The Office of LGBTQ+ Services coordinates a Campus Pride Week in April in response to a trend by college campuses across the country.

Todd Nordgren, director of LGBTQ+ Services, is helping to plan the event from April 2-8, which will be Dickinson’s first ever celebratory Pride Week. Dickinson also holds a similar event in the fall in honor of LGBTQ+ History Month, including Out on Britton Day. “Our goal is to match Fall semester’s educational events on history of the LGBTQ+ community with a Campus Pride week as celebratory capstone to the academic year in April, allowing us to collectively show our commitment to building a more open and affirming campus for our LGBTQ+ students, faculty, administrators, and staff,” Nordgren said. 

This is a similar trend that is happening across the country in response to students not being on campus during Pride Month, usually celebrated in June. “Penn State and the other Commonwealth campuses programmed pride month in April for the first time last year.”Nordgren is working with a variety of other groups and departments on campus, such as MOB, The Trout Gallery, The Center for Spirituality and Social Justice, and many more. The Pride Coordinators, student employees for the Office of LGBTQ+ Services, also have a hand in “brand-new programs,” according to Nordgren. 

While close in proximity to the town of Carlisle, Dickinson’s Pride Week will be confined to Dickinson campus. “The goal is to engage the LGBTQ+ community on campus. Also, our partners in Carlisle are busy planning for Carlisle Pride events in June. However, my hope is that we can collaborate with local partners more in the future if this year’s events are successful.”

Pride Week will offer a variety of events, including a keynote speaker, alumni Emily Newbert ’66, who will be talking about “her experience of activism as a trans woman advocating for transition related care.” This event will also be co-hosted by the Clarke Forum. Other events include workshops for “careers and job searches, study abroad, and the relationship between spirituality and sexual identity… poetry at the library, a queer and trans people of color (QTPOC) salon, and a Queer Peers event… at the Carlisle Sports Emporium.”

Katie McQuaid ’22 is very excited for the event. “I’m overjoyed to have pride come to campus, especially for my senior spring. It really makes it feel special!”