SFU’s LGBTAQ+ interest group Out on Campus (OOC) welcomed students to the new school year with an Open House on Wednesday, September 23.
The event featured an informational session about the space and the upcoming events, and gave students a chance to mingle with others whom they might be volunteering alongside in the future.
OOC is a part of the Simon Fraser Student Society that works to reduce discrimination and oppression of LGBTAQ+ people within the university and greater community through a variety of programs, resources, and events.
Within the space, there is a library connected to the SFU Women’s Centre and the Simon Fraser Public Interest Research Group with over 2000 resources, as well as a variety of safer sex supplies available. The staff offer peer support and crisis referral.
This fall, OOC staff member Marion Roberts is running three workshops as part of the Positive Space Network. These workshops are open to anyone, free of charge, and designed to educate individuals on gender and sexuality topics, especially those relevant to the LGBTAQ+ community.
The safe space, free from oppressive language and behaviour according to staff member Firas Al-Tahan, is open to everyone within the SFU community. Regardless of whether or not you were able to make it to the Open House, the staff encourage students to come out to their future events and consider getting involved with their work.
Interested students can get involved through their volunteer programs. All new volunteers go through a volunteer orientation and training day, and find the volunteer commitment that fits best with their interests and availability.
From volunteering in the OOC lounge, liaising between the different Rotunda groups, and volunteering in Surrey, there are a variety of options for students to get involved this semester.
Another opportunity for students to get involved is through the decision-making body called the collective. OOC Volunteer and Program Coordinator Devyn Davies explained that there are no stringent guidelines or time restrictions in regards to joining the group that makes decisions about the space. “If you are interested in collective, there: you are a member of [the] collective now.”
