May 4, 2024
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Q Center, spring 2023

In June 2022, Binghamton University executed its inaugural raising of the Progress Pride Flag outside the University Union in recognition of Pride Month. In June 2022, Binghamton University executed its inaugural raising of the Progress Pride Flag outside the University Union in recognition of Pride Month.
In June 2022, Binghamton University executed its inaugural raising of the Progress Pride Flag outside the University Union in recognition of Pride Month. Image Credit: Jonathan Cohen.
March 23, 2023

Campus Pride Index score increase

In February, the Q Center recertified with the national Campus Pride organization increasing the Campus Pride Index score to 4.5/5 stars. This score represents the culmination of multiple years of work and close partnerships with the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Residential Life; Undergraduate Admissions; the five LGBTQ+ student campus organizations, local community resources including the Southern Tier AIDS Program; and many others.

Contributing to this score is the recently announced launch of a new LGBTQ+ Living Community for the upcoming 2023-24 academic year. This community will be housed in Delaware Hall within Newing College and will welcome its inaugural cohort of first-year LGBTQ+ students and allies in the fall. This community will be supported by staff members from Residential Life and the Q Center, and a residential graduate assistant.

New LGBTQ+ Guided Film Series

Q Center Coordinator Aiden Braun launched a new guided film series featuring one movie each month that highlights the intersectional identities present within the LGBTQ+ community. The Netflix documentary Disclosure was shown in January with a talkback discussion during which participants discussed the impact of transgender representation in the media. In February, the Q Center collaborated with SHADES, an organization for queer students of color, to screen and discuss the film Kiki, a documentary about the evolution of ball culture in NYC’s LGBTQ+ community. Transfinite, a film collecting multiple science fiction short stories, created by a trans filmmaker, was shown in March. The Q Center collaborated with Transcend, a student organization for trans and nonbinary students, to facilitate a talkback discussion with participants.

In total, over 50 students have participated in this guided film series and the accompanying discussions. The Q Center will continue to expand this initiative in future semesters.

New and continuing partnerships

The Q Center continued to work with the Southern Tier AIDS Program (STAP) to bring resources to the campus. For Black History Month, several members from STAP’s Prevention Services and Communities of Color teams shared information about National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day in the Q Center. Resources shared included a presentation on the historical and social determinants of higher rates of HIV/AIDS in Black and Latinx communities, assistance with PrEP and other prevention strategies, information on Mpox, and more general information on local Southern Tier resources like food banks, safe sex and healthcare. More than 30 students attended.

Additionally, the Q Center has collaborated with the student-run Food Co-op, the PAWs program, Residential Life, the Fleishman Center, Hillel, the Career and Intercultural Services Center at the Downtown Center, and the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences to host a variety of events throughout the quarter. From a Q Center food item on the food co-op’s menu to an LGBTQ+ roommate-matching event, and an LGBTQ+ faculty and staff mixer at the pharmacy school, the Q Center continues to increase visibility and engagement across campus.

Q Center Assistant Director Nick Martin continued to serve on the Bias Incident Response Team and the Strategic Priority 3 Road Map committee. Q Center Coordinator Aiden Braun served on the Pathways to Inclusive Leadership Committee, the UDiversity Coordinator Search Committee, and the Distinguished Speaker Series Committee.

Campus educational initiatives

Q Center Coordinator Aiden Braun facilitated three Active Ally Level 1 workshops. These general workshops were attended by over 50 students, staff, faculty and community members seeking to better understand active allyship in relation to the LGBTQ+ community. The Q Center has also facilitated workshops for staff in Residential Life, the CARE Team, the Students of Concern Committee, the MSW Residential Life Interns and Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Collectively, these workshops were attended by over 70 students, faculty and staff across the campus.

The SOGIE (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression) Peer Educator team conducted workshops for classes and student groups on campus including Women in Health, SEEK (Support Empathy Empowerment Kindness) interns, UNIV 101, TRIO Student Support Services mentors, Center for Civic Engagement student staff and Office of Student Conduct interns. Over 100 students have attended these peer-led sessions.

The Q Center has continued to facilitate a CDCI course for our interns focused on highlighting intersectional perspectives to guide their current and future work. The Q Center brought in a variety of staff members from different student-facing departments on campus to discuss a variety of identity groups. Staff from the Multicultural Resource Center, Fleishman Career Center and the Center for Civic Engagement supported the class this quarter.

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