A place to be heard on campus and on MySpace?

-- Dara Leitner

Women’s Services has joined MySpace to get the word out about what services their office can provide to students.

Jessica Helle-Morrisey, Women’s Services coordinator at Metropolitan State University, created the page after learning that the GLBT Services coordinator had one for her program.

Women’s Services currently reaches over 250 "friends" this way. Helle-Morrisey typically searches every few days for new female students who’ve signed up on MySpace and invites them to Women’s Services’ profile, where she posts blogs and bulletins about events on campus.

The Women’s Services office at Metropolitan State was established several years ago. However, most students are unaware that the office even exists or that it provides free services. Helle-Morrisey said she hopes that by hearing from a lot of students, she’ll be better able to tailor programming based on what women at Metropolitan State need.

Students can contact the Women’s Services office regarding domestic and dating violence, sexual violence and harassment, eating disorders and body-image issues, childcare concerns, and any other issues that are keeping students from being academically and personally successful.

"One specific area that my office is the place to come for is anything relating to a sexual assault," said she. "We can provide crisis counseling and advocacy in this situation."

However, students can stop in to talk about anything, and individual appointments can be set up as well. The office also offers information on campus and community resources as well as referrals, and has a small library of books relating to women’s issues.

The Women’s Services office is a place for women to voice their concerns. "I can offer support, a listening ear, resources, and advocacy on a student’s behalf," said Helle- Morrissey, who is also a trained counselor and group facilitator.

The office also provides programming for students, such as their stress management workshop specifically for women scheduled to take place the first week in February.

Students can contact the Women’s Services office by calling (651) 793-1510; by emailing or joining their listserv at Women.Services@metrostate.edu; by stopping by the Gateway Services Center in Founders Hall (for a walk-in appointment); or by visiting, what else, their MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/womens_services.

*Note: Women’s Services does not provide ongoing counseling or therapy. For that, students should contact Student Counseling Services.