About the Pride Center – Eagle Pride Center

Our Mission

The Pride Center at Eastern Washington University is a student-funded unit that strives to advance equity and inclusion for LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities on campus and in the local community.

The Pride Center supports, empowers, and advocates on behalf of students, connects EWU community members to on-campus and local resources, creates and facilitates inspiring programs and events, and delivers educational trainings and workshops. Guided by a deep understanding of the need for intersectional social justice frameworks, the Pride Center is committed to strong alliances and partnerships with diverse cultural, ethnic, political, spiritual, and arts communities at EWU and beyond.

What we do!

As a student-funded campus unit, the Pride Center supports LGBTQ+ students and the greater EWU community through advocacy and empowerment, providing community space, delivering programs and events, and facilitating trainings and workshops. We seek to reflect our community, mission, and values in all we do.

Advocacy – We help LGBTQ+ communities and their allies navigate systemic injustices that inhibit a welcoming and inclusive campus environment. We create space for dialogue and activism, empower critical, mindful, and strategic thinking, and utilize resources to advance initiatives and policies that support LGBTQ+ communities as well as the university’s commitment to inclusiveness.

Community Space – On a daily basis, we function as a welcoming and affirming space for all students, regardless of how you identify. Students often use the space to:

relax between classes (naps are welcome!),
use the two computer stations to work on assignments and surf the web,
seek support and information,
access snacks and meals via our micro food pantry, and
talk about pressing issues.

We also host the weekly meetings of Eagle Pride, EWU’s LGBTQ+ student organization. For the Spring 2023 quarter, they are meeting on Tuesday at 4pm. Check them out on Instagram!

Programs and Events – Our programs and events are inspired by our students, the needs of the EWU community, and current national and international events. They are designed to build and sustain community, cultivate personal learning and growth, and engage those aspects of identity that inform the whole person—personal, political, social, professional, spiritual, and others. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Drag Show
Lavender Graduation
National Coming Out Day
Pride Month
Transgender Day of Remembrance
Transgender Day of Visibility

Trainings and Workshops – We acknowledge that creating a socially just, welcoming, and affirming campus environment requires proactive and ongoing learning. With partners from various areas of campus, our trainings and workshops strive to deepen one’s abilities to engage with, honor, and include others because of—not despite—their differences. We are in the process of expanding the number and types of trainings and workshops we offer. Current examples include, but are not limited to:

Advocate Training
Addressing Bias
Difficult Dialogues: Asking Tough Questions
Gender Identity 101
LGBTQ+: A History and Introduction
LGBTQ+ Inclusion in the Classroom

Eastern’s LGBTQ+ History

In Spring 2009, Eastern created an LGBTQ+ task force made up of faculty, staff, and students. Their mission was to improve the campus climate for LGBTQ+ faculty, staff and students. The task force was chaired by Dr. Terrie Ashby-Scott, the Director of the Office of Transitions and Inclusion. The task force met in Summer 2009 to determine the most critical areas for action at EWU.

Following the retreat, the Pride Center opened in Fall 2009 and was staffed by faculty, staff and student volunteers. The Pride Center Coordinator was hired in 2010 and the official grand opening of the Center [pictured above] took place Winter 2010. The Center has grown every year since it opened, and is currently staffed by two full-time staff and a student employee.

Eastern has a long history of LGBTQ+ community, activism, and support. Check out our living timeline of significant LGBTQ+ moments at EWU, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have something to add to our timeline!