Supporters critical of Women's Center controversy

The flood of publicity about the proposed relocation of the Penn's Women's Center to the Theta Xi fraternity house on Locust Walk has aroused an array of feelings from student leaders and staff members affiliated with the Center. Some voiced concern over a phone survey conducted earlier this month by four student groups which questioned 380 students about their feelings concerning the Women's Center's proposed move, and called the poll "biased." Women's Center Director Elena DiLapi said she thinks Red and Blue Editor-in-Chief Christopher Robbins, a College sophomore, has "some real anti-woman concerns," adding that the poll -- which was co-sponsored by the Red and Blue -- "promoted his bias." Penn Women's Alliance Leadership Team Member Debra Pickett agreed, saying one of the poll's questions -- "Would you prefer having the Theta Xi fraternity become a coffee house or cafe or a Women's Center?" -- contained "glaring factual errors." Not all of the space in the fraternity house has been designated for the sole use of the Center, Pickett said. This has been confirmed by plans for the Theta Xi house which were made public last month by acting Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum. "Anyone who takes the time to read the poll will see it's not exactly [as if] Time Magazine or The New York Times or CNN [conducted] the poll," Pickett said. College junior Peter Spiers, president of the Penn Political Union -- another group which co-sponsored the poll -- said he too did not like the fact that the poll made students choose between the Women's Center and a cafe. He said his organization originally decided to sponsor the poll because "it's always a beneficial thing to allow students to voice their opinions on issues." Spiers said he was not aware about the allocation of space to the Women's Center in the Theta Xi house because The Daily Pennsylvanian did not make it "obvious." Pickett disagreed. "I read the DP. It was clear to me," she said. Spiers said, however, that he sometimes does not read the article, "just the headline." Also responding to the recent publicity about the Women's Center's move, some students and faculty reacted strongly to statements made by Robbins, who voiced his opposition to the move at the Spruce Street House-sponsored debate about the relocation last week. College sophomore Mary-Jane Lee, president of the University's NOW chapter, said she does not think Robbins has "a lot of well-founded knowledge" about the Center. She said Pickett, who spoke on behalf of the Center at the debate, was "coming from the standpoint where [she knows] something about the Women's Center." Robbins, however, "based his speech on his personal opinions," Lee added. "I thought it was great that so many audience members [at the debate] stood up against [Robbins]," she said. DiLapi said she disagrees with a statement made by Robbins at the debate that the Center "only represents a few radical women on campus." "I know of no one who has ever been turned away from the Women's Center," she said. People from different racial and religious groups visit the Center for a variety of reasons everyday, DiLapi added. "We are always booked to capacity," she said. DiLapi also questioned the objectivity of the DP in its coverage of Center issues in general. She said reporters have "focused on the negative response to the proposed move," even though most responses to the Women's Center have been positive. The DP "created the controversy" about the Women's Center's move, DiLapi said. She added that because of "biased coverage by The Daily Pennsylvanian," many people do not know about the variety of educational programs sponsored by the Center. "A lot of work we do doesn't get printed," DiLapi said.