Jason Green, Jessica Caseman, M. Lisa Clayton
By Neise Cordeiro
Library Pride Celebration, an inaugural event held at College of Southern Nevada’s Charleston campus library, helped bring together the LGBTQ community.
Members of the Queer Inclusive College Committee organized this event with a goal of informing people about the different types of resources offered on campus to support LGBTQ students, staff and faculty.
“I think it’s a big responsibility to promote the LGBTQ community in a positive light and also to make sure CSN is very inclusive no matter how you identify,” said Jason Green, member of QICC and one of the event organizers.
At the Library Pride Celebration, Green explained that most of the books displayed were by members of the LGBTQ community. “Some of them are written by straight allies but most of them are what we typically consider queer authors. They are active within our community. They are publishing quite often in some cases, and sometimes it’s just a one-time academic book from them. It’s a variety of literature.”
Ashton Ridley, multicultural affairs coordinator, said events like these help recognize the different communities on campus, and that is how programs and trainings get started. “The event is offered only at CSN West Charleston campus but books and materials related to the QICC will be available in other libraries in different campuses.”
Over 200 signatures were collected for the QICC’s mailing list at the pride event. According to Green, these numbers will identify how many students showed interest in the event. In addition, it will help the Office of Community Relations, Diversity and Multicultural Affairs decide on how much funding initiatives like the QICC will receive next year.
Jalissa Vergara and her friend, both CSN students, signed the mailing list.
“It’s awesome,” Vergara said. “Nice they are getting out there, making people know that [change] is happening.”
“I feel good,” said Jessica Beard, CSN student who attended the library event. “It’s good they are celebrating diversity.”
In addition to events like Library Pride Celebration, the QICC started some campus-wide actions.
The Safe Zone program is just one of the new-initiatives created by QICC in collaboration with the multicultural affairs office. Across campus there are Safe Zone stickers where students and staff can identify welcoming personnel and find support for LGBTQ concerns.
Lisa Clayton, criminal justice professor and co-chair of the QICC committee, said the program is in its first stages. “I don’t think we have good numbers yet because it’s so new. I have had my sticker less than a month.”
The multicultural affairs office plays an important role in supporting these types of initiatives.
“We help celebrate and acknowledge the diversity that is here at CSN,” Ridley said. He is pleased to see the faculty and staff working together to identify needs our students have in this community.
Green shared that everyone is welcomed to support QICC events. “You don’t have to be a member of LGBTQ community. You can be a straight ally. You can be anyone as long as you are supporting equality throughout our institution.”
For more information about QICC visit its page at http://www.csn.edu/pages/5039.asp.
Coyote Student News at the College of Southern Nevada 