About Us

 

Vision

We envision a Rutgers University where people of all identities and experiences are understood, appreciated, and fully included in the community and where equitable treatment and outcomes prevail.

Mission

The Center for Social Justice Education and LGBT Communities (SJE) promotes a supportive environment for students of all backgrounds, with a focus on gender and sexuality, while promoting both social and educational opportunities for leadership, identity, and social justice advocacy development. With a critical understanding of multiple identities and connected systems of oppression, SJE works collaboratively with students, faculty, administrators, staff and community members to develop relevant initiatives and policies that center diversity, inclusion, and intersections of identity.

Goals

SJE accomplishes its mission and vision by:

Acting as a resource for LGBTQA and ally students while maintaining a connection to current and emerging LGBTQA issues:

  • Providing direct service to LGBTQA students and their allies in the forms of advising, advocacy, career advice, networking, and service referrals.
  • Maintaining a physical drop-in and resource center in order to provide a home-away-from-home for all LGBTQA students and their allies
  • Maintaining a wide range of initiatives that engage students at multiple levels from occasional to sustained involvement.
  • Offering event sponsorship and co-sponsorship, leadership development, weekly discussion groups, and student club advisement
  • Supporting LGBTQ artists, educators, and speakers from around the country through our training and programming initiatives.
  • Recognizing and exploring that within the LGBTQ student population there is a wide range of diversity including ability, age, ethnicity, gender, health, language, national origin, race, religion, socioeconomic status as well other social identities.

Helping to build campus-wide communities of care, inclusion, and support:

  • Providing both formal and informal consultation, training, and resources to faculty, staff, University offices, and others interested in ensuring that their services are inclusive and supportive of LGBTQA and diverse experiences.
  • Work with campus partners to ensure LGBTQA inclusion is embedded in policies and everyday practices from recruitment, admission, retention, graduation, and alumni participation.
  • Providing a comprehensive range of information and digital resources to all members of the University community about issues that impact the experiences of LGBTQA students and their allies.

Maintaining a presence in both the local and national community so that Rutgers University remains one of the leading institutions in LGBTQ advocacy and support services:

  • Keeping an active presence in national conferences and organizations such as NASPA, ACPA, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the Consortium of LGBT Resource Professionals in Higher Education, and NCORE.
  • Continue to expand our outreach to off-campus communities by providing programming that incorporates films, performers, and lecturers with diverse backgrounds, affiliations, identities, and politics.
  • Encouraging cross-institutional collaboration by offering partnerships, consultation, and professional development in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions.

We are a proud member of

Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals
Campus Pride index