Women's Center

Dates

• Existence: 1972

Biography

Abstract:

First funded in 1972, the Women's Center now stands at 55 Talbot Ave. The Center is a resource for the Tufts community, both men and women, on issues about women, men, gender, and relationships between men and women. It provides programming, counseling, information, and resources from a variety of perspectives that take into account differences of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic class.

Founded in December of 1972, the Women's Center was initially student-run and funded by the Tufts Community Union Senate. The Center spent its early years in the basements of Miller Hall and Curtis Hall, and the office changed locations several times before making its permanent home at 55 Talbot Avenue in 1988. In April, 1974 Gail Koplow was hired as Coordinator. In 1980, Peggy Barrett was hired as Health and Sexuality Counselor, and when the Center became an administrative office in 1985 Barrett was appointed part-time Director; she left this position in 2006. From 2006 Sue Gilbert served as Interim Director until 2008, when Steph Gauchel became Director. The Women's Center was instrumental in the development of numerous projects. In 1976 the Center established the Women's Community School to promote "non-traditional skills for women." Over the years, the Center offered events, orientation programs, counseling, and peer education programs aimed at raising awareness of women's and minority concerns and providing support for victims of sexual assault.

The Women's Center's mission statement follows: "The mission of the Tufts University Women's Center is to advance the personal growth and intellectual development of all students, and especially women, particularly on issues related to women and gender. We are committed to fostering student leadership and helping students identify and understand societal structures that relate to issues of power, privilege, and oppression as well as providing resources to graduate students, faculty and staff, alumni, and parents. In this pursuit, the center offers programming, advising, information, and resources about women, men, and gender that are informed by other aspects of identity such as race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and socioeconomic class."

Found in 31 Collections and/or Records: