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The warm scent of Norwegian waffles filled the sixth floor of Holland Hall late Thursday morning as a group of students and faculty gathered with food and drinks to celebrate the Gender and Sexuality Center's new home.
"We like to think of the GSC as an umbrella organization," Norwegian professor Nancy Aarsvold said. "All of its resources can be shared with other campus groups."
She is also a member of the St. Olaf Lesbian and Gay Employee Network, which is one of the campus groups that benefit from the GSC. Other organizations include, Gay Lesbian or Whatever!, Feminists for Change, Students for Reproductive Health and Choice, the Women's Studies Department and the Wellness Center.
"The GSC is several different things: a safe space, a resource center and a cooperation of related organizations," coordinator of the GSC Mara Calvert '09 said. "It's a place you can always go to get a book, a pamphlet or a hug."
The GSC, which has survived for several decades as the result of perserverence, student activism and faculty support, recently moved from the living room of Thompson House to the sixth floor of Holland Hall.
"The space in Thompson was wonderful, but there were some problems with it," Calvert said.
"The GSC needs a space where people feel comfortable stopping in and opening up anytime, and it's difficult to do that when it's located in someone's living room," she said.
Many students have refrained from using the GSC as a resource in past years mainly because of its inconvenient location in an honor house.
"Ole Avenue is not convenient for most students - most think of it as off campus, and Holland Hall, while not exactly a central location, is at least on the Hill," Calvert said. "Because of all this, we decided to move up onto campus."
The Center for Integrative Studies agreed to share Room 606 with the GSC, making the move possible. Inside the room is a small library filled with works ranging from queer fiction and poetry to feminist literature. Against the back wall there are educational pamphlets about birth control and HIV as well as a bowl full of condoms and lubricant.
"During [office hours] anyone can come to chat, check out a book or grab some safe sex supplies - it's totally confidential," Calvert said.
The overall consensus of the new space seemed very positive among students at the open house.
"I like all the literature in the library, and I think it's nice there is somewhere for people to meet on campus," GLOW! member Kyle Holmes '12 said.
"Despite the general lacking of racial diversity at St. Olaf, it is overall a very accepting and inclusive college."
Students have already experienced some of the many positive effects brought on by the new space.
"There has been a noticeably increasing amount of participation during board meetings, and overall attendance has risen since we moved here a few weeks ago," co-coordinator of Feminists for Change Katie Greene '09 said.
Aaron Heidgerken '09 added, "By having this space on campus, it's not only more accessible but it's also more welcoming and comfortable."
Students weren't the only ones praising the GSC. Assistant to the president for institutional diversity Bruce King also attended the open house.
"I'm here because I believe in supporting anything that promotes heightened awareness and inclusion on campus," he sad. "A program like this is exactly what St. Olaf needs."
King's job is to make sure that St. Olaf is moving forward on its goal of diversity in all segments of college life.
"The resource center is a very important thing; it provides a physical presence on campus for students, faculty and staff to seek out information and resources related to sexual orientation and gender studies," King said. "It's also somewhat of a symbol to our community that a place like this can even exist - so it should definitely be recognized and celebrated."
Although the new, welcoming space is great and cause for celebration, it is unfortunately also temporary.
"I don't exactly know where we'll be located at next year or even the year after," Calvert said. "Right now its really up in the air."
"I do know that when the Old Science Center is refurbished and becomes 'New Main,' we hope to move into a space of our own," Calvert said. "Ideally it would be a central space with a common area, an office area for all the administrative work and of course a place for our library."
The event came one week prior to National Coming Out Week, a week long celebration honoring the gay and lesbian communities.
The GSC officially opened Sept. 29, and has regular office hours on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m and also during community time on Thursdays. Additionally, the GSC holds weekly meetings on Tuesday nights from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
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