The WKU Pride Center will be changed to a student-run organization as part of new restrictions regarding House Bill 4 legislation, General Counsel Andrea Anderson announced at Tuesday’s Student Government Association meeting.
The Pride Center will no longer maintain its status as a university-related initiative and will lose its office in Downing Student Union.
The Pride Center began in 2017 as a common area for LGBTQ+ students. The Pride Center was relocated to DSU a year later in 2018 and collaborated with various LGBTQ+ groups on campus to promote activism and community, according to previous reporting from the Herald.
HB4, passed on March 28, prohibits diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives from receiving aid from the university.
“The university cannot provide any resource, whether that’s human capital, or any type of monetary contribution or money that comes from the foundation or other sources to fund a DEI initiative,” Anderson said.
The legislation is being enforced by the Attorney General’s office along with a committee formed by Provost Bud Fischer. The statutes apply to SGA because it receives funding from the university for student events and bills.
SGA will still be able to fund organizations and events as long as the events meet the criteria for being “content neutral,” Anderson said.
When asked if there are any guidelines that will need to be followed when promoting DEI events on social media, Anderson said that the university will not be allowed to promote student activities that do not comply with HB4.
“In the definition for HB4 for resources, it defines social media, or digital content, as a resource,” Anderson said.
During the meeting, SGA passed a bill providing “Birthday Boxes” to the WKU Food Pantry. These boxes will be available to students unable to celebrate their birthday for financial reasons and will include cake mix, icing, birthday candles, soda, a birthday banner and a disposable baking dish.
“It’s one thing to not want to celebrate your birthday… but it’s another thing to not be able to do it,” said Amelia Tucker, author of the bill and senator at large.
SGA also saw the swearing in of Vanessa Ocampo as a senior senator.
