Stephen's Annex

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

Stephen’s Annex is currently office space for Towson’s administration. In the 60’s and 70’s, it used to be a small cluster of “temporary buildings” because a new administration building was under construction. Temporary Building A housed the Women’s Center Board, which was an on-campus organization that sought to educate students and faculty members about the Women’s Liberation Movement. The Women’s Center Board also housed other committees concerning women such as the Women’s Studies Committee. In fact, Women’s Studies courses were originally offered in Temp. Building A. Stephen’s Annex, formerly known as Temporary Buildings, was where the Feminist Movement blossomed at Towson State College.

Images

Flowchart: TSC Women’s Committees, Towson University Archives Box 44 Folder 8 UAO30000 Women, 1972. 15 October, 1972.

Pamphlet: TSC Women's Center Board & Women's Studies, Towson University Archives Box 44 Folder 8 UAO30000 Women, 1972.

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

The Women's Center Board was established in February 1972 by Towson State's faculty members. The faculty collectively shared a goal of providing a safe space for all women on campus to go, including students, faculty, and administration. The Women's Center Board also provided ample materials to educate women about the Feminist Movement going on at the time. Some of the materials they provided were newspapers, audio recordings of speeches, books, pamphlets, etc. The Women's Center Board essentially provided a location on campus for the Women’s Liberation Movement to grow during the early 70s.

In addition to providing a place for women and the Feminist Movement on campus at Towson, they also actively spread the Feminist Movement through the student newspaper, The Towerlight. The Women's Center Board began to put articles about the Women's Movement in The Towerlight weekly. All of these articles dealt with the Feminist Movement and encouraged women to coma a greater stake in society. For example, one female student wrote a piece called, “‘It was a scary experience,’” to the Women’s Center Board and the Board sent it to be published in The Towerlight (1972, March 24). The article told the story of a woman who recently enrolled in college twenty years after she finished high school. Numerous articles about women on campus and the Feminist Movement followed.

The Women’s Center Board also housed the Women’s Studies Committee. This committee was also established by Towson’s faculty. As stated in the flowchart of TSC’s Women’s Committees, its purpose was to establish the Women’s Studies Program at Towson State College. Although this committee was formed before 1972, it moved into one of the Women’s Center Board’s offices. The Women’s Studies program was officially active at Towson beginning in academic year 1973-1974. In addition to the creation of Women’s Studies courses, the Women’s Studies Committee also encouraged professors to include more information about women in their courses. This committee helped spread the Feminist Movement in the academic sphere at Towson State College.