In order to reflect an atmosphere of inclusivity, the previously named Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Student Support Services has changed its name to the LGBTQ+ Culture Center.
“We wanted a name that fully encompasses everything that we do and who we are,” office supervisor Jamie Bartzel said.
Bartzel said many students on campus seemed to believe the center was just in cases of a crisis, but in reality, the center is there to celebrate LGBT culture. This, in addition to wanting to make sure that the office was welcoming to all students, factored into the name change.
“We had been hearing from students for a couple of years now that the name GLBT didn’t resonate with them or wasn’t particularly meaningful,” Bartzel said.
In order to create a more meaningful name, the LGBTQ+ Culture Center researched similar centers and their names and then developed a survey asking students, faculty and others for their thoughts.
The survey, created by graduate student Chris Owens, asked respondents to rank their preferences of the following names: LGBTQ+ Culture Center, Queer Culture Center, Gender and Sexuality Resource Center, and Pride Center. Respondents were then asked about their agreement with and attitude toward each of those names. This was in order to make sure the office found the best name possible to represent all students.
Data was aggregated by demographic groups so that if a certain one was opposed to a name, the name would be highlighted in the data and not used.
“We wanted to make sure that everyone’s voices were heard,” Chris said.
Another question on the survey asked students if they would be interested in participating in a focus group to dig further into data that had been collected. Bartzel was in charge of the focus groups and brought in about 20 students to engage with the survey’s participants.
The survey also included questions that asked about the respondents’ awareness of programs and services the office provides, as well as asking about the respondents’ gender identity and sexual orientation.
The survey gathered nearly 700 responses. The survey results were sent to Vice President for Diversity Equity and Multicultural Affairs James Wimbush. It was then discussed with with a campus naming committee and approved by Provost Lauren Robel.
Director Doug Bauder of the LGBTQ+ Culture Center said the response came fairly quickly and made people realize the name change was a no brainer.
“I think that the name change really has been official,” Chris said. “I feel like it’s more representative of that people are currently aware of the terminology.”
Bauder, Chris and Bartzel said the LGBTQ+ Culture Center feels this change in name is representative of the inclusiveness of everyone in the center, the celebration of queer culture and the changing ideas in society.
“It’s been an interesting change in terms of focus here on the campus, but I think that’s somewhat reflected on what’s going on in society,” Bauder said. “We have both helped influence that in society and have been influenced by it.”
Bartzel said the office recognizes that gender and sexuality are expansive and that labels can often be limiting, hence the plus at the end of the new acronym.
“Our arms are wide open, and we are very welcoming,” Bartzel said.
Bauder followed by saying the office tries to be as responsive to the students as possible because while the office is meant to support students, the students also support the center by bringing in new information and ideas regarding sexuality, gender identity and more.
“I don’t really see us changing significantly the work that we have done,” Bauder said. “But I hope we’re being clear about being on the cutting edge all the time and open to students on campus all the time.”
