Fonds F-282 - Out On Campus fonds

Out On Campus (OOC) was established in 1972 as a student group to support and advocate for LGBTQIA2S+ members of the SFU community, as well as provide a space for social and cultural events. Out On Campus supports undergraduate, graduate, and Fraser International College (FIC) students. At the time of writing (2024), OOC is a department of the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS), with a referendum passed in 2012 (SFSS Space Expansion Fund - Reallocation) assigning $0.50 per full time student per year to OOC, and is partially funded by the Graduate Student Society (GSS). Originally named Gays of SFU (occasionally written as SFU Gay People), it was re-named Gay and Lesbian People of SFU (GLPSFU) in 1982. The group was then on-hold until 1988, when it was re-established as the Gay and Lesbian Association of SFU (GALA), before being re-named as Out on Campus in 1994. A new constitution was created for each name change, and OOC remains a safe space for people of all genders and sexualities at SFU.

Out On Campus joined the Rotunda groups in 1996, opening the Rainbow Room (now the Out On Campus Centre) after a successful proposal for an LGBTQ+ centre to the SFSS. It further joined the Rotunda libraries in 1997, with the Out On Campus Library focused on LGBTQ+ materials. The Rotunda groups, after years of negotiation with SFU and the SFSS for space as the Student Union Building (SUB) was being built, are now housed in the SUB.

While occasionally being referred to as a collective in previous structures of the organization, the Out On Campus constitution established the Out On Campus Collective, the official governing body of OOC. Largely and historically volunteer-run, the Collective continues this trend, and while not all volunteers are Collective members, any volunteer can be. A part-time staff position was added in 1999, and a second in 2005, now known as the Coordinator and Programming Assistant. In 2018, the Coordinator role was turned into a full-time position.

Out On Campus provides a number of services, including the Out On Campus Centre which in addition to being a safe space for LGBTQ+ community members and allies, has free safer sex resources, free gender affirming products (including chest binders, breast forms, packers, and tucking gaff), sanitary products, razors, refreshments, and kitchen facilities. OOC also offers peer support and crisis referrals, informational resources such as their Resource Guide for 2SLGBTQIA+ students, allies, and community at SFU, an LGBTQ+ library as part of the Rotunda libraries, and regular social, cultural, and educational programming.