Public Invited To Celebrate Ucsc Women’s Center’s 15th Anniversary

SANTA CRUZ, CA–The public is invited to attend a community brunch to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the UC Santa Cruz Women’s Center on Sunday, October 15, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The festivities will take place at the Women’s Center in the Cardiff House on the UCSC campus.

The program includes music by Seven Sisters, a local percussion and singing group, and a performance by the Raqs Baraka Belly Dance Troupe. Speakers will include current Women’s Center Director Roberta Valdez.

"The UCSC Women’s Center has a rich and vibrant history of political activism, intellectual stimulation and academic and social support of students," said Valdez. "It is a refuge and a resource for women, and I am honored to carry the legacy forward."

The anniversary event is free, and people are asked to RSVP in advance by calling the UCSC Women’s Center at (831) 459-2072.

Other speakers include literature and women’s studies professor Helene Moglen and Marge Frantz, both founding members of the Women’s Center’s Board of Directors. Frantz, a lecturer emeritain American studies and women’s studies at UCSC, will introduce special guest and former Women’s Center Director Beatriz Lopez-Flores. Also participating will be John Holloway, executive director of student development and the community services unit of UCSC Student Affairs.

The UCSC Women’s Center was established in 1985 by undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff, and community organizers who worked together to conceive and articulate programs that serve all members of its constituency. As described in its mission statement, the Women’s Center, through its collaborative events and programs, works to redefine and, where possible, eliminate boundaries between the university and the city of Santa Cruz. It strives to combine academic, intellectual, social, and political matters in a way that advances and enriches the larger educational enterprise.
The Women’s Center is one of six student resource centers at UCSC that provide nonacademic support for students.