LGBT Center interim director talks inclusivity with Student Senate
The interim director of the LGBT Center addresses Student Senate. Photo by Emily Zeiler.
The interim director of the LGBT Center at Ohio University, presented to Student Senate on Wednesday about how the department hopes to become more inclusive this semester.
This year, the full-time staff at the LGBT Center tripled relative to last year, showcasing how Ohio U is striving to become a campus that accepts all people, said Micah McCarey, the interim director. The three core components of the LGBT Center are care, inclusion and learning.
“I really felt like this semester has been about reintroducing the center to our Ohio U and Athens community because of how significant it is to change,” McCarey said.
Following the controversy the LGBT Center experienced last year, the department hopes to build communities across the state, whether those are in John Calhoun Baker University Center or at Ohio U’s regional campuses, he said.
The LGBT Center has funds such as the Hudson Support Fund, which helps support students who are financially cut off from their families when they leave for college, McCarey said. The department also manages a travel abroad fund that helps students travel where they feel safe.
McCarey stressed the importance of protecting the transgender community, and other groups that may need support.
“We are truly here for everyone,” he said. “We aren’t just a place for the LGBT community, we’re also here for allies or anyone that drops in.”
Two student representatives from the Board of Trustees spoke at the meeting and said the group will hold meetings next week to discuss a variety of topics such as retirement plans for university employees, enrollment and new capital projects that concern the university.
Graduate Student Senate’s recently passed constitutional amendment — an amendment that changes their constitutional amendment process to no longer include the Board of Trustees’ final approval — will also be reviewed by the Board of Trustees during these meetings.
In other business:
There will be a Scripps College of Communications town hall during the afternoon of Oct. 16 in Schoonover Center 415.
A debate will be held for both the Athens mayoral and City Council positions on Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. in Bentley Hall 238.