About the MOSAIC and LGBTQ+ Resource Center

About the Center

Mission

Our mission is to provide holistic support through the advocacy, ongoing personal development, and community cultivation for UCCS students from historically and currently marginalized* populations.

*Marginalized is used to recognize the ongoing structural and systemic process of relegating or confining specific sociocultural groups to a lower, secondary and/or erased position. Communities that have been marginalized can encompass, but is not limited to, Black/African/African American, Native American, American Indian and Indigenous, Latine/x, Asian, Pacific islander, Desi American, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+), two-spirit, undocumented/DACA/mixed status families, women, those with visible and invisible disabilities, age diversity, those experiencing housing/financial insecurity, criminal status, body size diversity, military and veteran populations, and the international community within the United States.

Vision

Our vision is to collaborate with students in advancing equity at UCCS.

Core Values | The M.O.S.A.I.C. and LGBTQ+ Resource Center considers the following core values as central to achieving our mission.

  • Community | We cultivate a campus committed to connection, belonging, and respect through the elevation and support of cultural exploration and preservation.
  • Equity | We aim to advocate for, create, and sustain opportunities focused on historically marginalized populations to close structural and systemic achievement gaps.
  • Inclusive Excellence | We exemplify and teach active, intentional, and ongoing engagement with diversity to equip the community with sustainable best practices and tools for empathetic advocacy. 
  • Ongoing Education | We foster an environment for curiosity, collaboration, and diversity of thought to aid the lifelong liberatory learning and unlearning process.
  • Personal Growth | We promote the holistic exploration of the self through intentionally designed enrichment for intellectual, spiritual, social, emotional, mental, environmental, financial, career, and physical growth that lasts a lifetime.
History

The Multicultural Office for Student Access, Inclusiveness, and Community (M.O.S.A.I.C.), formerly known as the Office of Student Multicultural Affairs (SMA), was created in 2003 with the primary purpose of advocating for the academic, personal, and social development of underrepresented ethnic minority students. Anthony Cordova, a UCCS alumni, served as the inaugural director of the office. As the campus grew and demographics shifted, there became an important need to expand the programming and resources to serve an increasingly diverse campus.

In 2006, SMA was re-envisioned to be M.O.S.A.I.C. to involve all students in multicultural educational programs. This came with a location shift from Main Hall over to the University Center. The name and location change were vital to building community and creating a more welcoming, inclusive campus environment that better recognized the intersectional experiences of UCCS students and aimed to promote the belief that all students have a culture and deserve an inclusive learning environment. 

In 2009, Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak convened a task force to address the "climate, policies, practices and procedures important for our LGBTQ students, faculty, and staff in support of our UCCS core values." The task force included campus leadership from a broad range of campus units: faculty, staff, students, and members of the LGBTQ community. The Pikes Peak Gay and Lesbian Community Center (The PRIDE Center) was an important partner with the LGBTQ Task Force. Ryan Acker, the executive director of the PRIDE Center, served on the task force and during this same period contracted with UCCS to develop the LGBTQ+ Resource Center at M.O.S.A.I.C. The development of the resource center moved forward in parallel with the work of the task force. Initially, the LGBTQ+ Resource Center was coordinated by Kerrianne Smith, a part-time Graduate Assistant employed by the PRIDE Center, until the position of LGBTQ+ Program Director was added to the M.O.S.A.I.C. In 2012, Vanessa Delgado was selected to serve as the inaugural Program Director of the LGBTQ+ Resource Center.

The summer of 2020, nationally, served as a catalyst for students to maximize on promises for stronger equity and inclusion practices. Multiple petitions and meetings with Chancellor Venkat Reddy throughout the summer also strengthened the capacity for acquiring more physical space. After years of ongoing advocacy and proposals by students, staff and faculty, the M.O.S.A.I.C. and LGBTQ+ Resource Center expansion was approved. Initial funding by the CU President’s Office, as well as fundraising efforts by UCCS, contributed to doubling the available space for continued programming, resources, advocacy, and sustainable access efforts.

The newly renovated M.O.S.A.I.C. and LGBTQ+ Resource Center opened in April 2021 with the addition of an expanded community space, two private reflection rooms, two full-time coordinators (Joyner Atiles Lopez and Dejae Spears), and a new director (Whitley Hadley '13). In 2023, the M.O.S.A.I.C. celebrated 20 years of being a student support service on the campus with a campus celebration that launched a fundraising campaign for an endowed M.O.S.A.I.C. scholarship. In 2024, the First2Go Program led by Coordinator Ashley San Miguel was restructured to be a service under the M.O.S.A.I.C. and LGBTQ+ Resource Center.

Impact Reports - MOSAIC and LGBTQ+ Resource Center

Coming Soon!