A handful of Ohio University students voiced suggestions for the OU Women's Center yesterday, but director Susanne Dietzel said there are still 10,000 women on campus she would like to talk to.
The center hosted an open focus group at its facility yesterday from 3:30 to 5 p.m. The meeting was intended as an outlet for students to vocalize their expectations for the center, which opened this year.
Women at the forum suggested the facility should be used to host support groups and should advertise itself more aggressively.
It's important for women to know that there's a place
a resource center and an advocate for women said Sally Niedhard, women's affairs commissioner for OU Student Senate.
I think that it's important to inform women of the center said Julia Decatur, a sophomore, adding that she only heard about the center through her women's studies class.
Dietzel said the center has raised publicity through a Facebook group and distributed fliers, but plans to participate in a variety of events to generate hype.
The center plans to bring in an inaugural speaker over the course of the year that could address women's issues in the state of Ohio, she said.
Sexual assault awareness is also an initiative of the center, Dietzel said, adding that the center has looked into implementing an education program during freshman Precollege.
The center plans to host a movie night or other social sometime Winter Quarter, said Marlene Jenkins, an employee at the center.
Dietzel hopes that women see the center as an open resource and said she would encourage students to stop into the facility, which is located on the fourth floor of Baker University Center.
I believe in input from the bottom up
and this center can only succeed with a voice from constituents
Dietzel said. The center, the first of its kind at OU in 31 years, opened this year with the goal of providing resources for women.
The funding to build the Center was part of money used to build the new student center, and has operating costs of approximately $144,600 a year, according to a November 2006 Post article.
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Ashley Lutz
