University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Why a Women's Center? I

Nitzsche Green, Rebecca

Content Files
ResearchProcess.doc
What_s_the_difference.doc

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/8747

Description

Title
Why a Women's Center? I
Author(s)
Nitzsche Green, Rebecca
Contributor(s)
  • Wiedemair, Agathe
  • Ham, Patricia
  • Becker, Katherine
Issue Date
2008
Keyword(s)
  • Women’s services
  • agency and control
  • Office of Women’s Programs (OWP)
  • counseling
  • Female body
  • inequity
  • identity
  • Gender
  • KIN442 S08
Date of Ingest
2008-06-11T18:48:40Z
Abstract
Control of space, particularly at the University of Illinois, influences the movement of the human body and the resources the University provides for the student body. The current Office of Women’s Programs provides a large variety of services to the UIUC student body. However, in order to address all components of women’s needs as well as issues of gender inequity, a Women’s Center is necessary on campus. This study attempts to determine the overall student body awareness of the services provided by the Office of Women’s Programs and the limitations that affect the expansion of the OWP to a Women’s Center. Three interviews with OWP personnel, an observation of the OWP setting, an observation of an OWP event, two campus surveys, and archival research were conducted to obtain the results. An analysis of the data yielded that a lack of physical space, personnel, programming, and resources exists at the OWP. The funding and promotional work for a Women’s Center is deficient on campus. The student body awareness of the OWP is minimal. One of thirty-three undergraduate students had knowledge of the OWP. The expansion of the OWP into a Women’s Center is a powerful step towards offering the UIUC student body a confidential and controlled physical space in an environment where sex as a cultural marker is expanding. This study provides preliminary information on the status quo of the OWP and reasons for expansion, which will contribute to future research on similar topics.
Series/Report Name or Number
Kin 442, Bodies, Culture & Society, Prof. Melissa Littlefield: Students participating in this course examine bodies in history, in particular cultural contexts, in international and national forums. Questions guiding research include: What is a body? Is there such a thing as “the” body? How are bodies produced? What do they represent? Who gets to represent them? Course readings vary widely to include anthropological, historical, psychological and sociological perspectives. Student projects focus on exercise, health and sport practices in general and on the University of Illinois campus in particular. The course syllabus is available at: www.eui.uiuc.edu/docs/syllabi/KINES442S08.doc
Type of Resource
text
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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/8747

Owning Collections

University Units and Institutional Transformation PRIMARY
Projects in this collection explore institutional growth and change as seen in the histories and practices of university units and programs.
Student Research from the Ethnography of the University Initiative - Applied Health Sciences