues such as rape, violence and job opportunities.
Niti Patel, a WRC member who has been a Planned Parenthood volunteer since January, said she wants to meet other women who share her interests and beliefs.
"My interest is speaking out against sexual abuses like rape and incest," Patel said. "I'm also interested in educating the community and teaching children their options if they have been a victim of incest or abuse."
The WRC also plans to hold a lecture series next fall. The series would bring distinguished women speakers to the university.
However, if the SFAC does not allot funding to the group, the WRC will likely diminish.
"UH should have had a women's center a long time ago," Lane said. "We have great ideas and plans, but until we get the financial backing we need, we must rely on volunteering."
With or without the funding, the WRC will continue to act as an information and support center for women at UH.
Anyone interested in volunteering for or participating at the WRC should call (713) 743-2730, or log on to their website which can be accessed through the Women's Studies Website.