HISTORY LESSON
PHOTO: HINA FATHIMA ‘15
Long before it was renamed in 2020, Haverford
In a 1987 report, Allen recalled that the center’s first College’s Center for Gender Resources and Sexual Eduyears included “some very bad times.” Reported Allen, cation (GRASE) was founded as the Women’s Center. “doors and posters were defaced, letters were sent to the The on-campus resource dedicated to supporting women center with very vicious statements in them, the staff was dealing with gender-based discrimination and violence accused of being lesbian troublemakers … and there was opened its doors in spring 1982. a time when Security was asked to keep an eye on staff The need for such a facility arose from a series of who worked late…” events that occurred soon after Haverford went fully coed Through its first two decades, the center continually in fall 1980. After classes started, multiple women reportsought to increase its reach and appeal, hosting a Women ed being sexually assaulted on campus by men. What of Color Group and publishing a “Women of Color became known as the “Barclay Incident” occurred that Anthology” of writings, sponsoring a student assistant October, forcing a community conversation about just what is and is not consensual sex. Amid a firestorm of protest and debate in the Bi-College News, the case resulted in the College’s first joint student-administration disciplinary panel. The following March, an organization known as the Association for Women’s Concerns wrote a letter to President Robert Stevens requesting the creation of a women’s center “with a sizeable budget for programming” led by a director who would report directly to Stevens. The purpose was not to “segregate women” but to provide support for them, said the letter writers, noting that “Haverford’s history of sexual harassment of women and the degrading attitudes toward women … point out the urgency for every office of the college to work toward the improve- A 2015 Open House in the Women’s Center. ment of the status of women here.” Formally established in 1981, the Women’s Center hotline to provide support to anyone who had experiopened in the basement of the Dining Center in spring enced or witnessed a sexual assault, and seeking ways to 1982 with one staff member, four work-study students, get a broader audience involved with its work. and a start-up budget of $2,500. Its first director, Marilou Eventually the center moved from the DC to a room Allen, was also director of Eighth Dimension, Haverford’s in the Whitehead Campus Center, and in 2013 the community outreach program, and she held both posiWomen’s Center became the Women*s Center, with an tions until her retirement in 2015. Allen helped create asterisk replacing the apostrophe. According to a newsleta campus space focused on issues of gender, sexuality, ter published that year, the asterisk was meant as a “visand women’s rights with a growing library that became ible footnote” emphasizing that the center “is a resource an all-College resource. Early organized events included for all members of the Haverford community, regardless letter-writing campaigns in support of the Equal Rights of their sex and gender.” Amendment, lunchtime “brown bag” talks, a book of the In 2020, another name change, to the Center for month discussion series, self-defense workshops, and a Gender Resources and Sexual Education (now located in “Sapphire Concert Series.” Throughout those early years, Stokes Hall), further signaled a renewed mission to “prothe Women’s Center brought prominent feminist scholars vide resources for all students … to live authentically as and artists to campus, and sponsored performances by well as engage knowledgeably and compassionately with Sweet Honey in the Rock and the Indigo Girls. regard to gender and sexuality.” —Natalie Pompilio
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