April 27, 2024
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Q Center, fall 2022

Nicholas Martin, assistant director, stands in the Q Center's main lounge area. Nicholas Martin, assistant director, stands in the Q Center's main lounge area.
Nicholas Martin, assistant director, stands in the Q Center's main lounge area. Image Credit: Jonathan Cohen.
September 26, 2022

Engagement with Incoming Students

Throughout the summer, Q Center Assistant Director Nick Martin participated in 12 tabling sessions at the Orientation Student Services Fair to welcome incoming first-year and transfer students to the University. Martin collectively interacted with 104 new students and family members. He connected with an additional 52 students on July 13 at the High-impact Practices Resource Fair hosted by staff from the TRiO and SSS offices. Additionally, Q Center professional staff collaborated with other divisional staff members to present comprehensive information about the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to every Orientation group.

Open House and Rainbow Welcome

Rainbow Welcome took place Aug. 24 in the Union Undergrounds Lounge, part of B-Welcome Week activities. This annual event serves to foster community among new LGBTQ+ students and allies. This year’s Rainbow Welcome featured an introduction to executive board members from many of the LGBTQ+ student organizations and clubs, including Rainbow Pride Union, SHADES, oSTEM and Transcend as well as a variety of activities designed to get students talking and meeting new friends. Information about Q Center services and resources was also provided to students throughout the evening.

Rainbow Welcome was planned by two of the Q Center’s first-year experience interns, the graduate intern and the assistant director. There were approximately 87 students in attendance throughout the two-hour event. The event was promoted to all incoming students throughout the summer Orientation season.

The Q Center hosted an open house Aug. 24 to welcome new and returning campus community members to the space, meet the new student staff and interns, and highlight the center’s resources and events for the fall term. Approximately 47 community members attended the open house.

Center initiatives

  • Q Center staff collaborated with University honors and scholars programs as they launched their LGBTQ+ affinity group. The affinity group is led by a faculty advisor, Tina Chronopoulos, and two student leaders, Andrea Flores and Amy Held. This new affinity group is designed to create intentional space for underserved identity groups within the LGBTQ+ community who are in rigorous academic programs under the honors and scholars umbrella. The Q Center and the affinity group leaders hosted a kickoff mixer for faculty, staff and students in the Union Undergrounds Lounge Aug. 31, with a total of 23 participants.
  • Q Center Assistant Director Nick Martin served on the search committee for the Affirmative Action coordinator for DEI and chaired two searches for the MRC assistant director and the Q Center coordinator. Martin also continued to serve on the Bias Incident Response Team and the Strategic Priority 3 Road Map committee.

Campus training initiatives

  • Q Center Assistant Director Nick Martin collaborated with the MRC and UDiversity Educational Institute staff to facilitate an educational workshop for the Binghamton Enrichment Program (BEP) peer counselors.
  • On July 21, Martin facilitated a gender and sexual diversity workshop for the University’s Institute for Child Development. Forty-eight staff members were in attendance. A follow-up workshop was held with the institute’s 10 staff leads Aug. 18, and additional workshops will occur in the fall term.
  • Martin and MRC Assistant Director Richie Sebuharara co-facilitated a training Aug. 22 for the 35 student staff members and interns working with the Q Center and MRC this semester.

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