Students looking for a quiet place to study, or just a place to get away may not realize the on-campus Women’s Center provides just that.
Many University students are not aware of the existing facilities offered by The Helen Carter Women’s Center, which is open to all students, and how it is evolving to provide more services for them.
Amber Vlasnik, manager of the Women’s Center, said since the end of the fall semester’s finals week, the Center has been repainting, refurnishing and remoldeling rooms in the building to make them more accessible and comfortable for student and community use.
Vlasnik said one service students may not be aware of is the Center’s library.
“The majority of books in our library pertain to gender, but not all of them,” she said. “We are on the same system as Middleton Library. Students may do a search in Middleton and some of the titles may come up as being located in our library.”
Jude Greer, a nutrition junior, said it is also important for students to understand the Center is not only for women.
“Because of its name, I can understand why there can be a misconception that the Women’s Center is solely for women,” Vlasnik said. “But men and women alike used the Center’s resources, and men even hold positions on our staff and advisory board.”
Vlasnik said throughout the year the Center experiences a moderate flow of traffic that includes both men and women.
“The Women’s Center is a quiet, home-like environment to relax and study,” Greer said.
Vlasnik said the Women’s Center also has a playroom for students with children.
When parents come to the Center to study or meet with other students, their children can play with the toys or other children in the room.
“We are not offering a baby-sitting service,” Vlasnik said. “The parents still have to be in the Women’s Center, and, depending on the child’s age, they may even have to be in the room with them.”
Vlasnik said the Women’s Center saw a need for parents to have somewhere to study on-campus that allowed their children to be entertained.
“It is difficult to identify students who are parents,” she said. “We hope this room helps form a network among LSU students who are also parents.”
The playroom contains artwork, toys and books that are eye-level for toddlers.
While the recently-rennovated facilities are a major attraction for the Center, Vlasnik said one of its main goals is to act as a referral service.
“We are here to cover an array of issues and try to find answers to questions students might have,” Vlasnik said.
In an attempt to reach more people, Vlasnik also said the Center is in the process of moving their resource directory on-line.
“We plan to cover a variety of topics ranging from health to legal services, and to add other necessary topics as time goes on,” she said.
The Women’s Center is located on Raphael Semmes Road near the African-American Cultural Center.