Women's Resource Center records

The Women’s Resource Center (WRC) was established in the living room of 24 College Street in the fall of 1980. It was originally started by students to provide a meeting place and center for women’s studies on campus. It also housed the office of the Bowdoin Women’s Association (BWA).

The WRC was originally entirely student-run. Concerned about the Center’s vulnerability without its own coordinator and budget, students lobbied for a staff position. In the fall of 1983, Marya Hunsinger, also the college’s first Women’s Studies instructor, was hired as the first part-time WRC coordinator. Hunsinger was succeeded by Janice Brackett by 1992. After Brackett left the position in 1999, Lucia Nixon was hired as an Interim Director so that the position could be more clearly defined before a national search was conducted. In 2000, the President raised the position to a Director level, and Karin Clough was hired as the WRC’s first director.

The WRC contained a library with over 2000 volumes of books and periodicals. The Center’s physical space was widely used for meetings by the BWA, Amnesty International, the Gay-Straight Alliance, the National Organization for Women, and Great Decisions (a community group). It also provided a place for students to study and relax, and offered alternative educational experiences, such as courses in self-defense and auto maintenance. Additionally, the WRC contributed to several campus publications, including To the Root and WomeNews. It sponsored campus speakers and other events for students and the community.

Starting in 2005, the WRC housed what would become the Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity (RCSGD). In July of 2017, the two centers were merged into what is now known as the Sexuality, Women, and Gender Center (SWAG).