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Iowa City, IA – October 30 – Following more than 10 years of researching and pushing for such a facility, the UI's much-anticipated Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Resource Center opened its red door to the public on Sunday. The center will be a place for students to study and relax, as well as a venue in which to hold meetings and bring together gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students with Iowa City residents, organizers said. "One of our many goals is building bridges between students and the community," said Carlos Serrato, an assistant director of the Office of Student Life. "And it's not just a safe space but a place to celebrate our music, art, and literature." UI junior Mark Anthony Dingbaum, a member of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Allied Union, agreed that the resource center will make it easier for students and community members to promote equality and tolerance. "The resource center will allow us to put all of our time and energy into one place," he said. "A problem we've had in the past is we haven't had the opportunity to get together [with the community]." And many are eager to help. UI graduate student Brenton Thompson said he's ready to make a difference. "I hope this facility will help me find ways to be of service to the community and a mentor to undergraduates," he said. The new resource center at 125 Grand Ave. Court didn't happen overnight. Susan Buckley, the UI associate vice president for Human Resources, said people first investigated the possibility of such a center in 1995. But it wasn't until spring 2005 that the Union members decided to expedite establishing the center after learning that a gay couple had been harassed while leaving a football game. After presenting the revised reports to former UI President David Skorton and Phillip Jones, the UI vice president for Student Services, and university officials approved the center's launch this spring. "Students initiated it," Jones said at the center's opening ceremony. "Students made it happen, and students deserve the credit." UI alumnus Ryan Roemerman, the director of the Iowa Pride Network who was key in the center's opening, said another reason the center is so important is it is a place in which students can go to feel safe. "A lot of times, there are [gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender] students who aren't accepted at home, so they come to the university looking for that," he said, adding that he hopes to publicize the Union and its services through the center. The facility itself has a resource room, several lounge areas, an office, and a kitchen - and is staffed by a graduate student who is assisted by three work-study undergraduate students. The concept of the center is similar to that of the ethnic centers that serve the UI student population. Though the resource center is a step in the right direction, Buckley said, much still needed to be done to eradicate anti-gay sentiment on campus. "Centers are the core of who we are and who we're becoming, both individually and collectively," she said. "The work isn't done, and we can never forget to hang onto that persistence and vision." E-mail DI reporter Brittney Berget at:brittney-berget@uiowa.edu |