Libraries
Identity elements
Reference code
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1974–2013 (Creation)
Extent
4.50 Linear Feet, 4.00 Boxes
Post-Fire Oversize Extent:
Box 1 (23x31); 509S: 19/2/5
Name of creator
Administrative history
The Women's Resource Center was founded in 1973, in response to the need for women's programming at Kansas State University. In the early years, the Center was located in Fairchild Hall and staffed by volunteers who made weekly commitments to be in the Center to take calls, answer questions, and to keep it operational.
In 1975, the Center moved to Holtz Hall and became involved with raising campus awareness of the changing roles of men and women and the implications of these changes. Further, the Center taught rape prevention classes. The next year the Center moved to the Student Governing Services Offices in the K-State Student Union, which included a much-needed space for privacy. The Center continued expanding services and resources as women on campus sought assistance. It moved from a resource center to an advocacy and education office as it addressed issues such as sexual harassment, job discrimination, and sexual assault.
By 1983, the Center had moved to Holton Hall and had created more programs, classes, workshops, and one-on-one consultations on sexual violence, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, sexual harassment, and self defense. These offerings were available to students, faculty, staff, and community members. Groups and campaigns associated with the Center included WAR (Wildcats Against Rape), PEERS (Proactive Educators for the Elimination of Sexual Violence), CNV (Campaigns for Nonviolence), SafeZone, and It's On Us, K-State.
In 2014, the Women's Center changed its named to CARE (Center for Advocacy, Response, and Education).
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
The Women's Center records document the development and history of the Women's Center, known originally as the Women's Resource Center and today as CARE (Center for Advocacy, Response, and Education). The materials are divided into administrative records, Campaigns for Nonviolence (CNV), Proactive Educators for the Elimination of Sexual violence (PEERS), Wildcats Against Rape (WAR), photographs, artifacts, and posters.
The administrative records includes the history of the Women's Center, class resources, conferences (including one conference titled "Coming Out Day Conference" for the LGBT community), correspondence, handouts, office policies and procedures, newsletters, presentations, reports, workshops for women, the young women's project, four booklets empowering women to become leaders, and one CD with a note that reads "Future Music Possibilities." Class resources are Modules 1–6 in printed form and Modules 1–7 on a Zip disk, which were used in the "Students in Oral Communication I & IA: Speaking of Issues Relating to Women...and Men" class. The young women's project includes information on body image, eating disorders, dating, clothes, grades, and peer pressure. A special project of the Women's Center was the Empty Bowls Project to raise funds and awareness in the fight to end hunger.
CNV materials include documentation of rallies and campaigns, history, speakers' information, campaigns and seminars, publicity, brochures, newspaper articles, one Beta video recording (Campaign for Nonviolence, July 2004), eleven CDs of photographs and information pertaining to the seasons for nonviolence, one audiocassette (CNV Rally 2001 that aired on radio station 580AM), and records pertaining to a program called "SafeZone."
PEERS records describe educational offerings about sexual violence, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, and sexual harassment for women and men. Other materials include the book "Replacing Skeleton Key Thinking With Common Sense and Awareness" by Peggy Gene and Jennifer Schmidt, published by the The Stephanie Schmidt Foundation.
WAR records include documentation of activities such as pub crawls, run against rape, season for nonviolence city park dog walk, take back the day, and the date safe project. Other records include photographic prints, digital photographs, and advertising.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation Forensic Laboratory Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kit is the only artifact in this collection.
Forty posters document the Center's efforts to educate students and community members and encourage them to participate in reducing the problem of sexual violence on campus, in the community, and in the African Congo. Examples include "Can I Buy You a Drink?," "The Art of Rape," "Force is Never Friendly," "Take Back the Night," "Preventing Violence Against Women on Campus," "Contemplate Act, Walk the Paths of Peace, Moonlight Walk on the Konza Prairie," "Walk the Paths of Peace, A Season for Nonviolence, Wildcats Against Rape presents reading from Purple Cried," "Purple Cried, K-State Students' Stories of Assault," and "Campaign for Nonviolence, 64 Ways to Practice Nonviolence."
System of arrangement
The Women's Center Records (1974–2013) are housed in four boxes and arranged in seven series: 1) Women's Center Administrative Records (1974–2013); 2) Campaign for Nonviolence (CNV) (1990–2009, undated); 3) Proactive Educators for the Elimination of Sexual Violence (PEERS) (1980–2011, undated); 4) Wildcats Against Rape (WAR) (2005–2013, undated); 5) Photographs (undated); 6) Artifact (undated); 7) Posters (2009–2013, undated).
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
No access restrictions: All materials are open for research.
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
- Latin
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
It received accession number U2014.29 and the department housed the materials until the date of transfer.
Immediate source of acquisition
The Office of Student Life transferred these records on July 14, 2014.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
The selected materials provide documentation of Women's Center activities for more than 30 years. There are some office files, but a majority of records involve events and other efforts of Center staff. Topics and events represented include WAR (Wildcats Against Rape), history of the Center, PEERS (Proactive Educators for the Elimination of Sexual violence), master copies of handouts, office policies and procedures, Campaign for Nonviolence, and reports and publications.
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Specialized notes
- Citation: Preferred Citation: [Item title], [item date], Kansas State University Women's Center records, Box [number], Folder [number or title], Morse Department of Special Collections, Kansas State University Libraries.
Alternative identifier(s)
Archon Collection ID
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Sources used
Archivist's note
Finding Aid Author: Cynthia A. Harris
Processing Info: Cynthia A. Harris, Library Assistant III, manuscript processor, processed the collection in February 2016, and university archivist Cliff Hight reviewed it in March 2016.
Publication Date: 2016-03-01