University of Idaho Women's Center Records

Contents: About the Collection | About the Women's Center | Tech

About the Collection

This digital collection features the Women’s Center newsletters and photographs from University of Idaho Special Collections and Archives Box 11 of UG 71, the Women’s Center records, 1970-2013. Photographs depict the Women’s Center staff, U of I students and community, events, and the Women’s Center’s interior. The digitized materials span from 1912-2008.

About the Women’s Center

The Women’s Center on the University of Idaho’s campus serves to promote gender equity in the community as well as provide opportunities to support, educate, and support individuals. In 1972, University President Ernest Hartung appointed a small committee to address the high female student drop-out rate which led to the creation of the Women’s Center. The committee soon expanded their focus to address other campus issues involving faculty and staff. After formal complaints were filed against the University and the following conciliatory agreement, the committee brought much-needed change to the University including an Affirmative Action plan, equal starting salaries, recruitment programs for female students, and more.

Initially started as a volunteer organization, the Women’s Center has transformed into a fully staffed entity on campus that continues to promote and advocate for gender equality for the U of I community.

Information about this collection has been adapted from the finding aid of UG 71 Women’s Center records, 1970-2013, written by Courtney E. Berge and Erin Geslani. More detailed information about the collection and its contents can be found in the collection’s finding aid.