Four candidates will vie for Women’s Center directorship

The search is on for a new director of the Carolina Women’s Center, and the University community will have a voice in the process.

In individual forums starting Nov. 4., the four candidates — Barbara Anderson, Rachel Seidman, Cordelia Heaney, Shamecca Bryant — will discuss in depth their ideas and views on the Women’s Center and answer any questions the public might have. The Women’s Center’s mission is to eliminate gender discrimination at UNC.

Anderson, associate director of the African Studies Center, encouraged students to attend the open forums to hear each candidate lay out their vision for the Women’s Center.

“The Women’s Center has the potential for making UNC truly the people’s university,” she said.

Anderson, who has spent most of her working life at UNC, also said the student body has become more diverse throughout the years. She would like to see the Women’s Center build on that legacy.

Rachel Seidman, associate director of the Southern Oral History Program, said she plans to focus on partnerships with other groups on campus. She also foresees an emphasis on sharing the stories of female faculty, staff and students at the University.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the Southern Oral History Program, it is about the immense power of stories,” she said.

Seidman taught a course at Duke University, titled “Women in the Public Sphere: History, Theory and Practice,” which spawned the “Who Needs Feminism?” campaign. It has since spread across the country, attracting coverage from the New York Times and other major media outlets.

Shamecca Bryant, executive director of the Orange County Rape Crisis Center, declined to comment. She said in an email that she will discuss her position concerning the Women’s Center at her forum.

Cordelia Heaney, executive director of the Office on Women’s Policy for the state of Louisiana said she wants to build on the strengths and partnerships that the Women’s Center has already created, while gaining a focus on public policy and diversity.

“I see (the job) as a perfect marriage of my student affairs background and public policy as it pertains to women,” she said.

Diversity and gender issues are central to Heaney’s ideas for the Women’s Center.

“What makes me uniquely qualified for the job is my experience working with a diverse array of women students, working at different universities and public policy and advocacy,” she said.

She is excited about the resources available at the University as well as the open and engaged community.

“The center can become a hub for women to find connections and achieve more and have their voices heard on campus,” Heaney said.

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