After having a temporary location in yakʔitʸutʸu to help freshman students acclimate to college life, Cal Poly’s Pride Center has made a full shift to operate primarily from the University Union (UU).
During fall quarter it operated from two locations: the UU in Room 209 and the elewexe commons in the yakʔitʸutʸu dorms.
Pride Center Student Assistant and music junior Declan Galli said the shift back to the UU was based on feedback from students, namely the issue of residential versus public access to the center’s resources.
Although sociology freshman Grace Bower said she enjoyed having a space for the center in the dorms, she understands the reason for their move when it comes to having space to hold meetings.
The change to two locations during fall quarter was for freshmen acclimating to college dorm life under the LGBT campus life curriculum, Galli said. The elewexe commons were not just open for freshmen, however, as other members of the community used the commons.
“We will still be working closely with residents in our pride spaces to ensure they have valuable experiences as they adjust to Cal Poly,” Galli said. “We look forward to continuing to partner with the elewexe residents and LGBTQ campus life.”
The center has many plans for winter quarter. Each week there are meetings for five affinity groups which they currently run. These groups include the Umbrella group (transgender and non-binary), Bi-Pan group, Womxn, Masculinity and Queer Trans People of Color. They are also planning a pride prom and making plans for Central Coast Pride in May.
“We will be working on supporting our whole community as well as making an intentional focus on supporting Queer and Trans Students of Color,” Galli said.
The center is open to all as long as the University Union is open. It is staffed Monday-Friday 12-6 p.m.
More upcoming events can be found on the Pride Center Instagram @calpolypridecenter.
