Though it lost a bulk of its operating budget for the year, the Women’s Center staff remains optimistic as it faces the year’s economic challenges.”We lost half of our operating budget this fiscal year which resulted in the loss of our fax and keeps us penny-pinching,” Women’s Center Director Dr. Gretta Stanger said. “With only a part-time director and a secretary that functions as an assistant director we suspect, but don’t know, that our budget is one of the lowest of any unit on campus. So, we are used to being resourceful.”The smaller operating budget has put a strain on the replenishment of office supplies and some of the center’s most popular and widely distributed informational brochures.”Office supplies like printer cartridges are expensive,” Stanger said. “We have always been respectful of our financial and environmental resources by doing things like using both sides of paper and shaking toner cartridges to get more out of them.”
The budget situation has left some uncertainty for coming semesters, but the Women’s Center is currently thriving.”We were afraid that we would have to remove the director’s phone line
which would have crippled operations but that hasn’t happened and we feel we are able to continue to function within our mission,” Stanger said.Maintaining a positive outlook is a key factor in the success of the Women’s Center.”We don’t feel targeted,” Stanger said. “We feel supported and understand the need for accepting financial cuts along with the rest of our community.”The staff also looks forward to working with other campus offices to combine resources and increase productivity and outreach.
Attune, the newsletter put together each semester by staff and student workers, is the Women’s Center’s largest campus presence and has been factored into the budget and will remain.Like Stanger, Women’s Center Secretary Diana Lalani said she views the current situation in a positive manner.
“This is my second year on this campus, and I am constantly looking for ways to collaborate with other departments in programming,” said Lalani. “Perhaps these economic hardships will have a bonding influence for all of us as we work for the betterment of our community.
