The weekend of April 19-20, 2014, UCLA students hosted Pride Admit Weekend (PAW), the campus's first-ever LGBTQ overnight admitted student weekend for 9 students from across the country. Organizers believe it may be the first of its kind in the nation.
"UCLA offers several ethnic-specific overnight programs geared to increase yield of a diverse students, yet no specific program focused on LGBTQ student diversity," says Raja Bhattar, director of the LGBT Campus Resource Center. "In response, our students have worked to develop the first overnight program built to highlight all the resources our campus has to offer and increase LGBTQ student enrollment at UCLA in the fall."
UCLA students braved many obstacles and navigated campus to identify LGBTQ admitted students and hosted them for two days of panels, activities and even a queer short film festival in collaboration with OutFest. They aimed to demonstrate the diversity of the queer community at UCLA and all the ways they could get involved if they choose to come to campus in the Fall.
Check out UCLA students bidding farewell to PAW students… in song!
"We hope this first cohort of students will be the beginning of a year-long leadership development program and serve as a pipeline for campus-wide LGBTQ visibility and involvement," says Raja.
UCLA's Pride Admit Weekend will be an annual program in collaboration with Bruin Day, LGBTQ Student Leadership Council, The LGBT campus Resource Center, the Gender, Sexuality and Society Floor, Office of Residential Life and the VC of Student Affairs.
UCLA Daily Bruin: "UCLA students host first Pride Admit Weekend"
