With the new university center under construction, women on Ohio University's campus are beginning to plan a center of their own.
Merle Graybill, interim associate dean of students, said a women's center would benefit everyone on campus.
The interesting thing about a women's center is that it serves the students
faculty and staff whereas most of our organizations serve just the students she said.
OU is the only public school in Ohio and one of four schools in the Mid-American Conference without a women's center.
The Rev. Jan Griesinger of the United Campus Ministry said OU officials have reserved space in the new university center for a women's center about the size of Baker University's 1804 Lounge. However, that space comes without funding.
The major victory is that they've allocated space
Griesinger said. Somebody should be addressing (the women's center) now.
Senior Monica Ganguly said she recognized a need for a women's center two years ago, after a series of assaults and hate crimes occurred in Athens within less than two weeks. Following those crimes, students planned a walk-out and held forums, developing seven demands, including the need for a women's studies major, an LGBT office and a women's center.
Ganguly said that although a lot of people made a lot of noise
and they gave us space
that was where the giving ended.
Now, Ganguly said the center needs student, teacher and community support -especially because of the lack of communication within the administration.
While many groups on campus stand behind the idea of a women's center, these groups have yet to unify their endorsement of the center.
I'm sure it would be a lot more supported if somebody could get organized
Griesinger said.
To help get the word out about the center and generate feedback, Linsey Pecikonis, student senate's women's affairs commissioner, began distributing surveys in the Front Room, to Residence Life staff members, to women at the Take Back the Night Rally and on the Student Senate Web site at http://www.mystudentsenate.com/wcenter.
Pecikonis will meet with senate President Jamie Walter this Friday to discuss the center, and also plans on meeting with future OU President Roderick McDavis over the summer. We don't want to take the backseat anymore
she said.
Graybill is conducting what she called as a benchmark study
looking at how other schools in the MAC and how they run their centers -or where they are housed and where funding comes from.
A very ballpark figure
Graybill said of the minimal amount OU's center could run on, is around $50
000 to $70
