About the Q Center
The Q Center is here to provide support, community, advocacy, and a safe space for LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning/Queer, Intersex, Ace/Aro, etc.) students, faculty, and staff at Purdue Fort Wayne and IU Fort Wayne.
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Mission and Values
Mission
The mission of The Q Center at Purdue Fort Wayne is to provide an educational, affirming, and inclusive environment for LGBTQIA+ students, faculty, and staff through support services and educational efforts to reduce bias around gender and sexual orientation. The Q Center strives to create a campus culture where all members of our community feel safe and affirmed, and are empowered to promote and defend diversity.
Values
We are committed first and foremost to our students. In order to provide them with the highest level of service and support, our work is driven by the following values:
- Equity, justice, and respect for all people
- Affirming and celebrating the intersecting identities of all oppressed peoples
- Research-driven innovation
- Accessibility
- Authenticity and integrity
- Community
- Wellness of body and mind
- Conservation and sustainability
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Office Resources
Office Lounge
Our office features a comfortable lounge space for students to hang out, study, connect with peers, and take a break between classes.
The lounge is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Discord Server
Discord is a free, VoIP-based instant messaging platform designed for creating communities. Users can communicate with voice calls, video calls, text messaging, and media and file-sharing in private chats or as part of communities called servers.
Created in the Spring of 2020 to help our students stay connected during the COVID-19 lockdown, our server has become a virtual lounge for students to chat, share advice and memes, find friends, and even play video games together.
To join the server, follow the link below. If you do not already have a Discord account, you will be prompted to create one. Once you join, make sure to read the rules and introduce yourself!
Training and Consultation
Learn more about SafeZone Certification by clicking here.
In additional to our formal trainings, our staff is available to answer questions and provide advice to individual faculty, staff, and campus organizations around issues related to gender and sexual orientation, allyship, and advocacy for LGBTQ+ people on campus and in the community.
Weekly Newsletter
Stay up-to-date with Q Center news and events by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, delivered every Monday.
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History
1975
University Gay Activists, the first LGBTQ student organization at IPFW, is chartered
1977
Homosexuality is decriminalized in the state of Indiana
1980
IPFW's first "Gay Awareness Week" is held in March
1987
IPFW hosts its first "AIDS Awareness Week"
1988
The Indiana-Purdue Student Senate adopts a new non-discrimination policy which covers "sexual preference"
1996
An October article in the campus newspaper The Communicator calls out the lack of services for gay students from the Office of Multicultural Services
2005
The Chancellor's Council on Diversity conducts a campus climate survey which asks about sexual orientation for the first time
2007
The Resource Center opens in the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs under the leadership of Dr. Jeannie Diclementi
2019
The Resource Center moves to its current home in Walb 215, opening to the campus community on October 1st
2021
The Resource Center joins the newly formed division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion under the leadership of the university's first Chief Diversity Officer. The Center also changes its name to The Q Center, to reflect a new start and a new outlook on our service to the campus.