By: Annabel Leonova, Student Affairs Administration Student
Over the summer last year, I had the opportunity to work at W*SS. While I learned quite a bit about the Office’s recent history, I couldn’t help but wonder: How did the office come to be? W*SS, as we know, was established in 2019. But what happened before then? Well, an opportunity to answer these questions presented itself during the Fall semester.
In Foundations of Postsecondary Education (EAD 870) class, my cohort was assigned a higher education archival research project. I decided right away to focus on the history of Women*s Student Services at MSU. And learned that in 2023, MSU is celebrating 50 years since the establishment of our first women’s center! To celebrate the occasion, I wanted to share some of the historical highlights leading to the establishment of W*SS in this issue of the Zine. If you’re interested in learning more or seeing the original documents, MSU Archives is a great place to start. The history of women’s centers (at MSU and beyond) are multifaceted, so there’s always more to uncover.
Women's Programs (1973 - 1992):
Increased need for women resource centers was supported by the growing enrollment of women-identifying students. While most of the women centers emerged during the 1970s and 1980s, the first one dates to 1960 and was located on the University of Minnesota campus (Bethman et al., 2019). As for MSU, the establishment of the Division of Women's Programs office was first mentioned in 1972 by the MSU President Clifton R. Wharton in response to the Women’s Steering Committee report (Women’s Resource Center History Outline, 1992). But the official inception date became January 29th, 1973. The Office was organizationally placed under the Department of Human Relations and located in the Administration Building.
I find the following quote very interesting too. While written in dated (binary) language, one of the goals from the beginning was supporting the entire MSU community:
"Although women may more often seek the services of the Division, programs are offered for both men and women. It is important for men to understand issues that affect women, and their involvement in the Division’s activities is welcomed." (Division of Women’s Programs, August, 1982)
Women's Resource Center (1992- 2016):
In June of 1992, the Department of Human Relations was reorganized into the Office of Affirmative Action Compliance and Monitoring and the Women’s Resource Center, the former Women’s Programs office (Women’s Resource Center History Outline, 1992). In February of 1995, WRC relocated from its temporary office in Olds Hall to the Union Building. In September of 2006, WRC published the office's first website. Now, many of the WRC documents were transitioned from physical to digital copies. The website stayed operational until it was completely taken down in 2019 (despite the office's closure in 2016).
On May 24th, 2016, the official announcement was made that the WRC office will be dissolved into the new WorkLife unit, meant to serve as a one-stop shop for a broader population. While the main reason for WRC closure was not specified, it appears to be the lack of financial and staff resources to effectively promote the office and provide the necessary resources. Students had mixed reactions to the closure.
"This transition has been in the works for several years and we look toward the future with optimism and dedication to continuing to serve our campus community” (Women’s Resource Center, November 10, 2018).
Women*s Student Services (2019 - Present):
In 2019, the office was re-established in response to student feedback and growing needs under a new name - Women*s Student Services - and located within the Division of Student Affairs and Services. Dr. Heather Shea was hired as the new Director and Gabby Wahla joined the office as the first graduate assistant (and now the Assistant Director!). W*SS continued growing with the addition of practicum students and undergraduate interns in the Spring of 2020.
W*SS Zine:
In addition to the overall Office history, I must mention how the Zine existed in some shape or form throughout the history of MSU women’s center. At first, it was just printed monthly program announcements. In 1986, Women’s Programs began publishing a monthly 8-page newsletter with circulation of 4,000 (Women’s Resource Center History Outline, 1992). Sometime before the creation of the website in 2006, the newsletter was renamed to Wisdom, Words & Women. The name and monthly format stayed until the newsletter’s last edition in June, 2016. Then, with the re-establishment of W*SS, the newsletter returned as the Zine we know today.
So, Happy 50 Years to Women’s Centers at MSU!
References:
Bethman, B., Cottledge, A., & Bickford, D. M. (2019). University and college women's and gender equity centers: The changing landscape. Routledge.
Division of Women’s Programs. (August, 1982). [Pamphlet]. MSU University Archives and Historical Collections (U.A. 8.2.2, Drawer F.D. Folder 1). East Lansing, Michigan.
The Women’s Resource Center. (February, 1995). Location update letter. MSU University Archives and Historical Collections (U.A. 8.2.2, Box 5667, Folder 2). East Lansing, Michigan.
Women's Resource Center. (2006, September 13). Wayback Machine: Women's Resource Center. Michigan State University. https://web.archive.org/web/20060913112422/http://wrc.msu.edu/
Women's Resource Center. (2018, November 8). Wayback Machine: Women's Resource Center. Michigan State University. https://web.archive.org/web/20181108160016/http://wrc.msu.edu/
Women’s Resource Center. (September, 1992). History outline. (U.A. 8.2.2, Box 5667, Folder 50). East Lansing, Michigan.
Women*s Student Services. (n.d.). Women*s student services: The division of student life and engagement. Michigan State University. https://wss.msu.edu/
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