Q Center, spring 2022
Internship Program
The Q Center relaunched its intern program in January, welcoming 10 undergraduate students and two graduate students to the progressive work of the center. Of these 12 interns, many are receiving academic credit and fulfilling requirements for the human development (HDEV) bachelor’s degree, the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program or the Fleishman Center Internship Program (CDCI).
Student interns have helped to increase engagement and shape the direction of the Q Center by facilitating programming and initiatives within the center that include first-year experience (FYE) events, senior experience events, QC traditions and discussion groups. Additionally, our graphic design intern spearheaded new social media initiatives to provide information about annual heritage celebrations such as Black History Month, Women’s History Month and Trans Day of Visibility while highlighting the intersections of these heritage months with LGBTQ+ identities. Interns have also responded to LGBTQ+ student needs by developing a Reddit group to source queer- and trans-friendly off-campus housing options as well as facilitating peer mentor office hours within the center.
This group of student leaders meet as a staff team weekly with Q Center coordinator Nic Francisco to identify leadership and professional development opportunities within their internships and reflect on ongoing initiatives.
Active Ally Program
Active Ally Workshops relaunched in February with two tiers of educational opportunities to learn about the LGBTQ+ community and enhance active allyship practice.
The first tier is Active Ally Foundations, a two-hour discussion-based workshop that examines the lived experience of LGBTQ+ people and challenges participants to identify what it means to be an ally. Through deep learning about human sexual identity, examining the impacts of oppression and privilege on LGBTQIA individuals and communities, exploring intersecting minoritized identities, and engaging in experiential activities, participants craft what allyship to LGBTQ+ communities looks like for them. Two sessions have been held with a total 13 participants. Participants were a mix of faculty/staff and students.
The second tier is Active Ally Deep Dives, a one-hour training that focuses on one topic, allowing participants to go deeper in their learning and develop their active allyship. Participants must attend the Active Ally Foundations Workshop prior to attending a deep dive session. Deep dive workshops include diverse topics such as unpacking cis-hetero privilege, decolonizing the gender binary and discussing intersex identity. Two faculty/staff members and one student attended the first deep dive workshop. Participants who complete a deep dive receive an Active Ally sticker to post on their belongings or in their campus spaces. All Active Ally workshops are held in the Q Center at various times on Tuesdays throughout the semester.
Campus training initiatives
Q Center professional staff have partnered with numerous campus departments and organizations to offer impactful LGBTQ+ related training experiences that focus on actionable strategy building and enrichment of professional practices to be more inclusive of marginalized identity groups.
Faculty- and staff-focused training initiatives included a pronouns workshop for the Anthropology Department and an altered Active Ally workshop for professional staff within Residential Life. Across both trainings, 75 faculty and staff members were in attendance.
Student-focused training initiatives included a presentation for Alpha Phi Omega members regarding coming out as trans/non-binary in the workplace, a workshop for students in the education minor regarding issues facing LGBTQ+ youth in K-12 schools and an active ally training for the student staff in the Center for Civic Engagement. Over 65 students participated in these learning opportunities.
QC Traditions
Q Center staff launched new monthly events designed to foster community and belonging among the LGBTQ+ students on campus. These events are affectionately referred to as QC Traditions and consist of Q Café Tuesdays, Crafternoon Wednesdays and Gender Bender Fridays.
Q Café Tuesdays occur monthly on the second Tuesday evening and are free-form community building evenings hosted by center student staff. Crafternoon Wednesdays occur the third Wednesday afternoon each month and are intern-led arts and crafts hours that act as a creative outlet for students to meet, bond and de-stress. Gender Bender Fridays occur the fourth Friday afternoon each month and are designed to lead a critical investigation into gendered fashion and resisting the gender binary. In February, a student intern developed a presentation and led a discussion on gender and fashion. In March, interns partnered with a local Black-owned thrift store business to discuss fast fashion’s impact on the environment and how to adopt practices and behaviors that are more in line with sustainability efforts. In total, the center has seen over 40 students attend these events.