This article from the fall 1981 edition of the Bowdoin Alumnus Magazine informs readers of the establishment of the Women’s Resource Center and discusses the effort that had been put into preparing the center for its grand opening in the 1980-81 academic year (Document CS, 64). A few women had stayed at Bowdoin over the summer to catalogue books, plan events, and turn the house into a women-centered space. The Bowdoin Women’s Association now had an entire home to call their own, rather than the one room they had previously occupied in the Coles Tower Senior Center.

This piece highlights the Women’s Resource Center’s attempts to provide students with educational opportunities not yet available at the college. The 300-volume library of books by or about women is described as a major advance in providing more women focused resources. Alternative academic offerings in: self-defense, pottery, auto mechanics, batiking, weaving, and career planning are also highlighted as ways in which the Women’s Resource Center was supporting and educating women.

The accompanying picture displays cheerful women sitting on the front stairs of the Women’s Resource Center. The caption informs readers that these are some of the founding members of the Women’s Resource Center Collective. These women, along with others, provided the fire behind the opening of the Women’s Resource Center, its informational and passionate publications, and its inspiring events. The smiles on these women’s faces look genuine. One imagines they took pride in securing for Bowdoin women a vibrant, supportive space on campus to call their own.