From the beginning of Bill Kelly’s presidency at CNU, he has made strong points about growing diversity, equity, and inclusion across campus. Through his utilization of open office hours and taking the opportunity to listen to the CNU community’s wants and needs, many things are changing to create a more inclusive campus.
The most recent of these changes is the establishment of CNU Pride Week. Students, faculty, and employees received an email Monday from the Chief of Communications which included a message from President Kelly. In the message, the first-ever CNU Pride week was announced. Kelly said, “This week, I hope you will consider joining Angie and me in taking affirmative steps toward making equality, opportunity, and justice more real at Christopher Newport.”
The event is being organized by the LGBTQ+ and allies faculty/staff affinity group with multiple events that are “open to all,” Kelly said.
Tuesday kicked the week off with a resource fair in the David Student Union breezeway. Each table had different information and encouraged LGBTQ+ “joy and acceptance.” Students walking by were able to learn information about the community from organizations both on and off campus.
An open forum was held on Wednesday for the faculty and staff to share their thoughts or express concerns about LGBTQ+ acceptance. Although this event was geared toward faculty and staff, students were welcome to attend as well. President Kelly said in his email, “I will attend the open forum and look forward to learning more about how we can make our campus a more inclusive place where all of us feel we belong.”
The week is closed with a PLP and Honors discovery event in Forbes 1022. This event is meant to highlight “faculty research on LGBTQ+ topics,” and students were highly encouraged to attend.
President Kelly’s final remarks in the message said, “CNU Pride ’24 is all about is seeing each other and appreciating the many ways each of us contributes to this community. Equality, opportunity, and justice are only possible when we are visible and free to be our best self.”
Dr. Danielle Stern, from the Department of Communication, is one of the faculty leading this initiative. Stern said, “I’m in my sixteenth year at CNU and have never seen a more LGBTQ+ inclusive environment than we have presently.”
Although the campus is more inclusive than ever, Stern mentioned that it was only last semester that the Safe Zone placards and Pride Stickers were torn down and stolen.
“When faced with discrimination, queer communities must band together in resistance as well as resilience,” she said.
The events this week are for the affirmation of the “vibrant queer identities and research present on this campus,” Stern said. “I am grateful to the Affinity Group and Spectrum, as well as other campus partners for rising to this challenge.”
