The News Service
38 Brown Street / Box R
Providence RI 02912

401 863-2476
Fax 863-9595

Distributed February 25, 2004
Contact Kristen Cole

A grand opening celebration for the LGBTQ Resource Center will be held Tuesday, March 2, 2004, from 5 to 7 p.m., in Rooms 321 and 323 of Faunce House on The College Green. The center will serve as a meeting place for a variety of student groups and as a hub for academic activity and administrative programs.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Brown University announces the opening of a Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) Resource Center to provide welcoming space for students, staff and faculty dealing with matters of sexual orientation and gender identity.

A grand opening celebration for the resource center will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 2, 2004, in Rooms 321 and 323 of Faunce House. The event will introduce Angela Mazaris, the newly appointed LGBTQ Resource Center coordinator. Refreshments will be served and Lewis Seifert, associate professor of French Studies, will provide a reading.

“The opening of the resource center is an important step in improving the support we provide LGBTQ students,” said David A. Greene, interim vice president for campus life and student services. “It will also increase the students' capacity for developing programs that enrich the cultural and intellectual life of the campus.”

The University dedicated resources for the center at the suggestion of a committee of faculty, students and administrators to affirm the existence and development of LGBTQ individuals at Brown and to support the LGBTQ community within the larger institution.

Among the goals for the center:

• create visibility for LGBTQ issues and concerns;
• serve as the home of the student organization Queer Alliance and other student organizations;
• provide support and referrals for victims of anti-LGBTQ harassment and violence;
• implement educational programming on issues surrounding sexual orientation and gender identity – lunchtime discussion events and study breaks, for example;
• provide a home for the Renn Mentoring Program, which pairs LGBTQ students with LGBTQ staff and faculty;
• provide information about LGBTQ resources in Providence and beyond;
• create opportunities for Brown students to interact with Brown alumni.

Mazaris, a graduate student in the Department of American Civilization, will serve as the center coordinator on a part-time basis. As an undergraduate in English at Vassar College, Mazaris studied feminist theory and women’s studies. At Brown, her focus is on women’s history, feminist and queer theory, U.S. cultural history and popular literature. She has experience teaching college courses and working for non-profit organizations.

Mazaris will provide direct services to the LGBTQ community through education, leadership development, advising student groups, advocacy, support and referrals, event planning and career networking. She will report to the Office of Student Life.

The LGBTQ Resource Center contributes to the University’s commitment to diversity, equity, leadership development and intellectual exploration. “Most importantly, it will provide a place for LGBTQ students to call home, where they can feel comfortable and supported during their time at Brown,” said Margaret Jablonski, dean for campus life.

The LGBTQ Resource Center is open Mondays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Wednesdays, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; and Fridays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call (401) 863-3062.

######

News Service Home  |  Top of File  |  e-Subscribe  |  Brown Home Page