Following last year’s debut of the All In Living Learning Community (LLC), a living space dedicated to queer students, Residence Life and Housing expanded the community to a second floor of Waterbury Hall to accommodate the wave of interest in the program.

“I’m really glad that we expanded it some more. I wasn’t too sure if I’d be comfortable living outside of Waterbury,” Claire Jackson, a resident of the LLC, said. “I just feel like I belong here more than anywhere else on campus.”

The LLC consists of two floors specialized for queer students and their allies. Students interested in living in the LLC sign a waiver before applying to ensure the LLC remains a safe space. 

Quinn Galuski feels it would have been nice to have an event at the beginning of the semester to get to know everyone. 

“We didn’t really have an event at the beginning of the semester to introduce everyone,” Galuski said. “This is kind of the first time we’re talking to everyone now. I wish we had a little bit of something to get to know everyone.” 

meet each other. Although the rain stopped the event from being outside, students still packed the first floor of Waterbury Hall.

“Our whole goal was to become more inclusive and to get our name out there because a lot of people don’t know we exist,” Kris Quezada, the president of Pride Alliance, said.

Many people played games, listened to music and had snacks, all while socializing with fellow residents. Quezada is very passionate about having the underclassmen meet people who share similar interests and identities, an opportunity Quezada said they did not get as a first-year student. 

“I think it’s a great idea to have set the two floors for the incoming freshmen, so that they get the experience of coming in early and doing all the bonding activities,” one sophomore living in the LLC said,  “but also having the older former LLC members just a floor up so if they need to talk to another member of the community.”

All In is just one of three on campus that students can join in their first year. The others include Live Well, intended for students struggling with “juggling the demands of college,” and Be First, which is intended for first-generation students.

Pride Alliance, the university’s club for queer students, held a sunset mixer for the LLC as an opportunity for queer students to meet each other. Although the rain stopped the event from being outside, students still packed the first floor of Waterbury Hall.

“Our whole goal was to become more inclusive and to get our name out there because a lot of people don’t know we exist,” Kris Quezada, the president of Pride Alliance, said.

Many people played games, listened to music and had snacks, all while socializing with fellow residents. Quezada is very passionate about having the underclassmen meet people who share similar interests and identities, an opportunity Quezada said they did not get as a first-year student. 

“I think it’s a great idea to have set the two floors for the incoming freshmen, so that they get the experience of coming in early and doing all the bonding activities,” one sophomore living in the LLC said,  “but also having the older former LLC members just a floor up so if they need to talk to another member of the community.”

All In is one of three on campus that students can join in their first year. The others include Live Well, intended for students struggling with “juggling the demands of college,” and Be First, which is intended for first-generation students.

Photo by Maria Pawelczyk