Women's Resource Center Herstory

The Women's Resource Center (WRC) at San Diego State was established in 1974 by a coalition of women's organizations on campus. Intended to serve as a link between the campus and the larger San Diego community, the Center offered a variety of programs and services for women students, including lectures, films, and workshops on topics such as career building, nutrition, entrepreneurship, and family issues. It also served as a resource and referral center, connecting women students with health clinics, support organizations, help centers, bookstores, legal services, and cultural programs.

Informal peer counseling and referral counseling was available for students in need on a regularly scheduled basis. The Center maintained a small library of materials written by and for women, as well as consulting files of pamphlets, brochures, and flyers from a variety of organizations for women. Funded by the Associated Students, the Center had a small paid staff in addition to interns and volunteers.  In addition to a film festival for women, the Center ran an annual Women's Health Fair and Take Back the Night events, and coordinated a standing Rape Task Force on campus.

After a period of dormancy, the Women's Resource Center was reinvigorated and is now known as the Andrea O'Donnell Women's Resource Center in honor of a Women's Studies major and Resource Center student leader who was murdered by her boyfriend in 1995.

Today, we are thrilled to be able to honor the legacy of the WRC, and the students who worked hard to create a campus where women could thrive.