Whitman College LGBTQIA+ Student Services records, 1984-2023

Prior to 2017, LGBTQIA+ students were informally supported through the counseling center. Counselors Sharon Brown (before 1983) and Sharon Kaufman-Osborn (1983-2019) took an active role in providing services to LGBTQIA+ students. Professors such as Deborah Winter, Tim Jeske, Robert Tobin, and Jose Rambaldi were also integral to building LGBTQ community on campus. In the 1970s and 1980s, programming for LGBTQIA+ students included film screenings and informal discussion groups. By the 1990s, many more opportunities for community and connection existed on campus. Confidential support was available through the Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual Alliance (GLBA, later GLBTQ), events such as DragFest, LesBiGay Week, and Rainbow Rage were organized by the Coalition Against Homophobia, and the David Nord Award was established through the Intercultural Center.

Staff member Jed Schwendiman '92, Professor Susanne Beechey, and staff member Kyle Martz '07 served as advisors to GLBTQ (later PRISM) in the 2000s and 2010s. Schwendiman established the GLBTQ student internship position, and Beechey encouraged GLBTQ to take on a more public role on campus. Whitman established a part-time position dedicated to LGBTQIA+ students, the LGBTQ Resource Coordinator, in 2017. Vari Robinson (2017-2018) and Korin Bradley (2018-2020) were the first to hold the position.

In 2022, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Dr. John Johnson approached Whitman College President Kathy Murray with data showing that the LGBTQIA+ community represented about 30% of Whitman's student population. Despite being a significant portion of the campus, the community had no full-time staff member dedicated to providing services. President Murray brought this to the attention of the Board of Trustees, who approved the creation of a new position. Rachel Freeman-Cohen was hired as Director of LGBTQIA+ Student Services in July 2022. Duties of the position include events and programming, creating educational content, and leading workshops. The Director of LGBTQIA+ Student Services also sits on the campus-wide Inclusive Excellence Council and leads the David Nord Award Committee.