Editor’s Note: Marianne Rampertab is a Campus Correspondent for the Daily Campus.
The University of Connecticut Rainbow Center hosted its Welcome Back Bash on Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. Throughout the event, the Center was full of students from diverse backgrounds, gender identities and sexual orientations.
According to Deborah Williams, a fifth-semester political science student who is the Rainbow Center’s Programs Team Lead and an Influencing Readiness, Inspiring Success (IRIS) Program mentor, the Welcome Back Bash is meant to provoke a sense of belonging within LGBTQIA+ students.
“It’s something that the Rainbow Center does every year to welcome people back to the center and allow them to explore the space,” Williams said.
“It’s a way for people to meet other people in the community and around campus.”
Suzonna Shackford, IRIS coordinator
Suzonna Shackford, a seventh-semester psychological sciences student who is an IRIS coordinator, said the Welcome Back Bash helps familiarize people with the Rainbow Center by educating them about their programs, events, support services and resources.
“It’s a way for people to meet other people in the community and around campus,” Shackford said.
Soda, free candy and catering from Moe’s Southwest Grill were provided. In the catering, attendees created burritos from scratch. There were two protein options: chicken and steak. There were also numerous topping choices, including beans, seasoned rice, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo, lettuce, shredded cheese and pickled jalapeños. Attendees also had the option of adding tortilla chips to their meal.
Besides free food, the Rainbow Center had sofas and armchairs for attendees to chill and talk to their peers. Attendees also had the opportunity to participate in a raffle and visit one of three stations: Jackbox games, bracelet making and Just Dance.
Most of the attendees visited the Jackbox Games station, which took place in the Rainbow Center’s main lounge. For the first half of the Welcome Back Bash, students played “Monster Seeking Monster,” a dating-themed videogame where players spend a round sending secret text messages to set up dates. At the end of the round, some of the secret messages are revealed on the television screen while players find out whether their characters found a date or not.
After playing a few rounds of “Monster Seeking Monster,” the players switched to “Quiplash,” an amusing game where players comprise an answer to a prompt. After everyone creates an answer, the responses are shown on the screen, and players have to decide which one is the best.
A good number of students participated in the bracelet- making station. Bracelet making took place in the conference room, which had a serene environment. Relaxing music filled the room while students talked amongst themselves and designed bracelets using colorful beads and jewels.
A few attendees played “Just Dance,” which took place in the program’s room. Those who participated danced to a variety of songs. One was Boney M’s “Rasputin.” Every performance was outstanding; all the students’ moves flawlessly matched the “Just Dance” characters’. At the conclusion of each song, everyone smiled.
At the end of the Welcome Back Bash, Vergil Hart and Poorna Choudhuri gave a presentation. Hart is a fifth semester structural biology and biophysics student, and Choudhuri is a fifth semester student studying legal and business studies. Both work in the Rainbow Center’s Programs Team.
The first element in the presentation was the Rainbow Center’s mission and history. According to Hart and Choudhuri, the center was founded in 1998 and was moved to the Student Union in 2006. The center’s original location was not specified.
After sharing the Rainbow Center’s mission and history, Hart and Choudhuri mentioned its IRIS Program, a service where first-year, second-year and transfer students pair up with a mentor and immerse themselves into the LGBTQIA+ community with them.
Other things Hart and Choudhuri presented were the Rainbow Center’s events and services. Some services are mental health representatives, free menstrual products and a gender-neutral bathroom. A few of the Rainbow Center’s upcoming events are Fan Fiction Night on Sept. 22 from 5 to 7 p.m. and the Caring Community Pop-Up on Sept. 24 and Sept. 25 from 9 a.m to 3 p.m.
At the event’s conclusion, eight raffle tickets were drawn. Those who had a winning ticket received a Bluetooth speaker with the Rainbow Center’s logo.
Marianne Rampertab, a seventh-semester English and history major and an IRIS coordinator, said she feels proud of her coworkers for pulling off this event, which went incredibly well.
“As a ‘behind-the-scenes’ staff member at the Rainbow Center, the turnout was amazing,” Rampertab said. “What really made it shine, though, was the quality of conversations and bonds formed because of this event. Your patronage makes events at any of the cultural centers possible and gives value to our programming teams’ work.”
Rampertab mentioned that she spent most of her time at the bracelet- making center, where she conversed with her peers.
“We joked about Internet culture while I made a bracelet of trans icon Kirara from the anime Jujutsu Kaisen,” Rampertab said.
Rampertab also said that the Rainbow Center is a very welcoming environment for her and everyone else that goes there.
“Overall, the Rainbow Center is a whimsical and cozy little home for me and so many other people,” Rampertab said. “I love seeing familiar and new faces alike find themselves here literally and metaphorically.”