For the month of June the Dr. Rita Smith Wade-El Intercultural Center at Millersville University planned several activities to celebrate Pride Month. Pride Month takes place each June and celebrates LGBTQIA+ culture and those who identify as LGBTQIA+ on a national scale.
In celebration, the progressive Pride Flag is displayed at the Student Memorial Center (SMC) all month long. This specific flag was redesigned to represent more inclusivity and more aspects of the LGBTIA+ community.
Educational tabletop displays about Pride Month and LGBTIA+ culture are featured around campus, primarily in the SMC, offices and the Lombardo Welcome Center.
Pride Month T-Shirts
T-shirts featuring Skully, the University’s mascot, and the progressive Pride Flag are available for current students, faculty, staff and alumni to order. Donations are suggested when ordering the shirts, with the donations going towards the LGBTQ+ Allies Living-Learning Community (LLC) on campus. The LGBTQ+ Allies LLC is a housing community for freshman students interested in LGBTQIA+ history and advocacy, open to both members of the community and allies. Donations for the 2021 Pride Month T-shirts will help this living-learning community grow. To give a donation please contact icse@millersville.edu for more information.
Celebrate Pride Month at the Ville Boxes
The Intercultural Center will also put together boxes filled with buttons, stickers and educational information. These boxes will be available to order on the Intercultural Center’s Get Involved page, and those who place an order can either pick them up on campus or fill out their mailing address to have it shipped to their home. The pride month packages are available to current students, faculty and staff.
Campus Pride Index Assessment
The Campus Pride Index is a nonprofit organization that ranks colleges and universities across the country based on safety and LGBTIA+ inclusivity. After a self-assessment based on certain factors such as LGBTIA+ housing, student life and counseling, a rating out of five stars is given to each school that participates.
Millersville University recently participated in this assessment, led by the Intercultural Center and the President’s Commission on Gender and Diversity. The results will be released at the end of the month as a celebration.
For more information and to stay up-to-date on Pride Month events happening at Millersville University, follow @mu_interculturalcenter on Instagram.