College Considers Women’s Center

In the University’s first step toward the possible establishment of a women’s center at Harvard, summer housing resident director Tamia R. Jordan—in conjuction with Associate Dean of the College Judith H. Kidd—has devoted the past several months to researching possible sites and structures, most notably by conducting a benchmark study of more than 15 women’s centers at other universities.

While Jordan’s exploration reflects progress toward constructing a women’s center at the University, various women’s groups at Harvard have been advocating one for more than 30 years.

“The fact that the benchmarking study has been commissioned certainly indicates a commitment on the part of the administration,” said College Campus Life Fellow Justin H. Haan ’05, unofficially dubbed the “fun czar.”

Jordan and Kidd both declined to comment on the details surrounding the study.

“There’s been a lot of interest in having a women’s center on campus,” Kidd said yesterday. “But the study isn’t completed yet and there’s nothing more to say.”

Haan said that the study would be completed by the end of the summer.

Undergraduate Council (UC) representative Tara Gadgil ’07 said the UC had been involved in discussions about starting up a women’s center for more than a year.

“I think that the primary need is to have a centralized location in a prominent place where a student can come and get information on all the different kinds of women’s events and meetings can be held for groups related to women’s issues,” said Gadgil.

The distinct purpose of a women’s center at Harvard has yet to be defined, according to Gadgil.

Student Affairs Committee Chair Aaron D. Chadbourne ’06 said that momentum has been building up around the issue. He said he expected heightened discussion of a possible women’s center at Harvard to begin this fall.

FALL FORESIGHT

In addition to discussing a women’s center, UC members have spent the summer planning this year’s “Fallfest”—the first of its kind held since 2003, when rain put a damper on turnout.

The event’s theme will be “Oktoberfest,” according to UC Representative John F. Voith III ’07 and UC Vice President Clay Capp ’06. The UC plans to hold the fest outside in the Quad on October 8, with performances by student bands, casual sporting events, and a barbecue complete with beer.

“People who are drinking will be limited to doing so in the ‘beer garden,’” said Haan, who has helped the UC coordinate the event.

UC members emphasized that the event would be student-oriented, completely funded by the UC, and would involve limited participation from the Harvard administration.

“It’s not going to be just a springfest in the fall,” Voight said. “Whereas Springfest has really been taken over by the President’s office, this will be more college oriented—a day outside with food and beer.”

However, Capp wrote in a e-mail sent over the UC e-mail list yesterday that “we’ve secured a lot of support from University Hall” for the event.

This year’s Springfest suffered from low turnout, bad weather, and a general lack of enthusiasm.

“We want this event to be very relaxed and have a college party feel rather than being aimed at little kids—there will be no bouncy objects or trains,” wrote Gadgil, one of three UC representatives living in Eliot this summer and working on UC initiatives.

The UC has also been working with transportation services to revamp College shuttle services for the fall.

Starting in September, there will be five new shuttles, including an extra-large shuttle bus designated for morning pick-up in the Quad.

Transportation services have also restructured the shuttle schedule for exam period, Gadgin wrote in an e-mail.

Many of the changes in shuttle services come in response to suggestions from two forums the UC hosted on shuttles this past spring.

An ad-hoc committee will be formed to address shuttle issues associated with construction, according to Chadbourne, who said he had been in contact about the issue with Deputy Dean of the College Patricia O’Brien.

—Staff writer Natalie I. Sherman can be reached at nsherman@fas.harvard.edu.