Dixie State University’s Women’s Resource Center is designed to help women, families and nontraditional students. Madiysn Dwiggins | Sun News Daily.
Dixie State University’s Women’s Resource Center has never had any full-time staff members until now.
DSU hired Dru Bottoms to be the new director of the WRC, a center designed to help women, non-traditional students and families.
The WRC provides many services for students on campus from mothers’ rooms, to support groups and private scholarship partners.
The WRC can also help with internships. Bottoms said the WRC partners with businesses in the community who want to help students get internships through a mentoring program. The WRC is working to expand their mentoring program for the fall 2022 semester.
The WRC also provides financial aid opportunities for students in need. This opportunity is called the laptop grant, and the money for the grant is privately donated to the WRC. Applications for the laptop grant will open at the end of April. Last year the WRC was able to give out eight laptops, but the amount of laptops given depends on how many donations the WRC receives.
Bottoms said DSU partners with the American Association of University Women, a non-profit organization that gives scholarship money only to DSU students. DSU female students can apply for this scholarship before March 2, 2022. Last year the AAUW gave $40,000 in scholarships to DSU students.
Bottom said the people who choose the scholarships base their acceptance rate on a students ability to complete a program or how much a particular student needs a scholarship.
The WRC also works with Utah Philanthropic Educational Organization. With the help of local women, the organization helps students find scholarships through UPEO. By doing this, UPEO gives scholarship opportunities to students who may have a lower a GPA or may not qualify for other scholarships. The deadline to apply for these scholarships is March 2, 2022.
Bottoms said these two organizations are great because it provides students the necessary resources they need to become successful after graduation.
“That is a huge part of what we do here, [at the WRC] finding the resources to get women through school, to get them partnerships and mentorships,” Bottoms said.
Starting in the fall 2022 semester the WRC will start an on-campus support group. DSU’s Booth Wellness Center also has support groups for anyone to attend.
Bottoms wants DSU students to know that just because they are the women’s resource center doesn’t mean they can’t help families and non-traditional students find the resources they need.
