Women's Center moves to Walk

The Penn Women's Center will move from its current location in Houston Hall to the former Theta Xi fraternity house at 3643 Locust Walk this September, according to Facilities Management Vice President Art Gravina. Gravina explained that the move will not only give the Center a presence on Locust Walk and appropriate space to conduct business, but will also open space in Houston Hall. "It creates a vacancy in Houston Hall which allows us to move forward with Perelman Quad," he said. "One of our challenges is to ultimately come up with locations for the occupants of Houston Hall? so we can do renovation and restoration when the time comes." Women's Center Director Elena DiLapi said she is "very excited" that the Center is moving to a larger space. "I regularly have to leave my office for support groups to occur since my room is the only room large enough for people to fit into," she said. She added that the move "creates a presence of women at the center of campus." "As our services become more centrally located, they are more accessible to people on campus," she said. DiLapi also praised University President Judith Rodin's commitment to the Women's Center. "Rodin has been very positive and supportive in continuing the whole notion about the role of the Women's Center," she said. "It's been here 23 years and [is known] nationally and internally as a resource place for women and women's issues." Women's Center Advisory Board co-Chairperson Helen Davies said she is also thrilled that the relocation will finally happen. She added that she is happy the "Women's Center will be more available to the whole University community." "I was student in 1949 and women were not able to eat downstairs in the Hall of Flags. [They were] only allowed to eat in upper balcony and could not sit on College Green," she recalled. "There have been some wonderful changes and the moving is part of that same trajectory." Student Health Educator Kurt Conklin, advisor to Facilitating Learning About Sexual Health, was also enthusiastic about the move. "It is one of several ways we can increase women's visibility on the Walk," he said, explaining that this is "ultimately good for men, too, because over the last 20 years American society has been changing very rapidly? and Locust Walk needs to keep up with these changes." Student reaction to the move was also positive. "As a woman, I think it is a tremendous step," College junior Ashley Paine said. "In the past, Locust Walk has embodied the old boy mentality that Penn has traditionally held and the Women's Center will be a real source of empowerment and comfort for women. "It's about time we get women on the Walk," she added, noting that the Women's Center will "change the face of Locust Walk since the Women's Center is for everybody." Outgoing Generation XX Editor-in-Chief and College senior Colleen Mastony said she agreed. "The buildings on Locust Walk are ones that are dominated by men through the business school and the fraternity houses," she said. "Locust Walk is the center of our campus and it needs to be somewhat representative of the student body?. It is important that [space] goes to people on this campus that are not presently represented." Mastony added that moving the Women's Center to Locust Walk it will increase its visibility.