Student Life: Women's Center Records
Scope and Contents
Records of the Women's Center date from 1972 to 1987 and document the Center's role as an umbrella organization and clearinghouse for women and women's organizations on the Oberlin College campus. A charter and statement of purpose describe the structure and functions of the Center, while daily activities are recorded at a minimal level in minutes, correspondence, and financial records dating from the late 1970s and early 1980s. Logbooks serve more as a log of women students' thoughts and feelings than as a record of activities. Other files document campus events for women, attitudes toward rape and sexual harassment, activities of the ERA Action Team, and the written creative efforts of the Women's Center members. These records are divided into eight series.
Dates
- Creation: 1971-2002
- Other: Date acquired: 01/25/1988
Creator
- Oberlin College Women's Center (Organization)
Administrative History
The Women's Resource Center was chartered by the Student Senate in February of 1971 as an umbrella organization to bring together groups and committees on campus concerned with women. The Women's Resource Center is governed by a policy board of five students and three faculty members and a programming board with open membership. Funding comes from the Student Activities Fee. The Center has been located at 124 Woodland Street since March 8, 1998.
The Women's Resource Center operates as a clearinghouse of information on women's concerns on the campus, in the community, and at the national level. It purchases books, subscribes to magazines, and maintains a vertical file of pamphlets, newsletters, and newspapers. The Center keeps track of and posts notices for women's events and provides a place for women to meet in discussion groups. In addition, the Center sponsors and co-sponsors workshops, conferences, seminars, lectures, and film series. The Center also provides a place for students to study and socialize. Future plans include outreach to other campus organizations. According to the group’s 1997 constitution, the goal of the Center is “to serve as a central location for anyone interested in gender issues and concerns pertaining to women. The Center aims to be a source for information, education, support and outreach for the Oberlin College community.”
Sources Consulted
“Women’s Resource Center to Open to the Campus,” by Margo Lipschultz, The Oberlin Review, February 27, 1998.
Extent
0.80 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Method of Acquisition
The records of the Women’s Center were given to the Archives by Stephanie Freeman, Treasurer of the Women’s Center, on January 25, 1988.
Accruals and Additions
Accession No: 1988/007.
- Title
- Student Life: Women's Center Records Finding Guide
- Author
- Lisa Pruitt, Tara L. Ikenouye, Megan Thompson, Kenneth M. Grossi, Jonathan Thurn
- Date
- 10/01/1988
- Description rules
- Rules for Archival Description
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Oberlin College Archives Repository
420 Mudd Center
148 West College Street
Oberlin OH 44074-1532 US
440-775-8014
440-775-8016 (Fax)
archive@oberlin.edu