At NEIU, flyers are posted around campus bulletin boards to advertise student organizations, affinity spaces, greek life and campus events. However, LGBTQIA+ and Palestine event-related flyers have been removed from the main campus’s bulletin boards.
In an interview, Program Coordinator Fawn E. Pochel of the Angelina Pedroso Center for Diversity and Intercultural Affairs was informed about the missing flyers on April 15, 2024.
The student hosting the “Palestine Education Night: Living Within the Occupation” event at the Pedroso Center noticed the event flyers were missing, “[a]nd then a few students brought up that they have noticed that Q-Spot and Pride Alliance flyers had been going missing as well throughout the semester.”
During a Pride Alliance town hall meeting, members expressed concerns including target removal of LGBTQ+ flyers, safety issues for trans students and overall lack of direct administrative response.
“The fact that the flyers were being taken down is kind of a catalyst to these conversations, because if safe space for LGBTQ people aren’t even being seen in the form of flyers on campus, there’s no visible support, nothing saying that like this is a safe space for you to be authentically yourself while you navigate through your time here at NEIU,” Pochel said.
According to the Student Leadership Development (SLD) policy, “[a]ll flyers on these boards must be approved by SLD.” However, this 2015 policy is nine years outdated and has not been enforced.
Due to the lack of policy enforcement, “There’s no real process for us to take in order for the flyers not to be targeted except having to go to either the police or figure out a system of getting flyers stamped and approved, which would hinder how students can market their events here on campus, and Pride Alliance, and could potentially hinder the way that students are able to access our flyers at Pedroso Center, that center, our LGBTQ population,” Pochel said.
As a result, Pride Alliance members have been monitoring their flyers. This has been a similar experience with the removal of queer and trans-related flyers on campus posted by the Career Development Center Office.
Since the beginning of the Fall 2024 semester, Career Development Center Office intern Jared Scoville noticed that these flyers were removed within 24 hours, primarily in Buildings B, Bernard J. Brommel Hall (BBH) and College of Business and Technology (CBT).
“I think everyone that I associate with is frustrated, because it’s not only my flyers, queer flyers, being taken down, but Pride Alliance has had their flyers taken down. The Pedroso Center has had their Q-Spot flyers and their new trans affinity space flyers taken down,” Scoville said.
As a result, Scoville had to digitalize “Queer and Trans Career Development” and “Over the Rainbows: A Career Development Affinity Space for Queer and Trans Students” on Handshake and Instagram, verbally advertising and sharing these resources with students.
“It’s been reported that in BBH they’ve been defamed with anti-gay rhetoric being posted, and it’s causing I think the consensus among the queer students I know is that there is a sense of unsafe. There is no safe space for queer students on campus,” Scoville said.
The Independent reached out to the Office of Student Leadership Development (SLD) and Student Union, Event and Conference Services (SUECS), but they did not respond to questions regarding the flyers policy.
In an interview with Alexander Surovych, a freshman at NEIU and member of the Pride Alliance, he shared that NEIU’s “accepting atmosphere” was his reason to enroll at NEIU despite the scholarships offered from other universities.
“It’s finding belonging, community. It’s finding people who you don’t have to explain everything you know, people you don’t have to validate your existence to,” Surovych said.
To foster a truly inclusive environment, it is crucial for the administration to revise their outdated flyer policy and take meaningful steps to support all students, ensuring they feel safe and recognized during their time at NEIU.
