by Michael Montalvo
Daily Lobo
Since the 1970s, women's resource centers have helped women overcome obstacles in and out of the classroom.
The Women's Resource Center at UNM was formed to provide women with a safe place on campus, said Sandrea Gonzales, the center's director.
From peer groups to film series, the center offers a variety of services.
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A little help from your friends
The center has many peer groups that meet several times a month.
It's diverse in its range of group subjects, which include the New Mothers Group to the Friends and Family of People with Eating Disorders Group.
The center did a survey to assess the climate for women on campus and found unexpected results, said Summer Little, program manager for the center.
"One of the most surprising findings was that 829 of 1,052 people reported that they had either been bullied or harassed or knew someone who had," Little said. "This is not sexual harassment. This is different. It is harassment without a sexual component."
The center is co-sponsoring peer support groups with Counseling and Therapy Services and Counseling and Referral Services.
Keelie Garcia, administrator for the Office of Capital Projects, recommended the Peer Support Group for Family of Soldiers Serving Overseas to the center over the summer.
Garcia's son, Joshua, is a combat engineer in the Marine Corps and will be leaving for Iraq for his second tour later this year.
"I know that there are other people on campus such as parents, wives, girlfriends and husbands that have loved ones over in Iraq and Afghanistan," Garcia said.
With the military's security measures, Garcia said it was hard to communicate with her son or find useful support information.
"There were different things out there that I had to find on my own," she said. "I thought that if I could help someone else get that information or if someone else had new information, it would be good to share."
The Reel World
The center has a library with more than 300 films and a room for viewing.
The center's Web site has a film catalog.
Faculty and graduate students can check out films, but undergraduates must watch them at the center.
"The films cover quite a range of topics like the history of midwifery in New Mexico, border issues, gender issues and sexuality," Little said.
The center hosts a film series at noon on Fridays. On Oct. 26 and 27, the center is having its first film festival.
Film producer Kum Kum Bhavnani will speak at the festival.
Her film "The Shape of Water" has won almost a dozen awards, including Best Documentary at the 2007 International Women's Film Festival.
"The film looks at different women's movements around the world in relation to their local situations," Little said.
Money for moms
Gonzales said that when she was a UNM student, there weren't scholarships or grants for single mothers.
Three years ago, she began the process to get the first scholarship for single mothers at UNM by asking for donations.
"Our first three scholarships we were able to give this last spring semester, and they were $500 apiece," Gonzales said.
Gonzales named the scholarship after her daughter, Sabrina, who she used to bring to the center when she was a student. Sabrina graduated from UNM last year.
Other services
The center offers several resources for the UNM community.
The center has informational brochures, pamphlets and fliers, and the information is kept by the doors to respect privacy.
"You can open the door, grab what you need and leave," Little said. "You don't even have to talk to anybody."
The center has a computer pod with seven computers, and it's open to men, women and children.
Students with children can use the center's pod with no worries. There is even a toy box for kids.
The pod was made to be family friendly because some women didn't feel they could bring their children into the other pods without attracting negative attention, Little said.
The center has a library with more than 2,500 books. The books are cataloged in LIBROS for easy access.
Some of the books about the early feminist movement aren't available anywhere else on campus, Little said.
The library also doubles as a breastfeeding room. The room is equipped with a breast pump and information about breastfeeding.
Gonzales said the center is an invaluable resource for those who need it. Whether your issue is big or small, the center will welcome you with open arms, she said.
