Dean’s Q-Tea Presents Alice in Wonderland Event for GLBTQ
By Stephanie Dawber
News Editor
Dressed as the Mad Hatter, the Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Paula Krebs, hosted a GLBTQ event for Bridgewater State University students. The event took place on Oct. 8 in the Rondileau Campus Center.
The RCC’s Small Ballroom was adorned with whimsical decorations from the Disney movie. The round tables featured “Drink Me” bottles, themed playing cards and a Cheshire Cat was passed around. For food, the event offered finger sandwiches, miniature desserts, tea served in decorative teacups, along with various other refreshments.
“The dean set up a fun event that helped bring together an interesting bunch of people. It was nice to hang out with other members of the LGBTQ community,” said senior Elizabeth Jumpe.
The Alice in Wonderland themed event included fun activities such as competitive flamingo croquet, and prizes were awarded to winning students. The flamingo croquet involved a student hitting a ball with plastic flamingo through a series of crouched students.
However, the Dean’s Q-Tea also dealt with serious issues pertaining to the LBGTQ community. Small tables were prepared with current trivia questions, such as the Supreme Court hold on same sex marriage, the Defense of Marriage Act and facts about Alice in Wonderland.
“The most important aspect of this event is that students from the LGBTQ community can see that there are allies on campus and that there are folks who have positions at the university who are not only allies, but supporters,” said Krebs. “When I was a student, that was just not the case.”
In the introduction of her speech, Krebs revealed it was a “big deal” for her generation that she was a lesbian studying at her Catholic college. She further explained the deeper meaning behind the Dean’s Q-Tea. The “Q” stands for queer, and “Q-Tea” is a metaphor for “QT,” revealing the stigma of her generation’s secrecy of sexual identification.
“The dean’s speech was very moving. Her experience in college made me appreciate the inclusive environment [at BSU],” said junior Daja Taylor.
Overall, the Dean’s Q-Tea allowed students from the LGBTQ community to communicate with others in an inclusive environment. The event generated an overwhelming positive response from BSU students.
Junior Jennifer Christensen, a student employee in the Pride Center, said, “The pastries were really good. I didn’t think there would be games, so that was really cool.”
Similarly, senior Vanessa Gregory said, “The dean put on a fun yet informative event that helped cast light on serious issues in the LGBTQ politics.”
Krebs hopes this event will “get people talking” and raise awareness about the LGBTQ politics.
Stephanie Dawber is the News Editor. Follow her on Twitter @StephanieDawber.
