UQ Conference

Activity Name & Description

UQ Conference

About the Conference:

In 1993, UC Riverside established the first professionally-staffed campus LGBT resource center west of the state of Iowa. In the 20 years since, the number of college and university LGBT centers in California alone has reached 26 campuses, including 9 in the University of California system. UCR also led the way in 1996 with the first LGBT Studies Minor in the state and in 2005 as the first public institution in the nation to offer a gender neutral housing option to all students. The UC system embraced domestic partner health and retirement benefits, and transgender-inclusive health insurance for all employees and students.The CSU system, private universities and the community colleges of California are finding new and innovative ways every year to create LGBT-inclusive campuses. We honor each other by adapting best practices to our unique and diverse campus communities.

The UQ Conference brings us together to reflect on our progress and aspirations for the future, as we lead the way for LGBT-inclusion on campus.

Activity:

In the Spring Semester of my Graduate Assistantship, my supervisor tasked me to attend the UQ conference as a representative for CSUF. My role was gain experiences and find new strategies to help .

his all day conference would welcome different queer college students of color throughout the country. Mostly a regional conference, this year we had over 30 delegations and over 15 workshops. My role developed as a lead co-facilitator of the conference where I would assist in any way that I could to make the conference a success.

Date/Semester

 February 2nd, 2013, (Spring Semester)

Learning Domains Addressed (Labels)

X Leadership 
X Social Justice & Advocacy 
X Education 

o Assessment & Evaluation 
X Personal Development

Learning Outcomes

-Student will be able to indentify three different strategies/best practices that professionals utilize when they work with LGBTQ students in Higher Education Institutions.

-Student will be able to connect three pieces of advice/information that I will be able to use in my work as Graduate Assistant for the ASI LGBTQ Center

-Student will be able to meet three different LGBTQ Student Affairs Professionals

Assessment Rubric (One Per Learning Outcome)

Rubric UQ Conference

	SLO #1 – Identifying Strategies/Best Practices	SLO #2 – Identifying issues facing the LGBTQ Community	SLO #3 –Meeting LGBTQ Student Affairs Professionals
Advanced	I will be able to identify multiple strategies and best practices utilized by LGBTQ Student Affairs Practitioners.	I will be able to several different issues facing LGBTQ Community.	I will be able to meet and network with 3 different LGBTQ Student Affairs Professionals.
Competent	I will be able to identify two strategies and best practices utilized by LGBTQ Student Affairs Practitioners.	I will be able to identify two different issues facing LGBTQ Community.	I will be able to meet and network with 2 different LGBTQ Student Affairs Professionals.
Basic	I will be able to identify one strategy and best practice utilized by LGBTQ Student Affairs Practitioners.	I will be able to identify one different issue facing LGBTQ Community.	I will be able to meet and network with 1 different LGBTQ Student Affairs Professional.
Poor	I will be unable to identify multiple strategies and best practices utilized by LGBTQ Student Affairs Practitioners.	I will be unable to identify any different issues facing LGBTQ Community.	I will be unable to meet and network with any different LGBTQ Student Affairs Professionals.

 

Evidence

Student Learning Outcome One: Best Strategies

Goals for Centers: Inclusivity (trans)

-Visibility Training (ally)-have people learn about their own privileges, a place to facilitate a conversation, 

-“fix it” solution isn't working, here's what we don't have, here's what we do have, so we don't jeopardize the space

-Create a feedback system, so staff doesn't sweep over the rug, open about issues about group/resource center

-Awareness to be know that queer identities exist outside of the Mainstream in America-advocacy/education-difficulty getting voice heard

-personal goal: to demand more, not taken or burden, to demand change, its not my responsibility to change my oppressors, its their responsibility, 

-when you depend on the institution to change, there are excuses, not always about resources, look at greater culture in queer community-socially

            -focus less on material resources but more on 

            -dependancy we are indoctrinated into, surviving, we are always told if you want ____, you've got to do ____, think outside of that, think of limitations of what people mean by goals and plans

-Centers should get every thing improved, transparency of how $$$ gets backed to students

            -$$$ set aside for orgs instead of having to fundraising,

            -students have to do the work themselves, prioritize

Community Agreements to Utilize in LGBTQ Resource Centers:

(When working with LGBTQ students in the Resource Centers and in LGBTQ programming, it was agreed upon to have these recommended Community Agreements to help create a rapport with students.)

Preferred Gender Pronouns

-Holding space for each other

-Use I statements

-Active Listening

-Multicultural modes/spaces, recognize we all have different backgrounds and we have different modes of communication

-Recognize places of difference

-Specfrom your own experience

-Safety vs Discomfort: If something is triggering, please take self-care

-One mic

-Misery is optional

-Move up, Move back

-Don’t Yuck my Yum

-What is said  stays here, what is learned leaves here

-Oops, ouch, my bad

Student Learning Outcome Two: Issues

 Issues Facing LGBTQ Student Community:

-There is a prevalence of a Center-for some Higher Education Students, they don’t have a center, but an office, not advertised, intentionally by institutions

-Challenges for LGBTQ students- hangout space, instead of fully funded staffed center with adequate resources

-recommendations: create alliances with other like minded individuals, creating a better center, advertising in other spaces

-There is a need to co-program thru events like workshops

-There tends to be a division between racially white and meta queers of color

-There are separations between lgbtq groups of color,

-closed spaces may be a necessity, open qpoc spaces, monthly

-Closed spaces create the sense of safety

            -inclusive spaces are also important

            -lack of connection between lgbtq center and other cultural resource centers

-Many students feel like they have to choose between            

-not aware of intersectionality

-There is a need to create spaces for dialogue, collaborate between centers

                        -need for qpoc groups to be me visible

-For Queer Students of color, there may be a lack of visibility and support, lack of representation, not feeling comfortable, not dedicated

                        -create low maintenance club

-There is a need to check in for what’s bothering you (students)

-Practitioners need to:

-organize events: indentify QPOC, movie night, hanging out, open conversations about racism, heterosexism

            -how some places can’t accommodate space limitations for lgbtq groups, 

            -purpose of confidentiality for some groups, confidentiality limits membership, precautions needed to be safe

Student Learning Outcome Three: Networking

LGBTQ Student Affairs Practitioners I was able network with during the Conference:

-Nancy Tubbs and Toi Thibodeaux (UCR)

-Tam Welch, UC Santa Cruz

Anthony J. Garrison-Engbrecht- Loyala Marrymount University

Throughout the conference I was able to connect with the above practitoners. I was able to exchange business cards, emails and social media information as well as accepting an invitation to the Socal Higher Education LGBTQ Pro Staff organization.

           

For additional evidence, I listed the websites and some pictures from the Conference:

http://out.ucr.edu/events/pages/UQ.aspx

Reflection

 Upon reflecting on the Queer People of Color Conference, I was able to learn more about my role as a Queer Student Affairs Professional.  I found that continual reflection of self-determination was a key theme at the conference. I found this important for both practitioners and students.

One of the key facets of Self Determination: is about You naming You, vs naming yourself for the OTHER, conforming into a box, being named. Self determination is about asking “Who you are explaining yourself for?.” Being both a Queer Professional and student means doing one’s part as a change agent to dismantle the systems of power. One of the beauties of being “Queer” is our fluidity, being able to change, able to move, and transform. I think both Student Affairs Practitioners and students should continually shift to a  more “queer” practice.