The Gender and Sexuality Campus Center (GSCC) launched its "Stronger Together" dinner series last fall with a focus on building community and fostering inclusion. The first dinner was held Monday, Oct. 30, 2023, from 6-8 p.m. in the Student Services Building, Room 6.

Funded through a Creating Inclusive Environments Grant (CIE) from the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion (IDI), the program brings together student, faculty and staff leaders for insightful discussions and relationship building. The CIE program aims to improve the campus experience for students, faculty and staff by supporting initiatives in diversity, inclusion, equity and outreach.

Through the work of GSCC Assistant Director Oprah Jrenal, GSCC was able to secure the grant over the summer. The money is used to cater the meetings and to provide snacks and supplies for all the participants.

Learning and Sharing

Over the course of four dinners, participants can grapple with new concepts, build connections with other leaders, and learn from other leaders about the major concerns for their communities. 

“Our conversations range from different topics every month or so, and we wanted to create a safe space to have them,” said GSCC Graduate Intern Daisanay Ward. “It is nice to do it over a meal. It feels like we are ensuring that we are being taken care of while creating a community.”

The topics at each dinner range from how identities shape everyday life to concepts like cancel culture. There are also speakers who provide a deeper connection to the topics.

“We do have speakers that talk about their experiences as like queer people and as people with multiple identities, and how we can work together to support each person’s identity and each person’s right to live a normal and happy life,” said Ward.

Each participant received $25 in Spartan Cash as encouragement to meet up between dinners to put what they are learning into action.

“Every time we have a dinner, we encourage [participants] to meet up with one or two friends before the next dinner and share what they learned,” said Ward. “We have had some people bring friends from that which is nice to see.”

Get Involved

The last dinner of the series is a chance to connect with other participants and experience what the program has to offer. It will be held Monday, Mar. 25, 6-8 p.m. in the Student Services Building, Room 110.

For more information on the Stronger Together dinner series, follow @msugscc on Instagram or visit gscc.msu.edu.