Progress pride flag. This photo is in the public domain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_flag_(LGBT)#/media/File:LGBTQ+_rainbow_flag_Quasar_%22Progress%22_variant.svg
UAA’s student union will soon be home to the historic first college pride center in the state. The UAA Pride Center is something that students, staff and faculty have been asking for, for a long time, said Multicultural Student Services Director Sara Caldwell-Kan.
“UAA is, like most places, a very heteronormative, cis-normative, patriarchal institution and trying to explore and learn about your identity in some of those spaces feels really challenging,” said Caldwell-Kan. Even for those who are not exploring, it can be hard to find spaces where their identity is fully embraced, said Caldwell-Kan.
Caldwell-Kan said that when students come to college, having people and places that affirm their identity affect whether they decide to remain at that college and is correlated to student success.
The creation of the Pride Center didn’t happen on its own. Instead it’s the result of a large push of LGBTQIA+ affirming programs and groups at UAA.
When Caldwell-Kan was hired in 2021, her position as director at Multicultural Student Services was changed to also focus on LGBTQIA+ students in addition to her other roles. Since then, some Multicultural Student Services initiatives have included trainings on pronoun use in the classroom, faculty development on LGBTQIA+ success, lavender graduations and the creation of Rainbow Initiatives, which creates LGBTQIA+ events on campus.
UAA’s LGBTQIA2S+ Advisory Committee was the group to formally put together the proposal for the Pride Center in 2019. This fall, UAA’s student government recognized the creation of the Pride Center and passed a resolution supporting its creation as soon as possible.
Jessi Saiki is the engagement and belonging coordinator at Multicultural Student Services in charge of Rainbow Initiatives. Saiki has worked with the Rainbow Initiatives team to make the Pride Center as welcoming as possible.
Those who have spent time in Multicultural Student Services may recognize similarities between the spaces.
“We’re emulating, in a way, the comfort and living room nature of MSS,” said Saiki.
Saiki said they want the space to be a place of “relaxing community,” and will have lots of fun furniture, light, plants, work stations and low-sensory spaces for those who need a break.
The Pride Center will be moving into a space in The Hub, which can be found on the lower level of the Student Union.
When the Pride Center opens, Saiki’s office will be there as well. They said that their role is to support students however they can.
“My office is always open to anyone regardless of what's going on. I am a listening ear and someone who really cares.”
The grand opening of the Pride Center will be the first day of spring semester, Jan. 17 from 4 to 6 p.m. For the rest of the semester the Pride Center will be open 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. on weekdays.
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