Women's Center Services

Drop in Center and Lounge
The Center is open - with coffee pot going - all day. Students are welcome to talk, study, use the library, plan programs and activist events, or just relax and hang out.

Counseling and Crisis Intervention
The Center provides supportive counseling and works closely with students to assess their needs, to identify helpful on - and off - campus resources, to develop a coordinated, caring response and to really "be there" for students.

Workshops, Lectures and Discussions
Throughout the year, the Center plans events designed to raise awareness of key issues, to promote discussion and to celebrate achievements. Many programs are co-sponsored and planned with diverse group of campus organizations.

Support Groups
Support groups provide an opportunity for sharing experiences, for personal growth, increased awareness and activism. Groups can be formed at any time and have included SWAP (Students Who Are Parents); support group for survivors of sexual assault; eldercare support; and a weekly women's discussion group.

Reference and Lending Library
The Center has a growing lending library of books, magazines, audio and video tapes. Brochures and pamphlets are available free of charge.

Emergency Loan Fund
Through a generous grant from an anonymous donor, the Women's Center provides a limited number of short-term loans ($25-$150) for students in need. Payback arrangements are individually designed. Re-paid loans enable us to "recycle" funds to other students.

Referrals and Contacts
The Center has developed close ties with many local organizations and provides referrals/information about services, political action, internships and volunteer opportunities.

Planned Parenthood Vouchers
Through a Student Government sponsored program, the Center distributes to women students vouchers that are worth $25 toward one gynecological check-up per year at Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan New Jersey's Women's Health Centers in Paterson, Pompton Lakes, Newark, Montclair and East Orange.
Highlights of the Women's Center Program


  • Development of a range of sexual violence programs, including the establishment of Sexual Assault Awareness Day and other educational programs; counseling by the Passaic County Women's Center, participation in the Clothesline Project, taking a leadership role in the establishment of the statewide campus sexual violence consortium; and participation in the development of the Campus Sexual Assault Victim's Bill of Rights.
  • Collaboration to form Phosphorus, the multicultural network, which offers an ongoing series of provocative arts programs that raise awareness of diversity issues. Programs have included annual erotic literature readings, performances by an African-American griot, Latino musicians, avant-garde dance troupes and the Guerrilla Girls, the conscience of the art world.
  • Development of a range of programs on local and international issues, including Women's Rights as Human Rights, a panel on Women in Political Campaigns and updates on the UN World Conferences on Women.
  • Collaboration to sponsor annual updates on lesbian and gay rights by the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, National Coming Out Day activities and visits by major speakers including Suzanne Pharr.
  • Active involvement in AIDS Awareness activities, including the very successful World AIDS Day Programs.
  • Coordination of a full range of Women's History Month activities, including major lectures, workshops, films, theatre, the annual Women's Writing Contest and the new tradition, "Celebration of William Paterson Women."
  • Coordination of "Take Our Daughters to Work," which calls attention to the importance of girls' development, in collaboration with the President's Office, Human Resources and the College's unions. Coordination of a range of women's health initiatives, including an annual breast cancer walk and co-sponsorship of the Women's Health Information Network (WHIN) lecture series.

Room of One's Own
The Women's Center at William Paterson University is truly what Virginia Woolf spoke of as a room of one's own," - a place for women - and men - to be creative, to share life experiences and to empower themselves and others to grow. It has become home to an extremely diverse group of women and men who vary in age, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation.
The Center provides a comfortable, safe, supportive and, open, joyous space for students to relax, connect and exchange ideas about gender and women's issues. We encourage open communication, a sharing of concerns and experiences, and an appreciation for both our similarities and differences In our effort to develop a diverse community, the Women's Center has become a site for coalitionbuilding as well as for support. The mutual respect, trust and empowerment so central to our work have led to personal and political growth and to a questioning of all forms of unhealthy relationships.
"For a long time I hesitated to write a book about women," admitted Simone de Beauvoir. But she did write her book. And at the Women's Center we, together, are writing ours. We look forward to continuing to build a Women's Center that is an effective force for change on campus and in the broader community. We look forward to continuing to create, together, a room of our own.

Women's Center
Established in 1993, the Women's Center provides a comprehensive, focused approach to women's issues. As a department of William Paterson's Division of Student Development, the staff works closely with on - and off - campus services and programs in order to meet student needs, to develop a range of workshops and programs, to raise awareness of key issues and to advocate change on- and off-campus. In addition, close ties with outside organizations lead to statewide advocacy program development and lobbying activities.

Where To Find Us:
The Center is located in a three-room suite in the Student Center, Room 214. Our hours are 8:30 a.m. until at least 4:30 p.m. weekdays. We are also open one night a week and by appointment, in addition to sponsoring many evening programs. We can be reached at 973.720.2946. An answering machine takes messages when we are unavailable. Calls are kept confidential.

Women's Center at William Paterson University
Student Center, Room 214
973.720.2946

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