An extra structure was temporarily added to the landscape of the Quad on Friday: a women’s center.

The space, which was actually a tent pitched in front of the English Building on top of a layer of snow, had its opening ceremony at noon. Alex Orozco, senior in LAS, cut a red ribbon in front of the tent’s door and transformed it into the mock women’s center.

“This makeshift tent that’s been blowing away all day kind of illustrates what happens with ideas that women have: They just get blown away and not taken seriously,” said Kaytlin Reedy, sophomore in LAS and member of Allies for a Women’s Center, a group working to address the need for adequate space on campus for women’s programming.

“But we’re letting people know we’re serious. We’re out here in 30-degree weather to support this cause,” she said.

Members of Allies for a Women’s Center set up the tent for about six hours on Friday, also International Women’s Day.

They intended the tent to protest the lack of a permanent space for women’s activities.

Reedy and others who spoke at the mock center’s opening ceremony said people should support building a women’s center because it would benefit everyone, not only women.

“Men can also benefit from having a women’s center on campus because things we deal with are affected by the people we know who are women,” said Alan Guevarra, senior in Communications and first-year campus acquaintance rape education facilitator.

Members of Allies for a Women’s Center promoted the universal benefits of a permanent space for women’s programming as they solicited signatures for their petitions throughout the day Friday.

James Lovejoy, sophomore in Engineering, had a few questions before he signed his name.

“What’s going to be in it?” he asked. “What is a women’s center, exactly?”

Reedy said many students who passed by the tent had questions similar to Lovejoy’s.

“I walked by earlier, but I wasn’t sure what a women’s center was,” Lovejoy said. “So I decided to come back later and ask what it is because I didn’t want to sign the petition without knowing what it is.

But once I found out what it means I thought it was a good idea.”

Reedy said the group has gathered at least 1,000 signatures for the petition. People who have pledged their support on an online petition have not yet been added to that total.

The group, which has been working since November to raise awareness about the need for a women’s center, has also made short speeches and brought petitions to classes to gain support for the cause.

Beginning the process

Still, the process of possibly building a women’s center is in the early stages, said Renee Romano, vice chancellor for student affairs.

“We’re just trying to figure out what needs there are on campus,” Romano said.

Reedy and other members of Allies for a Women’s Center hope to give their petition to administrators, such as the chancellor, to prove that students believe this campus needs such a facility.

Some people on campus oppose the idea of building a women’s center, but Reedy said the opposition has not been very vocal.

“Most of the opposition is from people who are skeptical about having a center for a specific gender,” Reedy said.

The Allies are also working to form a Registered Student Organization to keep spreading information and persuading people to join their cause.

“We’re still in the process of getting it in place with who we’re going to nominate for president and treasurer,” Reedy said.

However, even if students convince the administration that a women’s center would improve the campus community, getting a building constructed will not be a guarantee, Romano said.

“Funding is a difficult thing right now, with the budget cuts and financial difficulties,” Romano said. “That would be one hurdle that would have to be overcome.”

For now, the Allies are focused on building student leadership and support for their cause.

“We’re in a great position to advocate for women and help with these issues,” said Pat Morey, director of the Office of Women’s Programs.

Others who spoke at the opening ceremony of the mock women’s center are also optimistic about the chances of building a welcoming space for women and people of all genders.

“We need to demand it. Demand that a new women’s center be established,” Orozco said. “Not this tent, but a building to address inequalities on this campus.”

Planning for accessibility

The time is perfect to be pushing for a women’s center because improvements to the cultural centers, the Office of LGBT Resources and the Office of Women’s Programs are included on the University’s strategic plan this year, Morey said. “All is not equal on this campus and there are many factors that effect women that don’t allow them to participate in all the programs the University has to offer,” she said.

It is difficult to plan programs to help women with issues such as sexual abuse and gender equity within scientific majors because the current location of the Office of Women’s Programs is not very accessible, Morey said.

The office is located in room 300 of the Turner Student Services Building, 610 E. John St. in Champaign.

Morey said the building’s hours of operation, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, make it difficult for student groups to host programs there.

A freestanding women’s center would have extended evening and weekend hours to improve the accessibility of programs and services, she added.

Guevarra also said having a stable physical environment would benefit women and men who need counseling, help with personal problems or people who just need to feel included.

“We might not be inclusive yet, but we can do this together,” Orozco said.