Queerness in the Coe Writing Center: An In-Depth Look from My Fellow Centaurs

by Shannon Grogan

The Progress Flag on the Coe Writing Center desk

The purpose of the Coe Writing Center (CWC) is to be a warm and inviting place for students to come to for help on their writing. However, I wondered if students considered the CWC a safe space to come to, not only for writing help, but as a place where they can hang out. I especially wanted to see if the CWC is seen as a safe space for queer individuals. As someone who identifies as aromantic asexual and works in the CWC, I feel particularly safe in the CWC, but I wanted to hear the opinions of my fellow Centaurs about this topic. 

I sent a survey out to my fellow Writing Center Consultants, otherwise known as Centaurs, to hear their opinions about the CWC as a safe space for queer and non-queer people alike. The first half of the survey had a few multiple-choice questions about their demographics relating to sexuality, gender identity, and preferred pronouns. The second half of the survey had one multiple choice question and 3 long-response questions asking about their opinions on the CWC as a safe space, if writers felt safe coming to the CWC, and if there are any ways to make the CWC safer for queer individuals. The following data is their response to the survey questions.

Data results

The following pie charts are the responses to the demographic multiple-choice questions. The multiple-choice questions allowed me to compile background information on each Centaurs' gender identity, sexuality, and preferred pronouns. This allowed me to see if how a Centaur identified themselves affected their opinion on whether or not they considered the CWC a safe space for queer people. In total, 21 Centaurs filled out the survey.

Centaurs' Sexuality

Pie chart make-up: Straight (5), Gay/Lesbian (1), Bisexual (7), Pansexual (6), Asexual (4), Aromantic (3), Queer (2), Demisexual (1), and Gray Aromantic Asexual (1).

Centaurs' Gender Identity

Pie chart make-up: Cisgender (14), Non-binary (4), Genderfluid (1), Genderqueer (1), Demigender (1), and Questioning (3). 

Centaurs' Preferred Pronouns

Pie chart make-up: She/Her (9), He/Him (2), They/Them (1), She/They (5), and Any/All (4). 

Out of the 21 Centaurs who filled out the survey, there is a mix of various gender identities, sexualities, and preferred pronouns used by the Centaurs, as seen in the pie charts. As such, each response for the second half of the survey comes from the perspectives of both queer and non-queer people.

The only multiple-choice question in the second half of the survey was:

As seen in the pie chart above, all 21 Centaurs who filled out the survey answered yes to this question. The positive emotions associated with the CWC is further explained in the long-response questions.

The first long-response question from the survey was: 

Would you consider the CWC a safe space for queer individuals? Please explain your reasoning for your answer.

Here are some responses to the first question: 

"I would say yes because it is such a cozy space and we all know each other and people are very friendly and welcoming. I think the whole idea of the writing center is to be welcoming and helpful to all students regardless of their background (and that goes beyond just their background with writing)"

"Yes, I would consider the CWC to be a safe space for queer individuals, from what I have witnessed (I have no personal experience). I feel as though the CWC has a large range of individuals that identify in different ways, so the aspect of representation is not an issue. I also feel as though consultants tend to be very welcoming, accommodating, and warm, as those are important aspects of helping all writers in general. In the process of creating an appointment, clients are also asked about preferred pronouns, so that could help people to feel affirmed, welcomed, and more comfortable."

"yes, I feel like the majority of consultants are pretty informed on the majority of lgbtqia+ topics, so even if the individual consultant isn't queer, they usually know someone who is."

The resounding answer to the first long-response question is yes, the CWC is a safe space for queer individuals. A general agreement from my fellow Centaurs is that everyone is open-minded, welcoming, and friendly to anyone who comes to the CWC.

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The second question built off the first question, but this time the focus was on writers coming into the CWC. The question was: 

Do you know anyone who is willing or not willing to come to the CWC because of how it presents itself?

Here are the responses:

"Not to my knowledge. In fact, I think the exact opposite is true — more individuals are willing to come in BECAUSE we are so supportive toward the queer community"

"I don't know anyone that falls into this category. Many of my friends are queer and all seem to feel like its a safe space."

"I think people are more willing to come to the CWC because it is a comfortable environment for students where they can receive the help they need, but no one has openly expressed to me that it is necessarily because we are a safe space for queer individuals."

