The university and the Student Government's collaboration on the future Women's Resource Center represents significant progress toward a more open and safe AU. If the administration decides to approve the SG proposal, the Women's Resource Center will serve as a central hub for women's issues on campus, filling a role similar to the GLBTA Resource Center.
Considering that 65 percent of the AU student body is female, it's almost surprising that a resource center doesn't already exist. Women's Initiative, a division of Student Government, has done an amazing job filling this gap in serving the women of AU.
Women's Initiative was a key player in the planning of the new resource center. In the past, Women's Initiative provided many of the services that will be covered by the resource center in the future, such as programming on sexual violence and women's health.
At the same time, to expect a full-time student to offer the same extent of services as a full-time staff director is unreasonable and unrealistic. By creating a resource center, AU is giving Women's Initiative more room to plan new innovative programs and events, such as its annual Breastival.
While the center will not be fully completed until 2012, Women's Initiative will offer space and resources to the center, including funds for the initial year. SG President Joe Vidulich also expressed support for the center's time line, saying a stronger program needs more time to develop. Vidulich campaigned on the center's creation last year, and his commitment to its development is a model that future SG presidents should follow.
