After two long years of renovation, the Pride Center building was finally able to reopen its doors during the first week of the 2024 fall term. 

During the time of the renovation, the center had been temporarily relocated to room 112 in the Student Experience Center. Some students appreciated the fact that it was in a centralized location, while for others, it was a little bit intimidating. 

“We had students involved in a lot of parts of the renovation,” said Cindy Konrad, center director for the Pride Center. “We worked with an interior design class in the College of Business and they spent time talking to students about what they wanted in the center. Many of the things that you see in the center originated with these students’ designs.”

The renovated Pride Center is located at 1553 NW A Ave, Corvallis, which is close to the ILLC. Konrad said,“(The new pride center) feels a little bit more private for folks who might not be as comfortable coming into an LGBT space in the center of everything” 

The Pride Center is open Monday through Friday every week. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., students can also come to talk with either Laena Huffaker or Edward Ballester, both CAPS LGBTQ+ mental health and wellness coordinators. 

The Grand Opening of the Pride Center will take place sometime during the Spring Term of 2025. “We’ll get to invite back a lot of alumni and have community members who’ve been part of the Pride Center over the years attend,” Konrad said. 

What was once a simple two-bedroom house, the current Pride Center went from a blank slate to what is now a big, new and bright space where students can enjoy themselves. 

The renovated space now comprises a spacious kitchen, a craft storage area, a gathering hall space, a community garden, a gas fireplace and much more. The space is also specially designed for wheelchair accessibility. 

Aside from the fact that having a place of their own to gather as a community and host events are important, this renovated building is a symbol for the students that make them “feel valued at the university,” said Konrad. 

Konrad added that she had noticed a “bigger sense of belonging in the community.” Whereas before, in the previous Pride Center, she would sometimes hear students saying that they don’t have their own space and they don’t feel accepted at the university.

“I feel like this is our own space, it’s our own building. We have more control over the space, it’s very queer-focused,” said Vee Escobar, graduate student and community relations representative at the Pride Center when comparing the newly renovated space with the provisory one at the SEC. 

The LGBTQIA2S+ Connect on Oct. 28, was the first event hosted in the newly renovated space. According to Konrad and Escobar, it was a success. 

“It’s just really a space for students to just enjoy, feel a sense of acceptance,” Konrad said.