Silver City, NM- It was Tuesday at 10:30pm that Dr. Bailey and Dr. Huerta received a call from the work-studies at the Center for Gender Equity. An intruder had entered and defaced one of their walls, writing several slurs specifically on the centers “thank you wall,” a place used for thanking members of the WNMU faculty, as well as community and family members who had helped get the center up and running.
Dr. Emma Baily and Dr. Lydia Huerta, the directors of the Center, contacted Campus Police in hopes of catching to individual responsible. The individual, whom the Center has asked to keep anonymous, was not a student of Western New Mexico University. He was found on Wednesday Afternoon by the Campus Police, was charged with a graffiti offense and issued a criminal trespass warning from campus police, banning him from campus. The officers said this was not his first offense against the University.
Dr. Bailey and Dr. Huerta are refusing to allow this crime to affect them, their students and especially the Center, stressing that it was still one of the best places for students to hang out as well as one of the safest.
“We are not victims,” Dr. Bailey said.
The Center for Gender Equities was launched last year and will soon be celebrating their first anniversary on October 31st. They also have a number of events planned for the student body this semester, including the upcoming Glam Week. The Center, located just a short walk from campus at 1211 Mississippi St, usually opens its doors at around 6pm with a closing time that varies by day. It offers all students a place to study, to do homework, or to just hang out. It also has wi-fi and Amazon Fire TV and offers students free coffee on Thursday nights starting at around 8pm.
For more information on the Center for Gender Equities, you can visit their site at thecenter.wnmu.edu
Photo credited to Kat Quarrell
