The Princeton Pride Alliance's constitution states that one of its goals is to "represent the interests of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning members of the community at Princeton University" and to "be active in campus politics in order to promote [the interests]" of those students.
And the alliance has done just that from its office in Aaron Burr Hall for almost 20 years. However, according to alliance vice president Betsy Smith '03, the group is being forced to vacate its office by the end of the year and is currently discussing prospects for a new location with the University.
Former president Dan Weitz '01 explained that the Pride Alliance is being forced to move because the University is planning to renovate Burr Hall beginning this summer. The building is slated to house only academic offices when it is finished.
But the University has a new office location picked out for the group. Weitz explained, "As of now [the University] has a space picked out now in the Armory." He said the space chosen for the group is fifty square feet smaller than the current office in Burr Hall.
According to Vice President for Campus Life Janet Dickerson, the University is doing its best to accommodate all the groups being moved from Burr Hall.
"The fact is, they have to move because there is always a shortage of space," she said. "There are pressures and priorities. This is a great game of musical chairs."
Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Students Tom Dunne explained further that this year there is a more pronounced lack of space for student groups due to the numerous renovation projects underway on campus. "It's a real space crunch. We are operating with limited parameters," he noted. "We have been working pretty closely with the Pride Alliance."
Dickerson said the Armory is not the only possibility for the alliance's future office. "The students have looked at several spaces [including] possibilities in 48 University Place," she said.
Still, the Alliance is not satisfied with the prospects. "[We are] being relegated to a closet in the Armory," Weitz said, adding that when events are held at their Burr Hall office it already overflows with participants.
Weitz noted the Alliance is also dissatisfied with the new office because the Armory is situated quite far from the center of campus. "That is a big problem for us," Weitz said. "We want an accessible space. No [other Ivy League] school has a tiny little space tucked away into a corner of campus."
"It's a really bad idea," Weitz continued. "Princeton is already so far behind the other Ivy League schools [in their treatment of lesbian, gay and bisexual issues]."
Yet, the future of the Pride Alliance is not entirely bleak. The group has accrued a very large endowment, which has accumulated over the years. "It's an endowment that the alumni group has," Smith explained. "They invested [the money] really well."
The alumni group that has invested this money is called the Fund For Reunion, a group separate from both the Pride Alliance and the University, Weitz said.
As for the fate of the endowment, Smith said that it "is undecided right now." Weitz explained that the Fund for Reunion board, which met on Sunday, will decide what to do with the money. Weitz said the board is considering a certificate program but noted that this is "something the University is not ready for."
Speaking for the officers of the Pride Alliance, Weitz suggested, "What we would really like . . . is a LGBT resource center."
Even if the resource center does not materialize, however, the group refuses to give up hope.
"We are definitely fighting it," Smith said. "We feel that we are already marginalized [at Princeton] and we don't want to be any more marginalized."
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