DeKALB – The Gender and Sexuality Resource Center held a series of events and activities during the first two weeks of school to attract students to their new location.
The GSRC is a resource center for students of all identities. It values social justice, collaboration and inclusivity. It is located in Room 132 on the First Floor of the Peters Campus Life Building on the corner of Lucinda Avenue and Normal Road. It is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Throughout the two weeks, activities were set up for students to do while visiting and learning about the center. Students were able to craft their own care kits, make friendship bracelets, play card games and play Wii games while having snacks and hanging out.
Molly Holmes, director of the GSRC said that creating a two-week long event-filled open house was done to allow students to stop by at times that worked for them.
“We were trying out to kind of extend the opportunity during those first two weeks of classes before maybe student orgs have their meetings, and also reintroduce people to this space, because it’s new,” Holmes said.
The two-week open house will wrap up Friday with a collaboration with the Counselling and Consultation services therapy dog, Chase. Chase will be present from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the GSRC to provide emotional support to students.
Along with creating a safe space for students to interact, the GSRC also connected students with other resources and centers on campus. For the first week of classes, they took students to the Interdisciplinary Center open house and the Center for Black Studies open house.
Holmes said that accompanying students to different resource centers made it a more comfortable experience for those hesitant to go on their own.
“If students didn’t know where to go or have somebody to go with, we would go together, and that assisted in maybe introducing students to a new space on campus, or just having somebody to go with,” Holmes said.
Events hosted by the center will continue to be held in the coming weeks and throughout the academic year.
The Cultural Sisterhood Summit is facilitated by the GSRC, but is a collaboration with all the cultural and diversity centered resource centers on campus. The event will be all day on Oct. 17. Students can go to the GSRC to register or email [email protected] for more information.
“We realize there’s a lot of orgs that might think about gender or think about sisterhood,” Holmes said. ”But the cultural sisterhood summit brings people together to think about, ‘what does sisterhood mean at NIU?’”
To provide the best support and resources to students, GSRC staff go through Ally Training, professional development training, undocumented student ally training and disability ally training.
Holmes said staff have a vast understanding of student diversity and are able to provide support to students from all backgrounds.
“Our staff are really familiar with what the additional cultural resources, diversity and cultural resources offer,” Holmes said.
Holmes said that the best way students can get involved with the GSRC is to visit the center to study or relax.
“We really want people to learn about our space, to interact and take advantage of the educational and student involvement opportunities we offer,” Holmes said. “We’re here to serve campus, and we’re really excited about the work that we do.”
Samantha Lachowicz, a graduate student studying sociology, said that they like going to the GSRC to study because the furniture makes the space comfortable.
“It’s a good space,” Lachowicz said. “I kind of like the mix of furniture.”
Sam Glaab-Lanigan, the associate director for women and gender programming of the GSRC, said the center is a great place for students to come for help and to connect with other students.
“Like a lot of other centers on campus, we center students and student success,” Glaab-Lanigan said. “This particular center is super important because we are giving a space for students to connect with staff and other students.”
