Pride UCF Meetings

For the past few months a small group of LGBTQ faculty and staff have been meeting to discuss the possibility of forming an organization called Pride UCF. The group would be similar to the Black Faculty and Staff Association (BFSA) who already has a strong and purposeful group on campus.

Pride UCF would be inclusive of all faculty and staff at the University of Central Florida; it would be a voluntary, employee-initiated group (network) that allows faculty and staff who share a common interest to connect and provide support to each other while also presenting a positive image of LGBTQ issues and people on the UCF campus.

An organized, fully functioning group would have a place at the table at UCF for discussions involving a variety of issues and would allow the sponsorship of scholarships, a professional mentoring program for students, and creating community partnerships in Central Florida.

Dr. Hitt presented five university goals in 1992 to assist in guiding and administering UCF. Goal number 4 is to “become more inclusive and diverse.” Goal number 5 is to “be America’s leading partnership university.” The mission and purpose of Pride UCF will assist in meeting and continuing two of the five goals beyond the work we all do in classrooms and offices across campus.

Attached to this email is a draft copy of bylaws for the group based largely on the bylaws of the BFSA. We are grateful for their willingness to assist us by providing us with vital information. Please review the bylaws and suggest edits or changes that are of importance to you by sending an e-mail to Boyd Lindsley (boyd@ucf.edu). If you have a comment about a specific article, please provide the article (and as much detail as possible) you are referring to in your e-mail to ensure your feedback is included.

If you are interested in joining this group or learning more about the plans and formation of this professional network, we invite you to attend one of the information meetings listed below. We also invite and encourage you to share this with other UCF employees who you think may be interested.

9/14/11 – 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. – LBGTQ Services, Student Union Rm. 304

9/21/11 – 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. – LBGTQ Services, Student Union Rm. 304

9/30/11 – 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. – Office of Diversity Initiatives, Research Park, 12424 Research Parkway, Suite 169