University of Idaho Women's Center Records

Contents: About the Collection | About the Women's Center | Tech

About the Collection

This digital collection features the Women’s Center newsletters and photographs from University of Idaho Special Collections and Archives Box 11 of UG 71, the Women’s Center records, 1970-2013. Photographs depict the Women’s Center staff, U of I students and community, events, and the Women’s Center’s interior. The digitized materials span from 1912-2008.

About the Women’s Center

The Women’s Center on the University of Idaho’s campus served to promote gender equity in the community and provide opportunities to support, educate, and empower individuals.

The origin of the Women’s Center can be traced back to 1972, when University President Ernest Hartung appointed a small committee to address the high female student drop-out rate. This committee soon expanded their focus to address other campus issues involving faculty and staff.

Members of the committee filed formal complaints against the University when promised changes were not being met. In 1974, a conciliation agreement was signed by committee members and President Hartung. In this way, the committee brought much-needed change to the University including an Affirmative Action plan, equal starting salaries, recruitment programs for female students, and more.

Initially started as a volunteer organization, the Women’s Center transformed into a fully staffed entity on campus that worked to promote and advocate for gender equality for the U of I community.

The Women’s Center’s last location was on the ground floor of the Memorial Gym, room 109, where it provided amenities open to anyone, including lounge areas, kitchenettes, study rooms and a variety of audio and visual materials about the social justice work being done surrounding the fight for female equity.

On Dec. 18, 2024 it was announced that the University of Idaho officially closed six of its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion offices including the Women’s Center. This was a result of the December 2024 Idaho State Board of Education Board Resolution on DEI Ideology in Higher Education which stated that “institutions shall ensure that no student resource or student success center serves students based on DEI ideology.” The closings were completed by the start of the Spring 2025 semester.

Information about this collection has been adapted from the finding aid of UG 71 Women’s Center records, 1970-2013, written by Courtney E. Berge and Erin Geslani. More detailed information about the collection and its contents can be found in the collection’s finding aid.