Making education accessible to mothers

Women are able to access resources to further their education in LC 405k. Photo credit: Alison Worthen

UVU has an on-campus resource ready to help women with struggles they may have.

The Women’s Resource Center (WRC), located in LC 405K, is a place where displaced homemakers, victims of abuse and those struggling academically or financially can access information and support to help them further their education.

“I help women through the difficult times in their lives,” said Peggy Pasin, the WRC Coordinator. “I have such an energy for it because of the life transformations I see.”

As coordinator since 1998, Pasin continues to run the center single-handedly. With a background in domestic violence and sexual assault training, Pasin recently won the Family Violence Prevention Award for her work in the center.

“I work with about 250 women per semester, and about 50 of those are survivors of domestic violence,” Pasin said.

Considering that Utah is number two in the nation for domestic violence, it is likely that many more women are dealing with this issue than come forward each semester.

According to www.womenwork.org, there are 50,151 displaced homemakers and 96,754 single mothers in Utah. For these women, getting an education while earning sufficient income to support children is nearly impossible. The center recently received a grant from the Symantec Corporation to fund tutoring for WRC clients as well as provide scholarships.

“The Women’s Resource Center really reflects the fact that state legislatures are concerned at the predominance of poverty being single mom households,” Pasin said. “If you want to improve society, one of the ways to do that is to educate single moms so they don’t stay in low paying jobs.”

With a different life-story behind every woman, Pasin customizes her recommendations for each client. She is familiar with the campus as well as community resources available and can counsel each woman according to her specific needs.