While most people stop by the Keefe Campus Center daily to pick up a package from the post office or to grab a meal and some snacks from Grab-and-Go, not a whole lot of people stick around for one of the most valuable resources this school has to offer for students: the resource centers.
For a lot of first-year students, the idea of going to a resource center to learn about what programs and support are available for them can be extremely daunting, even if these centers were briefly introduced during the hectic orientation week. However, making that first step to reach out and talk to employees at the resource centers is absolutely worth the time and effort. When I went to the Women’s and Gender Center for the first time with my friends during the first week of classes, I was nervous about asking whether the center had a certain item I was looking for. However, when I asked for help, the student working there enthusiastically dug through the storage to help me find the item. While I was there, I noticed that two people were sitting at a desk in the center, working together on homework, and I realized that these centers not only provide resources and support but also a safe space for students. Having students work at these resource centers is a huge part of why these centers are safe spaces for people with marginalized identities as these students understand our experiences and work hard to create a comfortable and welcoming environment in all of the centers.
Five out of the six resource centers (Queer Resource Center, Class and Access Resource Center, Women’s and Gender Center, Center for International Student Engagement, and Multicultural Resource Center) are conveniently located in Keefe. The sixth, the Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, is located in the Cadigan Center behind the President’s House and south of Newport. Each center has unique weekly programs, such as the Queer Talk every Friday from 4 to 5 pm at the Queer Resource Center, and they are open during the weekdays, usually from noon until late evening. In addition to the weekly programs, these resource centers also have unique events, sometimes hosted by student organizations (for example, Amherst’s Reproductive Justice Alliance often hosts events in the Women’s and Gender Center) and sometimes hosted collaboratively between resource centers. Each of the resource centers has a newsletter in which they share what events are coming up soon at the centers. Additionally, the Daily Mammoth, Amherst’s daily newsletter, highlights these events, most of which also provide food from local restaurants to people who attend.
Many of my classmates have told me they have yet to visit these centers but hope to do so soon, and I hope that they realize upon making the first step to engage with these resource centers, or even just spend time in these centers, that this school and its students are working hard to ensure that there’s an inclusive space for everyone.