Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, the newly renamed McAuley Women’s Center threw a birthday bash in McGuire Hall on Friday, March 14. The party featured raffle giveaways, branded party hats, a decorative trucker hat bar, and performances by the Greysounds coed acapella group.
According to Deborah Cady Melzer, vice president for student development, the McAuley Women’s Center’s new title honors sister Catherine McAuley, who founded the religious Sisters of Mercy in 1831. The Sisters of Mercy are an international community of Roman Catholic women who “envision a just world for people who are economically poor, sick and uneducated.” In Baltimore, they sponsor the Mercy Medical Center, Mercy High School, and Mount Saint Agnes College, which merged with Loyola in 1971.
“Loyola’s Strategic Plan, Together We Rise, calls for us to lead with love and work for justice. As we position the McAuley Women’s Center for all it needs to be today and tomorrow, we can ask blessed Catherine McAuley to pray for us,” Melzer said.
Melissa Lees, director of the McAuley Women’s Center, explained the importance of honoring a visionary who prioritized education and women’s well-being.
“Catherine McAuley was an absolutely phenomenal woman and a powerful example of courageous leadership that met the needs of the time that she was living in,” Lees said.
The McAuley Women’s Center began humbly. It was established as a space for gender equity, advocacy, and education in the fall of 1999. It operated under one part-time director, Dr. Margaret Musgrove, for 18 years before Lees joined Loyola.
“When I first became director, my only goal was to get students to know that the Women’s Center existed on the other side of the Bridge,” Lees said.
In the seven years since Lees has taken the lead, the Women’s Center team has grown exponentially to include 18 graduate assistants, undergraduate interns, and Women’s Center ambassadors. The Women’s Center saw 60,000 engagements across its social media platforms in this past year, Lees said, and it hosts three to five events every week.
Fiona O’Gara ‘26, a Women’s Center intern, is part of the team that helps create welcoming spaces and inclusive programming for all students.
“Our office works to foster a community of acceptance, togetherness, and love, whether it’s a movie night with five of you and some cookies or a night like Ladies Night at the FAC with 250 girls,” O’Gara said.
Olivia Baumgartner, assistant director of programming in the Office of Student Engagement, helps Lees and the Women’s Center team host Late Night programming events on Fridays and Saturdays. Having a good pulse on what students want helps draw attendees at almost every Women’s Center event, Baumgartner said.
“I’m not sure how Melissa does it as an office of pro staff one, but I feel like the Women’s Center is always expanding and changing. It’s a very safe space when you go in there. Even as a staff member, I feel that,” Baumgartner said.
Lees plans to continue expanding the Women’s Center to serve even more students in the future. As Loyola’s sexual violence prevention, education, and response coordinator, Lees feels most honored to be the confidential advocate for students in need of support.
“It’s really important to me that students feel safe, included, and welcomed, and I have had the privilege to watch that grow throughout my time at Loyola,” Lees said.
The Women’s Center will also leverage its ambassador program, which was launched last year, to reach a wider audience. Women’s Center ambassadors are students who help with two or three programs each semester and advertise Women’s Center resources in places where Lees is unable to do so. Sara Austin ’28, a first year Women’s Center ambassador, values the program’s inclusivity.
“It’s a warm, welcoming environment. If anyone wants to become an ambassador or intern, we’re always looking and you’re always welcome!” Austin said.
To learn more about the McAuley Women’s Center’s future plans, drop by for Women’s Center Wednesdays from 12-2 p.m. or follow them on Instagram @mcauleywomenscenterloyola.
