Pride Network

Outstanding Student Organization Award

Presented by Anne-Marie Algier, Associate Dean of Students

In my role as Associate Dean of Students one of my favorite things to do is award the honor of Outstanding Student Organization. As a member of a vibrant campus community with over 275 student groups, an organization must truly excel to win this prestigious designation. This year’s winner, Pride Network, has demonstrated that excellence!

A few years ago Pride Network was experiencing turbulence. There were concerns about their flagship Drag Show program and they were also drawing criticism from some members of the LGTBQ+ Community for not being open enough to nonwhite members as well as the trans and gender expansive community. Instead of fracturing the organization, they began to assess their programming and think about ways the, the organization could improve and be more inclusive in their efforts. According to their advisor, Stacey Fisher, the group put in a tremendous amount of effort to become the outstanding organization they are today. In her words: “The work of this organization over the past two years is inspiring. They have surveyed members, benchmarked other institutions, consulted Rochester resources and reworked their budget to get a successful 2019”. The new programs they developed, Queer Ball and Vogue night were major successes. They also increased their inclusivity through several initiatives including Anything But CIS and Queer Students of Color. They are also averaging many more people at their general interest meetings. This year they even worked closely with Residential Life to have a Lilac Floor designated special interest housing for LGBTQ+ students.

Another recommender of the organization, Col Raimond, also has seen the positive growth of the organization over the past few years. They work in the Paul J. Burgett Intercultural Center and have been another source of support for this group. Both Stacey and Col tout the current president, Miles Perry, as being a main driver of the organizations growth and progress. His creativity and passion ignited the organization to be ever better! Beyond what has already been mentioned he helped coordinate an initiative with Out Alliance and Trillium Health that promoted all their classmates health and safety and so much more. Col’s words on why Pride Network is the winner of the Outstanding Student Organization are spot on: “Because of their efforts to create inclusivity through listening, learning, and advocating.”

Congratulations on all you have achieved and this well-deserved award!

About the Award

The Outstanding Student Organization Award is given to an undergraduate, University-recognized student organization that has gone beyond the bounds of their membership by helping to create a positive campus environment for all students.