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From: Office of Institutional Diversity

OSU Community Members,

We write to wish all members of the Oregon State community a happy Pride Month and to celebrate the resilience and strength of the queer and trans community within the university and beyond.

Queer and trans communities have long been at the center of transformational change at OSU, including the founding of the Pride Center, SOL: LGBTQ+ Multicultural Support Network, the Hattie Redmond Women and Gender Center, the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies department and the Queer Studies program.

In many cases, these accomplishments are the result of OSU students and employees leading advocacy to create a better, more inclusive university. These stories and many others are archived within the OSU Queer Archives and continue to serve as a source of inspiration for current and future generations.

While Pride Month is a time of joy, it also provides an opportunity to reflect on the considerable work ahead, and the realities of policies and practices across the country that continually challenge the ability of queer and trans people to thrive.

In many states, we are witnessing the passage of laws limiting the ability of trans youth and adults to access healthcare, bans targeting books about queer and trans communities, and efforts to curtail the free expression rights of queer and trans people.

This environment is creating significant concern and anxiety among students and employees at OSU. To concerned community members: we understand the stress of the present climate and are working to offer support, provide access to accurate and timely information, and create opportunities for OSU community members to learn more and raise awareness. More information about these opportunities will be shared on the Office of Institutional Diversity website.

Important work is underway throughout the university. On the Corvallis campus this includes the hiring of OSU’s first two Coordinators of LGBTQ+ Student Mental Health and Wellness in Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and creating access to gender affirming health care through Student Health Services and CAPS. Additionally, the Pride Center and Office of Institutional Diversity facilitate workshops to build capacity for supporting queer and trans students and employees, and University Human Resources has created tailored guidance to help queer and trans employees navigate benefits and resources.

More work is to come, including the creation of more gender-inclusive restroom facilities at OSU locations across the state, projects to make IT systems more responsive to gender diversity and enhancing efforts to gather accurate data so decisions are made with the unique needs of queer and trans community members in mind.

For OSU students in need of support, please contact the Pride Center, Hattie Redmond Women and Gender Center or consult the many available resources within OSU. Employees may contact University Human Resources or the Office of Institutional Diversity.

As Pride Month continues, we encourage OSU community members to learn more and get involved. As with all efforts to advance equity, the work of creating and sustaining a university where queer and trans community members can thrive is not limited to just a few offices and people – this is all our work.

Queer and trans community members are essential to who we are as a university, and collectively we must ensure that Pride Month is just one of many opportunities to learn, strategize and act to make OSU a place that continually improves access, belonging and success for all.

Sincerely, Scott A. Vignos, Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer

Dan Larson, Vice Provost for Student Affairs

Heather Horn, Associate Vice President and Chief Human Resources Office

Send Date: 
Tuesday, June 13, 2023