The Women’s Center is one of several student centers in the UMass Student Life community that rigorously seeks to serve the needs of UMass students.
The University Handbook summarizes the purpose of the Women’s Center as “designed to promote a greater awareness of women’s issues and concerns,” and as serving “the needs and interests of female students at UMass Boston.” The Center is intended to provide resources to keep the university community informed about the broad range of women’s issues, and providing UMass women with referral services to the various programs throughout the greater Boston area.
For the past few years, Natalia Cooper volunteered her time promoting and attending various Women’s Center events. This year, the Women’s Center is fortunate to have this charismatic senior as the Center’s coordinator. The Mass Media had the opportunity to sit down last week with Cooper to discuss the goals for the Women’s Center in the upcoming 2004-2005 year.
Cooper informed us that this year the Women’s Center expects to see a website going that will seek to equip the women of the UMass community with immediate references to services and ameliorate the private environment that the Women’s Center is recognized for. In the case of an emergency, states Cooper, “a woman may not feel comfortable coming to the Center looking for help if there are people there.”The Center also anticipates planning several events for the Fall 2004 semester. Some events to look out for are: a presentation by Alyx Kellington, war photographer, titled “Women and War,” a lecture on the sex trafficking of women in South Asia, and a women’s health fair.
Cooper views the purpose of the Women’s Center as an “in between space,” meaning that she wants the Center to provide information and literature that will be of relevance and interest to all UMass Boston students regardless of race, class and/or sex. “If you don’t call yourself a feminist, or you have different views, even if you’re not a woman, you’re still welcome,” she states. “My agenda is to not have a specific agenda.”
Though the Center’s aim is allocate an impartial and safe space for all members of the UMass community, Cooper recognizes that the Center, by its nature cannot exist without its categorizations. Although the Center advocates equal rights for all, it ascribes feminism because of its fundamental recognition that women are less visible in society, “that is why it’s not called ‘humanism,'” states Natalia. “I call myself a feminist, but it took me a long time to call myself that…To me it means that I want things to be better for everybody.”
As Women’s Center coordinator, Natalia takes great care in making certain that the Center does not endorse a particular brand of feminism. Her target is to tailor the language to make it as inclusive as possible. She says, “I try hard not to be naïve to the needs of different people. I refuse to be a feminist that believes feminism is right for everybody because it’s a forever changing thing according to the time and place.”
The Women’s Center is located at 3100.03, which is the 3rd floor of the UMass Campus Center across the atrium from student life. Natalia Cooper can be contacted at the Women’s Center extension 7-7986.