Boston University soft launched the LGBTQIA+ Student Resource Center on Wednesday, providing a safe space for students of all gender identities and sexual orientations, according to University administrators.
The center, located at 808 Commonwealth Ave., will officially launch on Feb. 14 with an open house. It will be open from 9:30 a.m. to -5 p.m.
Former BU President Robert Brown and former Provost Jean Morrison announced on Feb. 23 plans to create the center in 2023-2024 through a letter to the University.
“We are very pleased to be moving forward with this initiative which we believe represents a significant and positive step toward being a more inclusive and welcoming university community,” Morrison and Brown wrote in the letter.
In the letter, Morrison and Brown credited the creation of the center to the LGBTQIA+ Student Task Force formed in 2022 to evaluate the environment for LGBTQIA+ students.
Michael Arellano, a member of the student task force and a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said this is the first organization at BU that is committed to fostering a more inclusive and supportive environment for LGBTQIA+ students.
“In the entire history of Boston University, there has never been a group dedicated to the urgency towards learning, documenting, engaging and advocating on behalf of the personal and collective experiences of our LGBTQIA+ student community,” Arellano said.
In their final report, the group recommended creating a professionally staffed resource center for students.
“It’s remarkable to see the space opening just over a year later,” said Arellano. “This space should be a sanctuary where students are not only valued and wanted but are celebrated for being their authentic selves.”
On Oct. 18, BU’s Student Health Services created TRANScendence, a support program aiming to support LGBTQIA+ students, another request in the student task force’s report.
Director of Student Outreach and Engagement Katy Collins said, while the search for a permanent director continues for the new center, she will oversee the center.
Collins is looking for a director with a “working knowledge of gender, sexuality, queer theory and understanding of what’s happening, and not just locally, but nationally around the world.””
“We have such a large international population of students,” Collins said. “We need to make sure that we’re able to support all our students and understand that everyone’s coming from a different place.”
Until a director is found, Collins will hire staff for the center, including nine student staff members.
Associate Dean of Students Nancy Martinsen said she wants students to socialize in the center.
“The goal is to still make sure that the space is open for students to utilize,” Martinsen said. “Currently until the Fall semester, we really are really looking forward to inviting students to come study, lounge with friends.”
Martinsen said some students, because of where they were raised, have never explored their LGBTQIA+ identities or been introduced to the community.
“I really see this as an opportunity to learn more about what is this identity, what does it mean, am I doing it right, or what should this look like and to ask those questions and not be scared,” Martinsen said.
She also emphasized the significance of the space to the broader BU community.
“Even if you don’t identify, I think it’s important for you to see that the space is here and that it exists,” Martinsen said. “This is such an important space, this is a huge win for everyone at BU.”
Collins collaborated with the LGBTQIA+ Resource Center for Faculty & Staff to create events supporting the LGBTQIA+ community.
Debbie Bazarsky, the director of the LGBTQIA+ Resource Center for Faculty & Staff, said she has plans for upcoming LGBTQIA+ holidays such as Chosen Family Day, Transgender Day of Visibility and Pride Month.
“LGBTQIA+ centers play an important role on college and university campuses for bringing community together, providing education and serving as a hub for advocacy,” Bazarsky said. “So, I’m really excited about the new Student Resource Center.”
The LGBTQIA+ Resource Center for Faculty & Staff is hoping to work closely with the new director once hired.
“We’ll have more engagement when the director is named,” Bazarsky said. “That will provide an opportunity for us to think about other possibilities and ways to collaborate and work together.”
As the LGBTQIA+ Student Resource Center takes its place within BU, students and faculty anticipate the use of the center.
Victoria Hagen, a junior in the College of Fine Arts and CAS, said she is pleased about the center and will use the environment as a study space.
“Especially during finals, it’s very difficult to find space on campus, so now that we have a new place to study, that opens up more opportunities,” Hagen said.
Ava Doherty-Konczal, a sophomore in the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies appreciates the inclusivity of the center.
“I think that any identity-based community space is really important, especially in a big school,” Doherty-Konczal said. “It gives people an opportunity to come together through common identity.”
Evian Tsang, a senior in CAS, said she was thrilled to work in the center after being asked by her supervisor because of BU’s steps to support LGBTQIA+ students.
“When she asked if I could work here for a few days, I immediately said yes,” Tsang said. “I noticed that a lot of facilities here are starting to cater towards the LGBTQIA+ community as well, and I think that is very important.”
