What’s new with the updated Pride at KPU website
The website now includes resources on allyship and terminology, events and activities, and frequently asked questions
KPU students may have noticed something different about the school’s website: For the first time, it offers resources for LGBTQIA2S+ students and educational materials about the Pride community. When it was unveiled in July, it was considered essential for creating “safer and more inclusive spaces for people of all genders and sexualities” at KPU.
“In the past, we’ve had a Positive Space page,” says Shalini Vanan, KPU Manager of Sports, Rec, and Health Promotion, who helped develop the website. “We didn’t feel like it reflected all the changes that have taken place at KPU, so [we] consulted with the Pride Advocacy group and developed this resource.”
The new website includes updated language, a link to events and activities for KPU students, and the school’s submission to Vancouver’s Virtual Pride event this past summer. It also displays frequently asked questions about the community, a list of gender-neutral and barrier-free washrooms on its campuses, and resources on allyship and common terminology.
The website includes contact information for the KPU Pride Advocacy Group, the KSA Queer Students Representative, and the President’s Diversity and Equity Committee as well as links to off-campus resources such as the Surrey Pride Society, the Surrey Youth Centre, Qmunity, and Trans Care BC.
“In this past year [KPU] kind of put together and formed a new Pride advocacy group, and that consists of employees, faculty members, and students,” says Vanan.
“One of the initiatives that we’re really taking is to support the LGBTQ2+ community by providing an awareness on campus, so it’s about providing education to the KPU end on LGBTQ2+ issues.”
Vanan hopes the website will help students participate in events held by KPU for the LGBTQIA2S+ community such as Out in Schools workshops.
“The advocacy group we formed this year, it’s really a way for us to support and empower students, staff, and faculty who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community,” says Vanan. “We really feel strongly about providing education and awareness and creating safe spaces around campuses.”
