Sometimes being a UCLA student can be complicated and
occasionally feel overwhelming ““ especially for students who
are new to the university experience or to our campus. Trying to
balance classes with work and family responsibilities, and at the
same time develop new relationships with roommates, friends, dates
or partners can create concerns and raise questions. For over 30
years, The Center for Women & Men has worked to create a
trusted place for all students to discuss their experiences and
concerns, especially those linked to gender. All center services
are confidential and free of charge.
We are very excited to be moving to the new student activities
center. This new location is convenient for students and a great
location for our drop-in services such as one-on-one counseling.
Students visit us with concerns about everything from self-esteem
and relationship problems or feeling overwhelmed about academic
success, to problems with body image, the enhancement of personal
safety and the the process of recovery from sexual violence or
sexual harassment.
The Center for Women & Men, which is part of the Division of
Student Development & Health, provides a unique student service
that offers a broad range of programs, workshops and support
services to help students get the most out of their university
experience and to overcome any gender-based obstacles which might
prevent them from succeeding here at UCLA.
Students are often surprised when they see our office. We like
it when we hear that our office looks more like a living room in
someone’s house than a university department. That is exactly
what we set out to do. UCLA is a big place. The center tries to
create an informal and confidential place to bring things down to a
more personal scale. It’s our job to know the campus and
community services well, so that students who come in with
problems, questions or interests can get assistance or be referred
to the right place the first time. We are a good place to start
when you don’t know where to begin.
Sometimes students have questions about things such as how to
meet and connect with others on such a big campus; how to
communicate about relationships, and whether or not they are ready
for intimate sexual activity; and when and how to tell someone if
you have a sexually transmitted disease such as herpes or human
papillomavirus.
Whether living in the residence halls or in an apartment,
questions can arise about setting boundaries, finding privacy,
study space, time alone and effective communication with roommates.
Students can just ask for the roommate doctor on Mondays from 2 to
4 p.m., or drop by when it is convenient.
Students who participated in Campus Orientation will remember
attending one of the center’s sexual violence prevention
programs. We work closely with university police in providing
programming to the campus community throughout the year about how
to maximize personal safety. College students are in one of the
most vulnerable age groups for sexual assault ““ particularly
date or acquaintance rape. Our goal is to prevent rapes from
occurring and to broaden the knowledge of our students, staff and
faculty so that they can be allies in passing on important
information about preventing sexual violence.
The center also provides specialized confidential support
services for students, staff or faculty who have been sexually
assaulted ““ including help finding on-going counseling,
medical and legal assistance, help with housing, and making special
academic arrangements. Just come in and ask for a Rape Services
Consultant or RSC.
We also work with a host of other student services to offer
workshops in areas such as assertion training and communication
skills, car repair, free self-defense workshops for students, staff
and faculty, tips on building healthy relationships, stress
reduction, time-management and how to participate actively in the
classroom.
We also offer confidential discussion groups for single parents,
re-entry students, first-generation students and others. If you
don’t see a discussion group that meets your needs, come into
the center and help us start a workshop or group. That is how many
of our services began.
In addition, the center provides specialized counseling,
workshops and support services to re-entry and non-traditional
students (undergraduates over 25 and graduate students over
29).
Coming back to school can create special issues for returning
students. It’s easy to feel isolated from others if you are
10 or more years older than the students around you.
The Center, in collaboration with a number of campus units,
provides a unique opportunity for undergraduate students to earn
academic credit and learn about healthy eating, fitness and how to
develop a healthy body image. The Student Nutrition (and body
image) Action Committee, co-sponsored by the Ashe Center and Dining
Services, offers information and classes about creating and
maintaining a healthy body image. For more information on SNAC
classes and other center services, visit The Center for Women &
Men Web site at www.thecenter.ucla.edu.
Whether you are new to the campus or close to graduation, we
hope you will stop by the center in our new and convenient location
in room B44 of the new Student Activities Center across from
Ackerman Student Union, visit our Web site, or call us at
310-825-3945.
Oakland is the director of The Center for Women &
Men.