As a full-time student, wife, parent of two and one of the few African-American women in the science department, Katara Smith often finds herself isolated on campus.
"It started the semester that I was taking anatomy," Smith said. "I felt like I was all alone and didn't have anyone to talk to."
She joined the African-American Women's Support Group, sponsored by the Counseling and Psychological Services Center, where she found support and sisterhood.
"I enjoy the closeness of being around other sistas," Smith said. "I like having support and giving support to other sistas who may be going through the same things as me. There are things that you can talk about with other sistas that you can't talk about with anyone else."
The group began meeting last spring as a way for women to get together to support each other and explore issues like self-esteem, isolation, relationships and stress. According to Derethia DuVal, a counselor who facilitates the group, African-American women have a long history of supporting each other in groups.
"We used to press hair, wash clothes, shuck peas and make quilts together. I wanted to provide an environment for black women on this campus to come together to find out how much alike we are and to develop strength from that," DuVal said.
One of the biggest challenges that she faced was trust. "The trust level was low," DuVal said. "Women don't trust each other, so they feel isolated, so they don't trust. It's a double edged sword."
DuVal said that women have to be willing to take a chance in order to be able to come together on all levels. "Women of all races, classes, perspectives and sexual orientations need to be able to come together and honestly talk to one another because women are the backbone of change," she said.
The African-American Women's Support Group meets on Wednesdays from noon to 1 p.m. at the Counseling Center located in Temporary Building M.
DuVal said that eventually she would like to add support groups for women of color and all women because isolation is common among students on campus.
"It's easy to get lost and feel alone even though you are among thousands," Julie Frame said. Frame is a member of the Women's Healing Circle, a group designed to meet the healing and isolation needs of women on campus. "It's been great. It has given me the opportunity to meet a lot of women that I wouldn't normally meet," Frame said.
The community aspect drew Claire Foster into the Women's Healing Circle. "It's hard to find a community on campus where there's so many people," she said.
"It is a way of creating a community of women coming together to support each other," said Dr. Carol Aronoff, coordinator of the Holistic Health Certificate Program.
According to Aronoff, in ancient times women met in the form of the circle. She said that the circle creates a supportive energy field and is a symbol of wholeness. It also gives everyone in the group an equal voice.
The circle was started by Aronoff three years ago. She describes it as a place to explore the feminine, to develop greater self awareness and to support other women. This year one of their goals is to do more outreach to incoming freshmen and women in the residence halls. Members of the group would also like to coordinate activities off campus including a hiking trip.
The Women's Healing Circle meets on Tuesdays from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in Hensill Hall room 710. Activities have included meditation, potlucks, guest speakers on beauty and full moon celebrations.
Aronoff encourages women to drop by on Tuesdays. "You don't have to be a regular," she said. "We keep it loose and informal. We want everyone to feel included."
For more information on other support groups, contact the Counseling Department in Burk Hall.