The University of California, Davis — one of the Golden State’s ten primary campuses—hosts approximately 36,000 students on its sunny grounds. Yes, that’s a lot! Over the years, the LGBT community and its associated programs have become a very visible group on campus. Some colleges that we research are “behind the times” so to speak when it comes to offering LGBT students a safe space to grow and learn; the primary want, a resource center, is often missing. The University of California, Davis’ center opened its doors in 1994, putting them far ahead of the curve. It focused on progression in the years that followed. Transgender, queer, intersex and asexual were all added to the name as such orientations became socially important. A full-time coordinator was hired in 1997 to help with programming, advising and so forth. This hasn’t stopped. LGBT students and allies have a lot of infrastructure in place to support them at the University of California, Davis. Let’s touch on some of these key points.
Sometimes, a student’s college experience is the first place where they can really explore and be open about their sexuality. UC Davis’ center has an abundance of resources, ranging from counselors and support hotlines to information on coming out and confronting hatred. The university is slowly but surely adding gender-inclusive restrooms to its campus to foster a sense of safety, and student housing facilities do all that they can to accommodate specific needs. There’s also Queer Leadership Retreat, which is an annual excursion in the Sierra Foothills that offers: workshops, team-building activities, academic resources and peer support.
Once acquainted with the group and what it has to offer, there are other events to attend! Pride Week is perhaps the largest LGBT event of the year for Aggies, but those focused on awareness rank just behind it. Cuppa Tea is a biweekly discussion space that peaked our interest. Here students address important topics, issues, forthcoming events and just socialize. It seems like a positive, laid-back forum for letting your voice be heard and making new friends. Other programs include interning or volunteering with the LGBT center, as well as mentoring peers and local high school students. Basically, if it’s your mission to make a difference in the LGBT community, there’s something just waiting to fill those gaps in your busy collegiate schedule.
“The Out List” is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before at a college. Launched in 2015, this university-sanctioned document list the names of staff and faculty who identify as LGBT (contact info, photos and a bio can also be included). The goal here was to help students identify inspirational role models who they encounter each day, and to encourage them to pursue mentorship opportunities without the fear of discrimination. The university is striving towards a campus that’s unbiased towards sexual orientation, and this innovative solution is slowly gaining momentum. Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean that there’s no discrimination to be found.
In 2010, the resource center was vandalized with hateful words towards the Queer community. It sparked an outrage amongst students, and thought he culprit was never found, his attempts at hurting LGBT students ultimately failed. It empowered and reaffirmed why the center is such an important place on campus. Homophobia can still be found at the University of California, Davis, but they’re putting resources in place and enforcing harsh repercussions for hate-based acts to help end it.
You’ll discover an encouraging community at UC Davis, where faculty and scholars alike aren’t afraid to be open about who they are. Fun events, volunteer opportunities and administrative support make all the difference at this university that’s doing whatever it can to care for all of its student body.
If you’re interested in UC Davis, make sure you check out our story on their Campus food.
Ryan James is a ’13 alumnus of Ohio University’s College of Arts & Sciences with a bachelor’s degree in writing and media. He currently works as a copywriter for a Fortune 500 e-commerce corporation based in Columbus, OH.