Nearly doubling its previous size, the relocation and remodeling of the Gender and Sexuality Campus Center (GSCC) within Student Affairs, serves to better support the increasing number of students utilizing its services. Acceptance and belonging are vital for students to reach their full potential as academics, leaders, and individuals. Not only does quality campus support provide students with guidance and resources, but it also connects them to peers with similar experiences and celebrates their identities across campus. These methods of support are exactly what the Grand WI-Opening of the Gender and Sexuality Campus Center set out to provide.
The renovated GSCC includes offices for full-time staff members, individual spaces for students to meet with mental health professionals, and an area available for LGBTQ+ student organization meetings and events.
Donor contributions heavily influenced the possibility for these impactful renovations to take place. In fact, the centerpiece of the new space is an art piece by UW-Madison alumna Jeanette Martín and was commissioned by donor Larry Ginsberg. Describing the importance of the piece, GSCC assistant director Katherine Charek Briggs notes, “The new space is a new start for UW community to find connection and resources from the GSCC in a physical environment and to have that work overseen by beautiful art- a mural by alum Jeanette Martin- featuring the wisdom of Audre Lorde and James Baldwin.”
Charek Briggs further details the impact of donor generosity on GSCC services as ranging, “… from books for the library to scholarship endowments that we disburse to students as needed.”
Without the incredible assistance donors provide, the Gender and Sexuality Campus Center would be unable to fully meet students’ and their communities’ needs. In the words of Katherine Charek Briggs, “Especially in the current environment, LGBTQ+ students need spaces for community-building and support to navigate shifting policy and practices at UW and beyond.”
The GSCC continues to be vital in UW-Madison’s goal to uplift students of all identities as they become the next generation of leaders. The Campus Center opened it’s doors in October and remains open to students throughout the ongoing pandemic.