Our Members | Our Connections | Our Purpose | Our Home | Our Crest
Our
Members
The University Women's Club of Vancouver is a private club for women with degrees or two years of post secondary education from accredited universities and colleges. Our current membership represents graduates from over 90 universities worldwide. Club members are women who are full of enthusiasm and who are inspired by opportunities for advocacy, enrichment, learning and personal development.
The UWCV was founded by Dr. Evlyn Farris on May 11, 1907, the second University Women's Club to be founded in Canada. For more information about Dr. Evlyn Farris, please see:
"Mabel French: British Columbia’s First Woman Lawyer" by Anthony B. P. DuMoulin
"The Story of Legal Education in British Columbia: Women Lawyers in British Columbia" by W. Wesley Pue
A Woman of Influence: Evlyn Fenwick Farris by Sylvie McClean
Our Connections
We are a member of the Canadian Federation of University Women, which was established in 1919 to protect and improve the economic, legal and professional status of women. Through CFUW we are also members of the International Federation of University Women. IFUW acts as a forum, a facilitator and an advocate for the rights and well-being of women around the world. Here in BC the UWCV is linked to twenty-seven sister clubs across the province through the BC Council. Working together, we support education, public awareness and positive social action in our communities.
Our
Purpose
Our goals are:
- To stimulate intellectual activity
- To promote an interest in public affairs and to afford an opportunity for the expression of a united opinion
- To promote an interest in educational issues and in the maintenance of high standards of public education, and to provide bursaries and scholarships
- To facilitate fellowship and co-operation among university women
- To preserve and be responsible stewards of Hycroft, a City of Vancouver designated heritage building
Our Home
When the Club began, meetings were held in members' homes. Seeking our own Club house, we raised funds and purchased Hycroft in 1962, thus giving the UWCV a home of its own.
Our
Crest
In 1985 we adopted a Coat of Arms to reflect the Club's origins in education, our growth and our ties to Hycroft and the City of Vancouver. It is now our official club emblem.
The symbolism of our Coat of Arms:
- Lamp of Learning: the official symbol of the CFUW, it signifies our connection to the national organization.
- The Open Book: represents the academic basis of our organization.
- The Oar and the Axe in Turret: the badge from the City of Vancouver's coat of arms. Permission to use this symbol was granted to the UWCV by then-Mayor, Mike Harcourt.
- The green and white stripes symbolize the entrance gates at Hycroft and are the official colours of the Club.
- Our Motto: Dux Femina Facti: Loosely translated it means "Woman Leads the Way."
