Over the past academic year, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center and the Women’s Resource Center underwent a merger process, culminating with a new name and mission to reflect a unified center, inclusive of the diverse NIU campus.
The center will now be known as the Gender & Sexuality Resource Center.
The merger transition included combining staff, facilitating joint programming, benchmarking with national partners and conducting focus groups to determine the name and purpose of the new combined center.
At each step, feedback from center staff was complemented by input from the campus community, including faculty, staff, students, and alumni. This input provided a foundation from which to build the new center, as well as feedback about new name options.
Over the summer, marketing materials, new contact information, and new web and social media pages will be launched and shared. The support of the Division of Student Affairs & Enrollment Management and academic partners in this merger process contributed to the success of the transition and will continue to be critical in the Gender & Sexuality Resource Center’s campus involvement.
Gender & Sexuality Resource Center mission
In alliance with the vision and mission of Northern Illinois University and the Division of Student Affairs & Enrollment Management, the Gender & Sexuality Resource Center acknowledges the historical impacts of women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer identities. We are a home away from home for all persons, inclusive of sexual and gender identities, and all forms of masculinity and femininity.
The Gender & Sexuality Resource Center serves as a central location for resources and support where acceptance of intersectional identities is encouraged and celebrated. Through student leadership development, advocacy, campus and academic engagement, and professional development opportunities, we collaborate with community, state, and national partners, alumni, and other stakeholders to challenge societal constructs of gender and sexuality norms and promote social justice.
For more information, call (815) 753-0320 or email gsrc@niu.edu.
