Bates College Women's Resource Center Records

The Bates College Women’s Resource Center (WRC) was begun in 2000, with widespread support from students and other campus and community members, who felt that such a center would be valuable in light of widespread problems such as sexual assault, harassment, and eating disorders on college campuses. According to its constitution, the WRC aims to: create a safe space for women on campus; provide a space for the exchange of ideas outside of an academic setting; build a supportive community; generate dialog between women and men regarding women’s/gender issues; and to raise awareness of those issues -- all to “help create a campus free of sexism, discrimination and violence.”

By 2001 the WRC had established weekly meetings, regular hours, and a resource library including books, magazines and videos. The WRC continues to sponsor or co-sponsor monthly brown bag lunches, movie nights, speakers, and conferences, for topics including but not limited to: domestic violence, the effect of immigration laws on women worldwide, gender archetypes in the arts, sex and pop culture, breast cancer awareness/prevention, women’s history, student activism, and reproductive freedom.

In January of 2005 the Peci Family Trust made a large bequest to Bates College, which included a gift of $10,000 in the name of Vera Vivian von Peci (Bates ’42,) to establish a current use fund in support of WRC programs.