LGBTQ Life FAQs

Who can attend LGBTQ Life Events?

Any student who attends any of our University of Rochester (UR) schools. This includes undergraduates, graduates, and professional students. Many are open to staff and faculty as well! Whenever the event is open to staff and faculty, we note that in our announcement in @Rochester. If you’re unsure, please email Col at col.raimond@rochester.edu or Jordan at jordan.ratzlaff@ur.rochester.edu.

I’m a student who forgot to RSVP for an event and it’s happening today. Can I still go?

We know students get busy, so it’s probably okay. See if the form is still open and try to RSVP now. If it’s not or you lost the link, email Jordan or just stop by the Burgett Intercultural Center (BIC) and ask!

I’m not LGBTQ. Is LGBTQ Life for me?

Absolutely! We love our allies and our knowledge-seekers. Our goal is to create a sense of belonging for all our students. That happens best when people can come together to learn about each other.

Here is an example using one of our other student life offices that might help: The Office of Religious and Spiritual Life is a place for students who are religious or spiritual, students who want to learn about religions or spirituality, students who just have questions, students curious about interfaith work, and students who want to experience a tradition different from their own. Basically, if you are a student looking for any resources about religious or spiritual life, you go to that office. LGBTQ Life is the same way!

I’ve never been to an LGBTQ event before. Where do you recommend I start?

Each semester we have an LGBTQ Leadership Lecture that features a free dinner. Many folks start with one of these events because you learn a bit about LGBTQ culture and you get dinner at the same time. Each speaker has a leadership role in the field of LGBTQ life. We note that it is not required that someone be LGBTQ to go into such a leadership role, so it is a great way to learn about different career paths. Many students who are new to learning about the LGBTQ community find these to be good introduction events because they are more passive and education-centered.

Of course, there is no one answer for everyone. We recommend signing up for the BIC newsletter so that you can get a full list of all programming and choose the event that is right for you. Not ready to attend an event but just want to chat about something related to the LGBTQ community or learn more? Hop on Col’s calendar!