Launched Oct. 2, the Women’s and Gender Resource Center at Otterbein is preparing to introduce a referral line.
This referral line is scheduled to go live within the next few weeks and will allow students to call in 24/7 for direction to further resources if they need advice. According to Alex
Shaffer — head intern at the center and a junior triple major in literary studies; creative writing; and women’s, gender and sexuality studies — this referral line is the first step for students to access further help.
Shaffer said that this referral line is not a “hot line,” defined as “a telephone service enabling people to talk confidentially with someone about a personal problem or crisis” by Dictionary.com.
Instead, the center and the referral line are a starting point to lead students to other places for help, according to Sarah Natoce, junior psychology and women’s, gender and sexuality studies double major; and a staff member at the center.
Natoce said that the staff is still negotiating what information from the referral line will be reported to the Otterbein Police Department. The center is required to report if a minor has been sexually assaulted or if an attacker is still at large. However, the victim may choose to remain anonymous for questioning and may decide to reveal his or her identity at a later date.
Concerning other issues that people bring to the center, Natoce said that the OPD wants everything reported and that Julie Saker is “fighting” for the privacy of those who come to the center for help.
Until then, the center is largely focused on getting its name out.
“We’re still making ourselves known on campus,” Shaffer said.
The staff has not yet held formal programming, but there has been traffic, including people looking for more information about the center, a tour for the resident assistants, and clubs and classes looking to meet in the conference room. As far as helping people who come for guidance, the staff still has to work on training and organizing before it feels ready to provide the full set of capabilities it offers.
Approximately five members of the center’s staff have taken a 32-hour training course through the Sexual Assault Response Network of Central Ohio, presented by Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, on how to handle potential call-in cases. Those who took the training will, in turn, train their fellow staff members to prepare for the referral line’s opening.
Many students still don’t know much about the center, located on the ground floor of 25 W. Home St.
One student said she believed that the center gave out free condoms, a statement that Shaffer said is not true.
“I’m not entirely sure what resources it gives to the general public,” sophomore theater major Rachael Bardnell said. “I thought it was for majors.”
Shaffer said that the center is not a “clubhouse” for women’s, gender and sexuality studies majors.
“The center is a public meeting space for organizations and initiatives that are centered on women’s and gender issues,” she said.
The center plans to include community programming in partnership with groups like Voices for Planned Parenthood, FreeZone and any other interested organizations; a resource library with books on women’s and gender issues; and an overall “safe space” for anyone who needs it.
Natoce said that she thinks the women’s, gender and sexuality studies “clubhouse” perception comes from the name of the center.
“It’s not intended for the
major, but if (the major) didn’t exist, we wouldn’t be here,” she said.
The name “Women’s and Gender” refers to the center’s support of women’s issues and issues of gender and sexuality, such as harassment and assault.
The center also includes a conference room that can be reserved via Google Calendar, which can be found by clicking “Women’s and Gender Resource Center” on My O-Zone’s A-Z Index.
Tammy Birk — director of the WGRC and the women’s, gender and sexuality studies program — could not be reached for comment by the time of publication.
