For young women interested in leadership, there is a unique alternative to traditional residence hall living. O’Brien Hall, located on West Pine Mall between Xavier Annex and Notre Dame Hall, will be the center of the Women’s Leadership in Residence Program.
Residents of the hall, about 13 to 15 students, will participate in programs designed to educate themselves about some of the most prominent issues affecting women today-including women’s health, abuse awareness, international women’s rights-through a series of biweekly meetings and seminars.
“The program gives the women of the hall the chance to listen to speakers on a number of issues, and then discuss and reflect on those topics. Through the series of programs, they will learn more about their leadership styles and how to work with one another,” said Deb Sundquist, Department of Housing and Residence Life community development coordinator.
In the spring, O’Brien Hall residents will reach out to women in the community through service projects and by planning and implementing programs for National Women’s History Month in March.
“[We] hope that the O’Brien Hall residents will leave this experience with the tools necessary to make the most of their leadership potential,” Sundquist said.
The 2002-2003 academic year will be the second year of the Women’s Leadership in Residence program. Unlike the 2001-2002 year, the Women’s Studies Program and the Center for Leadership and Community will work on the program with the Department of Residence Life in order to provide additional resources for the residents of the hall.
O’Brien Hall has been a residence hall since the 2000-2001 school year, when the building was converted from University offices to accommodate an overflow of students wishing to live on campus. Junior Christine Hanson is one of the people who currently lives in the hall and participates in the leadership program. Hanson said she decided to the try the program in its inaugural year because she was interested in being around other female leaders on campus.
“I plan on living in O’Brien Hall next year, too,” Hanson said. “I really like the hall and the girls in it. I want to stick with the program and see what direction it takes.”
Hanson added that she preferred the living experience in O’Brien Hall over that in the other residence halls.
“It feels like a real home here. We have a kitchen and laundry facilities, but we also have the dorm-like social things as well,” Hanson said.
Students who live in the hall will have access to a full kitchen that is shared by all the hall residents. There is also a community dining area and a living room in the hall.
Sundquist said that when the Department of Residence Life was discussed, options for the future of O’Brien Hall last spring, they consulted with campus leaders and female faculty and staff about what was needed on campus.
“The overwhelming response from these women was that they wanted to see more female undergraduates in leadership positions. They also thought that the undergraduate women should have more opportunity to meet positive female mentors on campus,” she said.
The rooms in O’Brien Hall are either doubles or singles. The O’Brien Hall placement takes place during the Department of Residence Life Room preference process and requires a supplemental application. If you are interested in learning more about the program or how to apply, contact Residence Life at 977-2811.