The general conclusion from this question is that most writers are willing to come to the CWC because of its comfy atmosphere. Some Centaurs believe more people are willing to come into the CWC because it is such a safe space for queer individuals while others believe the space itself has no effect on queer writers coming for help. Both types of Centaurs agree, however, that the CWC itself is a comfy space that appeals to writers. 

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The third and final question asked about improvements to the CWC to make it a more welcoming space for queer individuals. The question was: 

Do you have any suggestions for making the CWC a more welcoming place for queer individuals? The suggested changes can be either big or small.

Here are the suggested changes:

"ive seen the little stickers that say “safe space” on it with a rainbow, and it’s typically right outside a queer safe space. i think that might be cute!"

"I have no idea if this would work at all in practice but it may be an idea to have name tags [..] for centaurs to wear at work so that writers when they come in can easily see our preferred name and pronouns."

"I would be open to literal flags. I think trans folks especially need all the support they can get with the current administration. Other than that, I can't think of anything!"

"I would love to see more pride themed decor, or maybe we could highlight some LGBTQ literature more prominently in our collection. Maybe we could have some informational materials about pronouns, since it matches with our writing focus and the acceptance we want to show."

"Hosting a collaborative event with Coe Alliance Club?"

"We could have a board for sexualities and genders and have people leave a tally for their representation. This would be an anonymous way for people to see they are represented and not alone in their identities."

Although many Centaurs agree that the CWC is already a safe space, there are still changes that can be made to make the space more welcoming to queer individuals. Some examples of these changes are adding more pride themed books and decor, collaborating with the campus queer club (Coe Alliance), showcasing Centaurs' preferred pronouns on pins, or even putting a gender identity and sexuality board up in the CWC so people can feel represented within the space. 

Follow-up Meeting Post-Survey

After the initial survey, I had a follow-up meeting with some Centaurs who indicated they wanted to talk about issues that could potentially make the CWC less of a safe space. They believe these issues are important to acknowledge in order to keep the CWC as a safe space for queer individuals and other minorities. The main topics we discussed were pronoun usage for writers, de-escalation training, and how to help a writer even if you do not agree with their beliefs.

According to one Centaur when they would work the front desk at the CWC, they had, "walk ins shutting down or being surprised, or defensive at being asked their pronouns."

Another Centaur said, "I was surprised at first being asked my pronouns because it’s never been a question I’ve been asked before like that. I knew my pronouns, but having to answer on the fly like that was surprising."

Centaurs are very inclusive about asking writers' preferred pronouns when they make an appointment or walk into the CWC. As such, some people are surprised about being asked their pronouns when they come to the CWC. After talking about their experience, both Centaurs agreed that having informational material about pronouns would benefit writers who are unsure on how pronouns are used in conversation and writing. This way writers will be less surprised or defensive when pronouns come up during a consultation.

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Another issue is being able to deescalate a situation in the CWC. Both Centaurs agree training to deescalate a situation in the CWC is important, especially if someone is using hate speech. They believe a good way to handle situations like this is to have formal training on de-escalation techniques during Centaur orientation. This training would ensure Centaurs feel confident stepping into stressful situations in order to keep people, especially minorities, safe while in the CWC.

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The final topic discussed was figuring out how to keep the CWC a safe space while not controlling other people's writings and beliefs, especially if their beliefs are about minorities. One of the Centaurs mentioned having a conference with a writer that shared different beliefs from them, and it made them feel uncomfortable. Although they did not agree with the writer's beliefs, they said it is their job to focus on helping the writer improve their paper, not on trying to change the writer's beliefs. One Centaur mentioned, "this is a tough situation that needs a lot of balance." The other Centaur said one solution to this predicament is to pass the writer to a different consultant who can mainly focus on the paper. 

So What?

According to my fellow Centaurs, the CWC is a safe space for both queer and non-queer people. They feel welcomed and accepted at the CWC, regardless of how they identify themselves. Furthermore, writers have no qualms with coming to the Coe Writing Center because it has such a nice and cozy atmosphere. However, my fellow Centaurs have mentioned that there are some small changes the CWC can do to make the space more supportive for queer consultants and students. 

With the current political climate in the nation, it is imperative to show support to minority groups who will need the support in the future. The CWC is already doing a great job to support queer people, but there is still more that can be done to ensure this writing center remains a safe space in these upcoming years.