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Womens Resource Center

Womens Resource Center

Womens resource center at UNM has evolved meraculously over the past 50 years into a home and inclusive space for many students and survivors. [Source](https://rmoa.unm.edu/docviewer.php?docId=nmu1unma028.xml)

Womens resource center at UNM has evolved meraculously over the past 50 years into a home and inclusive space for many students and survivors. Source

The Climb for Women at UNM

For centuries, women were told to be silent, that their words meant nothing and an education for a woman was out of the ordinary. Today women’s voices, create movements, win elections and rewrite laws. It was not long ago when women fought for a place in the classroom. Women at UNM made up less than 50% of total students in the 1970’s. The climb for women at UNM has been a fight for equal opportunity, that continues to shape the institution that stands before us today.

Women at UNM 1972-73

Women at UNM 1972-73

For women, the start of revolutionary change began in the early 1970’s, where women at UNM focused on gaining and maintaining a voice that would be heard throughout the entire campus. In the 70’s, women at UNM began developing a series of courses that would be known as, Women Studies. With the approval of the University President, in the summer of 1974 Women Studies officialy offered their first course. At the time, these courses were only meant to serve and educate women, this meant that all courses offered would be facilitated strictly by women for women. Sounds pretty straightforward right? However, you would be suprised to know that these few courses did not initially focus on women’s rights and there was no framework surrounding the discrimmination women face. The goal was to simply get women into the classroom. The courses they provided focused on guiding women in their personal lives and included topics like, women’s marital status, navigating life post-divorce, single-women, widowed-women, and the return to campus after having a child. While surely these topics were fit for the 1970’s, this was only the beginning of the radical change that was to come.

The figure to the right highlights statistics from 1972-73 that display an overlook of the great discrimination women faced at UNM, from maids to the presidents. These women at UNM were clearly the underdog, and although faced with many challenges they persevered and rose above all odds.

Academic Shift

As time went on, studies progressed. Women Studies that once offered only one course, grew larger at an extremely fast rate, changing year by year. While majority of students in the studies were women, it was not exclusive. Focus shifted in the mid 1970’s, the notion that women were made to only be mothers and wives finally grew into the ideology that women were much more than a small percentage of a greater picture. Eventually, feminists from all over the country came to visit classrooms and present lectures that would teach women about fields they otherwise were not skilled for, due to the systemic discrimination women were faced with; how to be entrepreneurs, leaders, activists, doctors, scientists. Women Studies began offering courses on such things and taught women all about economics and how to develop skills in addition to their ability to be mothers and wives. Groups of women falculty, staff, and students, expressed their needs and concerns to the university and the university listened. Women Studies grew into something much larger, and behind the scences of it all, women fought for more space, more inclusivitity and came together in coalition to create what we know today as the Women’s Resource Center (WRC).

Equal Opportunity at UNM.

Equal Opportunity at UNM.

UNM News release. Why Women Studies is significant.

UNM News release. Why Women Studies is significant.

When developing and composing the all things related to women at UNM, it had to be made clear that there was a purpose that lied within this development. During this time, the world was faced with active movements, and until 1980 women were not recognized for their history, but UNM was ahead of the game.

Womens Resource Center

Finally, introducing the Womens Resource Center, officially developed in the year 1972. There is very little information to be found on the basis of the development of the Womens Resource Center today. However, the purpose you are reading this, is to discover what has been found. In the 1970’s while Women Studies, gained their recognition and deveolpment at the university, behind the scenes students, falculty, and staff worked tirelessly to further enhance adovocacy and support for women and students, not only at UNM, but also within the community, creating a center where students of all genders and identity can confide in.

In the 1970’s the Womens Resource Center was developed to act as a center for women that could provide resources in regards to sexual assualt, rape, abortions, domestic violence, etc. Essentially, upon its early developments, the center was a safe haven. In the spring of 1972, a proposal was submitted and later approved for the Womens Center and their direct relationship to Women Studies. This proposal included goals, purposes and overall objectives for the center. Note that in 1972, the WRC was known as the W.C.C (Women’s Coordinating Center.)

From proposals to simpe diagrams to history made.

Programs in 1970’s

WRC Today

While there are no photos to be found of the W.C.C in 1972, today the Womens Resource Center plays a huge role in shaping students lives. From vibrant colors to a welcoming atmosphere, many students call this place a home away from home.

3D Model:Button Made by Students at the WRC

Wrc Button by agutierrez-history on Sketchfab

Bibliography