The Gender and Sexuality Student Resource Center (GSSRC) at Salt Lake Community College – which has since 2019 dedicated itself to serving womxn and queer students – is looking to add its services to SLCC’s orientation for first-year students, according to staff.
SLCC presents its orientation to new students as part of the initial registration process, which informs them about the college’s various services and departments as well as how to add classes and keep track of their degree progress. The GSSRC, however, currently lacks mentioning in SLCC’s prepared orientation material.
Although SLCC keeps orientation the same year-to-year, the college opens the door to updating the process with a review every five years. Peter Moosman, manager of the GSSRC, spoke positively about the possible inclusion of the center in the college’s orientation.
“My goal is for every student to be aware of this center,” said Moosman, which came to fruition after many proposals dating back to 2015. “Having the physical space has been the most helpful for students. They can come in and get the help they need without the fear of judgment.”
Moosman said he would love to see more people working in the GSSRC, as well as for the center to have a physical presence at other campuses, but he acknowledged that the most realistic goal he has is to keep the center open.
“The government is trying to remove diversity and inclusion [efforts on college campuses],” Moosman said. “Hopefully that won’t happen, as it could cause a shutdown or force us to become self-funded. The more visibility the [GSSRC] can get, the more the school … will help fund us and provide resources.”
Alyssa Snyder, a coordinator for the Orientation and Student Success Center at SLCC, said she wishes the in-person orientation process for students, known as “Bruin Bound,” was more individualized.
“I would like to see more identity-based things in orientation,” Snyder said. “But the nature of the college is that we are the first people to tell them how to get into school.”
LGBTQ+ students who frequent the GSSRC said they love having an accommodating space on campus and wish more people knew about it. “Having the space has been really helpful … It’s a safe space I can focus on my homework and feel safe,” said August Delph, a social work major at SLCC.
Being a first-year student, Delph said they were glad to have found the GSSRC in passing, since there was no mention of the center in the orientation they attended. “All of the support centers should be advertised more and put in the orientation,” Delph said.
Similarly, SLCC student Nina Bégué, a first-year history major, said she wouldn’t have known about the center without help from an advisor at her high school. Bégué added that she felt welcomed and comfortable when she first stepped foot into the GSSRC.
“Just knowing that there is a room for LGBTQ+ students shows that there’s progress [being made] and that there’s more to come,” Bégué said.
Inclusive to all
As for students who don’t visit the center, many of them were unfamiliar with the GSSRC but expressed support for the possible inclusion of the center in the orientation process.
Mavaney Burnham, who in December graduated from the college’s video/radio production program, admitted that despite being enrolled at SLCC since the fall 2020 semester, she “didn’t know of the GSSRC’s existence” until last semester.
While not personally a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Burnham said she fully supports the community and would encourage her sister-in-law, who is queer and currently a junior in high school, to attend the GSSRC.
“I would definitely recommend the GSSRC to her if she decides that she wants to go to college at SLCC,” said Burnham. She explained that, while the online orientation she took in 2020 provided important information about the school, she felt it did not sufficiently cover the various on-campus resources that are available for the students who need them.
“I think that getting at least the names of available resources out there would be a great first step,” Burnam added.
Film major Grace Mastroianni, like Burnham, does not identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community but has nevertheless found the GSSRC to be inclusive to all. She occasionally visits the center because of how comfortable she finds herself there.
“I originally thought [the GSSRC] was specifically for people who identified as queer, [but] they told me that it was also a safe space for people with disabilities, like myself,” Mastroianni said. This, she said, was especially impactful for her after having struggled to fit in following a move from California two years ago.
“Even if you’re not queer or have a disability, you can go in there, and the moment you step into that space, you are welcomed with warm, friendly faces, whether they be queer, disabled or just a straight, neurotypical student,” Mastroianni said. “Everyone should know about it.”
According to LendingTree, SLCC is the most affordable LGBTQ-friendly college in the country. The site attributes student organizations and regularly organized LGBTQ+ activities to SLCC’s number-one placement.
