Education

Columbia Reserves Rooms For Black And LGBTQ Groups Only

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Rob Shimshock Education Reporter
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Columbia University has set aside rooms in a student center exclusively reservable for black and LGBTQ student groups.

Columbia College Student Council unanimously approved a petition for rooms at the university that will be specifically dedicated to black and LGBTQ student groups, according to Campus Reform. In the proposal, students requested “more institutional support, staff, resources, funding, and space for LGBTQ+ students, students of color, and those who hold combinations of these identities,” reports Campus Reform.

Columbia has not yet disclosed whether it will comply with the students’ requests for “resources that could accommodate computers” and a “mounted television.”

“There are many spaces on campus, especially those that are dominated by straight males, that leave me tense,” said a Columbia freshman. “An LGBTQ+ Center would offer me yet another space where I could feel like I am safe to simply exist and be me.”

“Columbia boasts about having a diverse student body,” explained another student, “but the Columbia students who create this diversity are not properly cared for.”

The Student Affairs Committee of Columbia’s University Senate announced the room reservations on Friday.

“Taking care of our LGBTQ students and students of color and figuring out better ways to do that is always on the minds of student leadership and the Student Affairs Committee,” said Sean Ryan, Co-Chair of the Student Affairs Committee. “In this particular case, [the] initiative really took advantage of a really fantastic opportunity to meet the needs of a community that is at a higher risk for mental health and wellness issues than their peers.”

Columbia University did not respond to a request for comment.

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