Carnegie Mellon Libraries: Research: University Archives: Women's Center Records

Women's Center Records

Carnegie Mellon University Women's Center Records, 1988-1994
Official University Records, Carnegie Mellon University Archives

Extent
3/4 linear feet [1 Box]

Records History
The Carnegie Mellon University Women's Center celebrated its grand opening on January 26, 1990. The development of the Center was a collaborated effort of hundreds of signatures collected in support of a center and a proposal drafted by Deborah Barkun and Anne Marie Harvey in the Spring of 1989. The center grew out of an organization known as the Women's Issues Collective of which Barkun and Harvey were both members.

The Center welcomes women and men of all ethnicities, sexual orientations, backgrounds, and value structures to participate in their events and utilize their resources. One major goal of the center is to "provide an environment which women can come together and support each other by sharing their experiences." In order to accomplish this goal, the Center sponsors various programs. The center has invited speakers to discuss academics and activism, sponsored a series of films, health awareness, women in music, art shows, and coffeehouses.

The Center also provides a CD and Video collection, a Library which consists of a large selection of fiction, autobiographies, essays, social sciences, anthologies, and several publications focusing on women's issues and women's history. The Center also serves as a meeting place for other organizations such as The Society of Women Engineers, Women's Alcoholic Anonymous, Action Against Rape and The Lesbian/Bisexual Rap Group.

The Women's Center has a component known as the Women's Center Collective which makes administrative and business decisions. These decisions are made by consensus of each member. The Collective regularly meets through out the academic year. Active participation in the Collective is encouraged after attending two meetings.

The Women's Center works in collaboration with organizations in the surrounding area such as Women's Health Services, Pittsburgh Action Against Rape (PAAR), the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force (PATF), the Women's Place (Pittsburgh's shelter for battered women).

Scope Notes
This collection contains six years of records from The Carnegie Mellon University Women's Center. The collection consists of nine series the majority of which are categorized by subject with the exception of the centers' correspondence records. The majority of the collection is paper with the exception of three photos from a center slumber party. This collection also contains nine file folders of the Center's program announcements (flyers) and several lists of the contents of the Center's Library. For those not familiar with the Women's Center the informational pamphlets that explain the purpose of the center will serve to be helpful for the use of the collection. These can be found under the section pertaining to the Center's Organizational Structure.

An important component of this collection is background information pertaining to the Women's Issue Collective. It was this organization that helped develop the idea of a center.

Provenance
This collection was transferred from the Women's Center to the Carnegie Mellon University Archives in 1994.

Processor
The Women's Center Collection was originally processed by Lela J. Sewell in February 1995. Ms. Sewell's finding aid was edited for online use by Carnegie Mellon University/Heinz Archivist, Jennie Benford, in 2004.

Container List: Women's Center Records

Series I
Organizational Structure, 1990-91, n.d.

FF1 Women's Center--Organizational Structure--Founding of Women's Issues Collective--20 items--n.d.
FF2 Women's Center--Organizational Structure--Informational Pamphlets--8 items--n.d.
FF3 Women's Center--Organizational Structure--Administrative Papers--Old Notes--1990-91
FF4 Women's Center--Organizational Structure--Administrative Papers--Requests, Events, Minutes--1990-91
FF5 Women's Center--Organizational Structure--Administrative Papers--Notes, Requests, Event Log, Contacts, CMU Index--1991
FF6 Women's Center--Organizational Structure--Administrative Papers--Maintenance Request--2 items--n.d.
FF7 Women's Center--Organizational Structure--Program Booklet--1 item--1990-91
FF8 Women's Center--Organizational Structure--Staff Manual--1 item--Fall 1990

Series II Correspondence, 1989-91

FF9 Women's Center--Correspondence--Newsletters--14 items--1989-90, 1994, n.d.
FF10 Women's Center--Correspondence--Postcards--9 items--1991
FF11 Women's Center--Correspondence--Inter-Office--3 items--February 1991
FF12 Women's Center--Correspondence--E-Mail--2 items--October 30, 1990

Series III
Center Programs, 1990-92, n.d.

FF13 Women's Center--Center Programs--Announcements--Pot Luck Dinner, What is the Women's Center?, CMU Lesbian/Bisexual Discussion Group--7 items--1991-92, n.d.
FF14 Women's Center--Center Programs--Announcements--Stop Rape--Date Rape--8 items--1991, n.d.
FF15 Women's Center--Center Programs--Monthly Calendar--February, March, April--3 items--n.d.
FF16 Women's Center--Center Programs--Announcements--Coffeehouse--5 items--n.d.
FF17 Women's Center--Center Programs--Announcements--International Women's Day--5 items--n.d.
FF18 Women's Center--Center Programs--Announcements--Slumber party, Photo--4 items--n.d.
FF19 Women's Center--Center Programs--Announcements--Center Birthday, Dance--3 items--n.d.
FF20 Women's Center--Center Programs--Announcements--Women's Collective Meetings--13 items--n.d.
FF21 Women's Center--Center Programs--Announcements--Movie Night--9 items--n.d.
FF22 Women's Center--Center Program--Announcements--Sex Week--3 items--n.d.
FF23 Women's Center--Center Program--Posters, Co- Sponsored Events--4 items--1990, n.d.

Series IV
Employment Opportunities, October 1990, n.d.

FF24 Women's Center--Employment Opportunities--Volunteer Options, Working Mothers, Women's Yellow Pages--4 items--October 1990, n.d.

Series V
Women's Issues, 1988-91, 1994, n.d.

FF25 Women's Center--Women's Issues--Magazine Clippings, Advertisements--14 items--1988, 1990-91, 1994, n.d.
FF26 Women's Center--Women's Issues--News Clippings--Abortion--31 items--1989-91

Series VII
Library, 1992-93, n.d.

FF27 Women's Center--Library--New Book List--1 item--1992
FF28 Women's Center--Library--Table of Contents--2 items--1992-93
FF29 Women's Center--Library--Table of Contents--1 item--March 17, 1993
FF30 Women's Center--Library--Updating the Library--1 item--March 17, 1993
FF31 Women's Center--Library--Subject List--1 item--n.d.
FF32 Women's Center--Library--Donor List--1 item--n.d.
FF33 Women's Center--Library--Lost Book List--4 items--n.d.

Series VIII
Independent Organizations, 1989-91, 1994, n.d.

FF34 Women's Center--Independent Organizations-Program Announcements--Young Women's Speak Out, National Organization for Women, Bisexual/Gay and Lesbian Alliance Society, Center for Violent Crimes, Pittsburgh Pro Choice Escorts, Men Against Rape & Pornography, Student Affairs, National Young Feminist, GRRRL Power, Women's Work in Progress--13 items--1990-91, 1994
FF35 Women's Center--Independent Organizations--Program Announcements--Women's Work in Progress--1 item--n.d.
FF36 Women's Center--Independent Organizations--Publications--Campus Police Street Safety, GRRLS Skankan, We Remember African American Women are for Reproductive Freedom, ACLU Abortion Control Act of 1989, Catholics for a Free Choice, Planned Parenthood, Choice Legal Abortion: Pro& Con--10 items--n.d.
FF37 Women's Center--Independent Organizations--Research Report--Vogue--24 items--1989
FF38 Women's Center--Independent Organizations--Research Reports--Cosmopolitan--6 items--1989

Series IX
Independent Persons, n.d.

FF39 Women's Center--Independent Persons--Publications--George Grant The Legacy of Planned Parenthood, Kathleen E. Downey/The Serenity Prayer--2 items--n.d.