The Verna B. Coleman Center for Women and Gender Equality, formerly known as the UTM Women’s Center, hosted its ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4 p.m. Monday, April 8, in its new location on the second floor of the Paul Meek Library.
The Center was full of supporters and members of the Coleman family eager for the official renaming and grand reopening.
In 2018, the UTM Women’s Center, which formerly was housed in Grove Apartments, was given the space in the library and Martha Coleman Edinger provided the funds to help support the Center’s remodeling. Edinger named the Center in honor and memory of her grandmother, Verna B. Coleman, for the sacrifices that she made for her family.
“My grandmother did not have the opportunities that I have in my life. But she took what she had and made the best of it. Although she has been deceased almost 50 years, I wanted to name this after her so that her legacy can live on forever,” Edinger said.
The Women’s Center was established on campus in 2011 by its founding director, Dr. Teresa Collard, an associate professor of Communications. Dr. Renee LaFleur, an associate professor of History, is the current Women’s Center director.
LaFleur said she was overwhelmed with emotions of gratitude and excitement about the new Center.
“Dr. Collard passed the torch to me and told me that the Women’s Center was her baby and she birthed it. But now I get to raise it and watch it grow,” LaFleur said.
She added that she wants the new space to be more than just the Women’s Center.
“This Center will be open to student groups for a meeting space. There will be a private room that can be used for women who need to pump (lactation) and a meeting room that Wo/Mens Resource and Rape Assistance Program (WRAP) representatives can use to meet with their clients. The possibilities for the things that we can do for this space are endless,” LaFleur said.
One student who attended the ceremony, but who asked not to be named, said she believes the Verna B. Coleman Center will be an asset to the campus.
“Recently, I noticed the signs in the women’s bathrooms in the library referencing the Women’s Center and I didn’t realize that we had those resources available to us. I’m excited for the new addition because it will help women and members of the LGBTQ+ feel like they now have a safe place or a safe haven if they need it. I’m excited to see how the impact of the Women’s Center will increase as time goes on,” the student said.
Edinger concluded her presentation during the ceremony by telling the audience, “I always said whenever I got out of school, I wanted to give back,” and the Verna B. Coleman Center for Women and Gender Equality was her way of accomplishing that goal.
The Center and the Women’s Studies minor both reside under the direction of Academic Affairs through the Department of History and Philosophy in the College of Humanities and Fine Arts.
The Center’s stated mission involves “working to create and sustain a supportive and empowering environment of equity and success for all members of the university community.” Visit www.utm.edu/departments/wcenter/index.php for more information about the services that the Center provides.
