Texas Tech Strives to be Inclusive, Supportive of LGBTQIA Community

By Amanda Castro-Crist

When Kristen Hayes transferred to Texas Tech University, her main reason was one most people would not expect.

“I had to transfer universities because of my sexual orientation. I was at a Christian university,” said Hayes, a university studies major who identifies as a lesbian. “I was looking to get out of an environment where I might be expelled to finish up my education.”

It is a fear many students in LGBTQIA communities across the nation face. Since gay marriage was legalized in 2015, some private universities have taken steps to be more inclusive of students within the LGBTQIA community. But there are still universities and colleges that can discipline students who engage in same-sex relationships.

Then there are public universities like Texas Tech that are just working to catch up to their more inclusive counterparts. This January, the university hired Jody Randall as the LGBTQIA administrator. It is the first time the university has had a dedicated administrator in this position, she said.

“In the Big 12, Texas Tech unfortunately is not the leader of the pack,” Randall said. “Within our conference, most of the other institutions have begun demonstrating institutional commitment.”

That commitment includes a dedicated staff and budget, Randall said, with an ongoing effort to create programming, services and support for students, faculty and staff. She said finally filling the position was something the university focused on as part of a larger campaign to create a more inclusive and diverse campus.

Randall has begun collaborating with other departments to create programming that will more extensively serve the LGBTQIA community at Texas Tech. Plans include events like a seminar with the University Career Center to provide professional guidance on how and when to divulge sexual orientation to employers, speakers who identify as allies to the LGBTQIA community and a discussion panel about the intersectionality of faith and sexuality.

“Texas Tech has been doing some of this stuff, but not in an organized manner,” Randall said.

In the past, LGBTQIA events, outreach and services have instead been tackled by whoever happened to be available and had the resources, Randall said. The Risk Intervention & Safety Education (RISE) center, the Women’s Studies Program, the Residence Hall Association, and student organizations like Texas Tech Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance (FMLA) and the Tech Gay Straight Alliance (Tech GSA) are just a few of the departments and organizations who have stepped up when needed.

“In the past we’ve either had to do events or some random group of students has done something LGBT-related,” said Walker Williams, a senior technical communications major and vice president of Tech GSA. “(RISE) has done so much for us in the past, really going out of their way because they knew there wasn’t an administrator to help us out.”

Williams said while he is glad Randall has been hired as a dedicated administrator and that the university is making efforts to better serve the community, there is still progress to be made. For example, he said, Texas Tech is one of the only schools in the Big 12 Conference that does not have a dedicated resource center for the LGBTQIA community.

“It kind of makes me think, what else are we missing?” Williams said. “It’s not just a matter of picking it up; it’s a matter of catching up at this point for Texas Tech.”

Mychael Solis-Wheeler, a senior cell and molecular biology major and member of Tech GSA, said in spite of the university’s efforts, he feels there is still not enough being done to serve the community.

“We are still second-class citizens,” Solis-Wheeler said. “If Texas Tech has the goal of increasing the student body, then we also have to be open to expanding the resources for students.”

Solis-Wheeler said the creation of a dedicated resource center should not be seen as making special accommodations for a certain group of students, but making the campus more inclusive for all. Williams agrees.

“One of my friends summed it up perfectly,” Williams said. “Whenever there are queer people, the world just isn’t made for them.”

It is not easy to tell who is part of the community or even just accepting of those within it, he said. Other issues like a trans student worrying if a bathroom is going to be considered appropriate for their use, are even harder to explain to people outside of the LGBTQIA community.

“Most people who don’t fall into those categories don’t realize there are different hurdles that you have to cross just every single day,” Williams said. “That’s really tedious and tiresome for a person to go through.”

Hayes said she is hopeful about what the future holds for Texas Tech now that Randall has joined the Red Raider family. She is happy she has found her place at the university and as a member of Tech GSA.

“My view may be a little bit different,” Hayes said. “I do think we need more, but I have to say that there’s way more support than I was even expecting. It’s a big weight off of my shoulders. I can be who I want to be here.”

About JOUR 4350

JOUR 4350 is the multiplatform news delivery class, which is the capstone class for journalism majors within the College of Media & Communication.