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At a special Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony on April 23, Georgia Tech President Wayne Clough, Vice President Lee Wilcox, and graduate student Vicky Pickens will officially open the Women's Resource Center as a part of Women's Awareness Week. An Open House will be held later that day from 3-5 p.m. for students, faculty, and staff.
Current Georgia Tech students, along with supporters in Student Services, created the Resource Center to enhance the academic performance and personal development of Georgia Tech students by striving to create a more inclusive and supportive campus environment for women. One of the primary goals of the Center is to promote understanding among Georgia Tech's diverse community of women and men.
"We wanted to create a space for Georgia Tech women to enable them to build a strong community among themselves," said Pickens, who was instrumental in the creation of the Center. "We think that it is important to have a neutral, welcoming place not tied to any particular agenda or ideology."
In recent years, it has become a goal of Georgia Tech to recruit, retain, and graduate more women. The newly created Women's Resource Center will contribute to this effort. The Center will assist with annual events such as the Women's Leadership Conference and Women's Awareness Week. It will also be involved with ongoing efforts which include the Sexual Assault Task Force.
Providing access to information on women's issues such as health, safety, career opportunities, education, history, and leadership is a key goal of the Resource Center. Thus, the Center will house an extensive library of books, magazines, and audio and videotapes on various topics of interest to women.
"It has been an amazing experience to work with the large number of students and administrators involved with the Women's Resource Center," said Racheal Jackson, the Center's coordinator. "This includes the students involved in creating the Center, those involved with the Women's Leadership Conference, those currently planning Women's Awareness Week, the Center's staff of student assistants and volunteers. You could not find a more enthusiastic and determined group."
Last year, more female engineers graduated from Tech than from any other college in the nation. These women are making their mark at Georgia Tech.
The number of female students attending Georgia Tech has increased steadily since the first five women were admitted in 1952. Women students now make up nearly 30 percent of the student body.
For any information regarding the Center's activities, contact Racheal Jackson at (404) 385-0230. She can be reached by E-mail at womens.center@gatech.edu. The Center can be visited at Student Services Room 217.