By Tia Teamer
Patricia Boyett, the new director of the Women’s Resource Center at Loyola University, is bringing a variety of new programs and opportunities to the center.
Boyett plans to create a Feminist Festival, a mentoring program and a reading club. She will collaborate with other campus groups like the Black Student Union to promote feminism and gender empowerment.
Boyett began working at Loyola in 2012. Before her role as the director of the WRC, Boyett was a visiting assistant professor of history. She has taught courses in Global History and Oppression and Resistance. Boyett plans to continue teaching one class a semester in her new position. Her class will use case studies and writing seminars to discuss gender equity.
Melissa Alba, political science sophomore, is a former student in Boyett’s Global History I class.
“I remember her stating that people would criticize her or say that she wasn’t a feminist because she enjoyed wearing heels, but in reality you define what feminism means to you and you do not have to fit into the stereotype in order to recognize that you deserve equal rights,” Alba said.
With a background in higher education, Boyett also plans to revitalize the reading club. Professors from the women’s studies program will meet with students once a month to discuss a reading and examine feminist issues.
Other programs, like the Feminist Festival, will include academic discussions and creative presentations about feminist issues. In an effort to increase the university’s student retention, Boyett’s mentoring program will allow Loyola women to mentor female freshmen.
Outside of the Women’s Resource Center and women’s studies, Boyett plans to collaborate with many organizations around campus, like the Black Student Union, Mission and Ministry, and Career Services.
The office of Mission and Ministry will hold prayer vigils for women suffering and for communities faced with violence.
The WRC will collaborate with Career Services to hold a women’s career day and mock interviews to foster successful women in Loyola’s community.
Boyett values these organizations and will continue to work with them to improve the WRC.
“I aim to have a deeply collaborative relationship with students, faculty and staff in which the Women’s Resource Center serves as both a resource and partner in advancing women,” Boyett said.