WHEREAS, Affinity Groups, including but not limited to cultural, racial, ethnic, LGBTQ+ Dreamer/Undocumented, disability, student parent, and identity-based communities, play a vital role in supporting student belonging, improving retention, and fostering safe environments for traditionally underserved students across California community Colleges;
WHEREAS, Many community college campuses currently lack dedicated, permanent, and accessible spaces where affinity groups can gather, study, host meetings, decompress, or seek peer support without fear of harassment, intimidation, or threats to their physical or emotional safety;
WHEREAS, The absence of such spaces often forces students to meet in public or unmonitored areas, increasing vulnerability to discrimination, microaggressions, and targeted hostility, which disproportionately affects systemically marginalized students, including Dreamers, LGBTQ+ Students, students of color, and students with disabilities; and
WHEREAS, Studies consistently show that culturally affirming spaces and identity-based resource centers drastically enhance student mental health, academic outcomes, leadership development, and campus engagement, directly supporting the vision for success, DEI Framework, and the Chancellor’s Office Call to Action; Now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges urge California Community College districts to develop, designate, and implement permanent, accessible, and safe physical spaces for students' affinity groups and identity-based organizations to gather, socialize, and build community and include, but are not limited to, cultural centers, Dreamer resource hubs, LGBTQ+ Lounges, multicultural student centers, and disability advocacy spaces, as determined by each campus’s student needs and demographics;
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges encourage colleges to ensure any spaces dedicated to affinity groups are trauma-informed staff staff-supported, and protected through appropriate campus safety policies so that students can utilize them without fear of harassment, discrimination, or threats; and
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges work with the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to explore grant funding, categorical funding, or local reallocation opportunities that support the creation, maintenance, and staffing of identity safe affinity group spaces across the state.
Citations:
[1]https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11662413/?utm
[2] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9892106/?utm [3]https://www.csun.edu/sites/default/files/identity-based-resource-center…
[4]https://www.ecs.org/wp-content/uploads/Community-College-Approaches-to-… s.pdf?utm
[5] https://tll.mit.edu/sense-of-belonging-matters/?utm