by Sonia Mohammed
Out-of-touch UT feminists now have a student- and state-funded
center from which to propagate their clearly leftist, anti-family
agendas. The Women's Resource Center (WRC) debuted this spring,
much to the delight of its organizers, the Women's Resource
Center Coalition (WRCC).
The WRC's formation was initiated by Feminist Action, which registered in 1996 as a "political" group whose mission was "establishing a women's center."
Last semester, the Student Government allocated $495 in student fees to the WRC, and recently unanimously approved of it becoming an official student agency. This development will enable the WRC to be included in the SG's annual budget, forcing more student dollars to be funneled into this obviously political endeavor. Using state funds, the Women's Studies Department donated half of the WRC's rent this semester.
Funding any type of political agenda with state and student funds, regardless of whether it's to the left or to the right of the political spectrum, constitutes the misuse and misappropriation of such funds and is of questionable legality.
Women's Resource Center is a euphemism for an abortion referral service. It's reprehensible to use student and taxpayer funds to advocate political agendas that are contrary to the convictions of many students. In an article on the WRC written in the campus feminist journal 23,007 (titled after the number of women enrolled at UT at the time of its founding, it's asserted that the WRC will focus on "offering links to community-based services such as Planned Parenthood." Planned Parenthood is the largest exterminator of unborn children in the world.
The same activists emphasize the need for the WRC because of their findings that "show that 73 percent of those who have been legally raped failed to label the experience as rape, exemplifying the stark lack of education of the population at large concerning rape." However, what the article fails to acknowledge is that the radical feminists are as misguided as the rapists are evil. For many of these women, date rape becomes such only when their dates don't call the next day. We don't need the WRC's alarmist attitude brainwashing women into thinking that their casual sexual escapades aren't a result of choice.
The women spearheading this effort claim that absolutely no political agenda is being advocated through the WRC. Surely they jest. It was only last October that the WRCC was listed as a co-sponsor for the "National Day of Action" to support racial preferences. It was at a meeting of the WRCC that a member of the group proudly announced that her parents had agreed to donate an item for the Center; "a computer for the lesbians at UT." At the same meeting, the women discussed hosting a movie watching party to attract members to the WRCC. They asked for movie suggestions, or anything that would "offend straight white racist males." Surely, some type of political agenda is being advocated by the WRC considering Michelle Michaelson, a Center volunteer and one of its primary organizers, is registered as an officer for not only the WRCC, but also the pro-abortion group Voices for Choice and the race-hustling group Students for Access and Opportunity (SAO). SAO is the fringe group that is calling for the appeal of the Hopwood decision, which effectively dismantled affirmative action policies in admissions and scholarships at all Texas public universities.
Could it be possible for the Center to be politically neutral when its organizers frequent meetings of the International Socialists, rally for choice during the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade and serve as officers in avowedly leftist organizations?
Essentially, the WRC is superfluous. Proponents claim that the Center is needed to provide "information." Thousands of books relating to women's issues have already been paid for and reside in UT libraries. Even a "Women's Health Department" exists within the UT Student Health Center. Why do we need to waste time and money on a WRC when we already pay full-time professionals to serve the needs of women?
Clearly, an ulterior motive exists behind the WRC's creation; it's an attempt to indoctrinate women with fringe feminist ideologies.
The Young Conservatives of Texas will not tolerate the deliberate and duplicitous misuse and misappropriation of student funds. The YCT hereby demands that the WRC return all student and state funds seized for its operation and reconstruct as a private entity without using student and state resources.
Mohammed is the chairman of the Young Conservatives of Texas, the editor-in-chief of Contumacy, and a government/philosophy junior.