In addition to the open house, the Center will be hosting events throughout the year to celebrate its two decades of impact on the IC campus.
On October 8, there was a celebration in honor of National Coming Out Day, and it featured a unique, homemade touch: a large, rainbow-striped door that was constructed by Sybil Conrad, director of Campus Center. One side of the door features student-painted rainbow stripes, while the other has students’ handprints in rainbow colors.
As part of the event, students had been invited to anonymously answer post-it note prompts on what coming out meant to them for others to read. Some of the prompts included, “My advice for LGBTQ+ people coming out is...” and “Something I wish my younger self knew…”
“I’m hoping through that display [the prompt wall], students will know that they are not alone and will be able to have the benefit of taking in the experience of other folks,” Maurer said.
Maurer stressed the importance of National Coming Out Day being for celebration, and not pressure to come out.