For twenty-five years there has been an open lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community on campus, yet they have not always been equally represented over the past quarter century. Unlike other groups dedicated to diversity on campus, there hasn’t been substantial institutional organization to provide the range of services that other groups receive.
Institutional organizations like OMED and the Women’s Resource Center provide support for their respective communities in a variety of different ways. In contrast, the LGBTQ community has no established resource to rely on. A resource should exist for the LGBTQ community that focuses on a number matters like social issues, creating visibility, outreach, programming and in-depth counseling to those students that need it.
Both OMED and the Women’s Resource Center have been provided by the university, and the same should apply to a LGBTQ resource center.
It is undeniable that this is a intensely debated issue, not only here on campus, but across the U.S., so it is understandable that students may not tolerate an increase in their student fees going to fund such an organization. Despite this, funding could be provided through both the Pride community and the Institution reaching out to alumni and donors who are supportive of the LGTBQ community.
From this point on, it is up to the administration to provide the necessary support to help with the establishment of such a community.
In the end, creating such a resource should not seem as an investment being made in favor of a particular political ideology that is being catered to a specific group of students. Rather, this should be seen as an investment that is being made with the best intentions to help provide equal support for the entire Tech student body.