For years the Women’s Resource Center has been in the basement of Stevenson Hall and now the center is in Coleman; it now shares office managers with the Leslie Ashley, the office manager for the philosophy department and Women’s Resource Center.

In order for someone to get into the Women’s Resource Center, they have to ask Ashley to open the door for them; prior to the move, it was open almost the entire day.

Ashley has to take on the role of balancing out the departments and shares this task with many other office managers, including the former office manager for the Women’s Resource Center.

Ashley was the office manager of the Philosophy department for 11 years before taking on a second department.

“The programs are going to look different especially for Women’s Studies and we’re just going to have to give it time,” Ashley said. “We’re just figuring it out as we go.”

Ashley said the former office manager for the Women’s Resource Center, Joseph McLean, laid out a solid foundation, but it will be hard to fill his shoes.

McLean, is now the office manager of the foreign language and English Department and he received an email on Friday Sep. 18 stating he would report to foreign languages.

McLean replaced Sarah Miller as English Department and Megan Przygoda as Foreign Language; McLean knew he was being switched, but did not find out until the end of that week.

“He basically got this department here on his own before he went on to a different department,” Ashley said. “He left everything organized and easy to find and of course that helps.”

McLean said with the new jobs he needs to prioritize and make time to work for both departments.

“I have four really big shoes to fill, which is hard with two feet,” McLean said. “We can’t do it all.”

Jeannie Ludlow, coordinator of Women’s Studies, said on average the Women’s Resource Center is open for three hours; she also said the new Women’s Resource Center is smaller than the previous one.

“Some think we should keep the desk so people will see our loss, but the people who need to see our loss don’t really come to the WRC,” Ludlow said.

Ashley said office managers often do clerical work, but the Women’s Resource Center is unique because they do a lot of community outreach and it can be vastly different from ordinary departments.

“The uncertainty is what gets me because I am a planner,” Ashley said. “Not being able to plan is probably the most stressful part of it all.”

Ashley said the people she often thinks about are the students because she does not want such an impact on the school to burden them.

“We don’t want the students to feel the cuts or be affected negativity,” Ashley said. “My main goal is to do what I can because I am only one person trying to do two jobs.”

T’Nerra Butler can be reached at 581-2812 or tabutler@eiu.edu.