October 16, 2000 Women's Center celebrates its 15th anniversary By Jennifer McNulty A community brunch marked the 15th anniversary of the UC Santa Cruz Women's Center on Sunday, October 15. The festivities took place at the Women's Center in the historic Cardiff House on campus. The program included music by Seven Sisters, a local percussion and singing group, and a performance by the Raqs Baraka Belly Dance Troupe. Speakers included 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." Other speakers included 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 emerita in American studies and women's studies at UCSC, introduced special guest and former Women's Center Director Beatriz Lopez-Flores. Also participating was 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. Return to Front Page