(From Owens Community College)
Finding a safe and accepting community is vital for the success of any college student.
For quite a few Owens Community College students, the Sexuality and Gender Activists club (SAGA) has filled that void. It’s been so important to them that some students aren’t sure they’d still be succeeding and even enrolled in college without it.
SAGA is a student group focused on issues and topics associated with the LGBTQ community at Owens and at large. The group’s faculty advisor is Krista Kiessling, the director of Campus and Community Connections (CCC) at Owens. The CCC office in College Hall has become like a second home for the students.
“If I hadn’t found Krista, I wouldn’t have found SAGA, I wouldn’t have found all of this and I probably wouldn’t have stayed in school,” Psychology student Letitia Hatch said.
“Her acceptance for students and meeting them where they are is huge. That reflects on how we want to be. We want that kind of role model in our life, and she’s a really amazing role model. SAGA wouldn’t be SAGA if Krista wasn’t the advisor.”
Hatch has a bachelor’s degree from Wells College in Aurora, New York. She was in charge of the Pride Club at that school as well.
“For me, it’s acceptance, understanding and mutual support,” Hatch said. “And a lot of fun times and very funny conversations.
“Owens definitely promotes that, ‘Hey, we love you, we accept you for who you are.’ You don’t always get that in other places.”
Culinary Arts student Madi VanDyke said the unique population of Owens students makes the campus a welcoming place for people of all walks.
“It has something special to it, just because it’s such a vast difference in students,” VanDyke said. “Owens has a diverse student reach, a wide variety of different students – adults, younger people, high school CCP students, all those kinds of things. Owens has a wide variety of non-traditional students and a wide range of people gathering under one roof.
“SAGA is about bringing people together for that equality. It’s people who are gathering together for one cause.”
SAGA membership isn’t limited to students in the LGTBQ community. Students, faculty and staff are all welcomed to join, regardless of their sexuality identity. In fact, that diversity of membership helps create a more vibrant group.
“While we do have things centered towards our different topics, we still accept everybody and love everyone for who they are, no matter the circumstance,” VanDyke said. “That’s pretty special.”
With Pride Month being celebrated in June, it’s a special time for many members of SAGA. Graphic Design student Elijah Stimmage said that to him, Pride Month means being authentic to yourself. It’s also a reminder to keep pushing for the changes in society that will hopefully one day lead to LGTBQ individuals being another part of regular, everyday life.
“I feel like the more backwards we go, the harder we have to push forward,” Stimmage said. “Some people feel like they’re doing it by themselves, and that can get hard and lonely. Pride Month and things like SAGA are reminders that you’re not alone. If you can’t pick yourself up, someone will be there to help you.”
Mike Young, a Literature major, added that while Pride Month is an opportunity to call for more equality, it should also be a time to celebrate.
“It’s a time to celebrate rather than just push,” Young said. “You can celebrate while pushing forward during Pride Month. I think a lot of the time, a lot of effort is focusing on pushing and fighting for what we want, and a lot of times people miss out on celebrating. June and Pride Month helps boost that celebration side while fighting.”
According to Hatch, there are many people who want to be visible but are worried about their safety, so they’ll choose to celebrate Pride Month quietly.
That’s where a supportive and safe community can make a difference. Young admitted that his mental health and life circumstance “would be much worse off it I hadn’t found this place.”
SAGA will remain visible around Owens, helping students remember that they’re not alone.
“We want to keep promoting that we’re here. You can still be unapologetically you with us,” Hatch said.
“We accept people for where they are. We don’t ask them note to be themselves.”
(Above photo courtesy of Owens Community College. IDs, left to right, Owens students and SAGA members Letitia Hatch, Mike Young, and Madi VanDyke)
