TAYLOR BOURAAD: OK. So why don't you start by telling me who you are, what you do, and your journey thus far here at Cornell? 

MATT CARCELLA: Sure. My name is Matt Carcella. I am currently the Senior Director for Diversity Alumni Programs and US Regional Alumni Engagement in the Office of Alumni Affairs Development. I came to Cornell in 2009 as the Associate Dean of Students and Director of the LGBT Resource Center on campus. And when I got to Cornell, in 2009 we were sort of nationally globally sort of at the height of the recession at that time. And so a lot of positions have been cut. There were layoffs of staff on campus. There was a very large voluntary early retirement program that a lot of people took advantage of at the time. 

So we were really sort of constricting as a University. And 2009 is not that long ago. But this was well before marriage equality, other sort of state and local protections in a lot of areas for queer people. So politically, we were in a really active time as a community. Not that we're not right now, but there was a lot of things coming together around that time. We were seeing some small wins here and there. And I think the movement overall was gaining a little bit more momentum collectively than it had ever had before. 

But when I came into Cornell and working with the student population-- and actually, the resource center at that time, I don't know if it still is or not, but we were a bit unique among our other peers at other institutions in terms of queer resource centers because we served students, staff, and faculty as part of our mission and our charge, which is a little bit atypical. We didn't sort of solely sit-in the student affairs lane. 

But what was a bit unfortunate because of attrition and people leaving their roles and then not being refilled, I came into running the resource center and two other positions had been eliminated or at least put on hold. So prior to me coming to Cornell, there was a director of the Resource Center and a program assistant for the Resource Center. And then there was also an assistant dean position in the Dean of Students Office that was the advisor to Haven. 

So when I came into to my role, Haven became part of the Results Center. I became the advisor to Haven, and was sort of a one person operation where there had been three FTE, full time positions, beforehand. So there was a lot of student advocacy in order to make sure that not all three of the positions were sort of put on hold at the time. The students reached out to the alumni network. 

After I got hired, [INAUDIBLE], who was the Dean of Students at the time said, Matt, I want you to come up for a reunion. I know you don't start for another two months, but I want you to come up to campus for reunion and meet alumni. Because they were so instrumental in advocating to the administration to make sure this position got refilled, and that there were support services for queer students on campus. 

So I came to reunion, met folks, started the job. And it really it was taking a lot of all the good work that was happening trying to center it in the Resource Center. Providing, growing, the number of organizations for students. Programming. A lot of my background at the time had been in some of the student group and sort of paraprofessional counseling, but also in programming. And doing large scale programming. 

So we started bringing in speakers. And over the years, we started doing more fundraising. We got more resources for not only the Resource Center, but for Haven and the other student organizations. And so we were able to do a lot of really interesting programs. And then, at some point, I made a small pivot into doing alumni engagement and fundraising for sort of our identity based communities. Including the LGBT community. But sort of a much broader DEI portfolio. And then recently took on regional engagement as well as part of my team. 

TAYLOR BOURAAD: Thank you. So you started to talk about this a little bit. But was there anything you wanted to add around campus climate for LGBTQ students on campus since your arrival? What is that? Has there been changes, ebbs and flows, things like that? And what does that look like? 

MATT CARCELLA: And this is primarily for students in general. Right? 

TAYLOR BOURAAD: Yeah. 

MATT CARCELLA: So I think when I came-- I think it's improved. I mean, I think that we constantly continue to improve the climate year over year. Sometimes there are big wins. Sometimes they're smaller. That sort of thing. There were a lot of folks that were sort of very deeply in the closet at the time that I came to Cornell. They recognize there are still individuals and students that are still very deeply in the closet. But it seems as though the visible community of being out has gotten larger. 

So in my mind, my math sort of goes to hopefully there are less students who are deeply in the closet than there were years ago. Now a lot of aspects of identity have changed over the past 20 years in particular. And as we think about the ways in which people identify gender, and the ways that we talk about sexual orientation has changed. And so we really have from a climate standpoint I think where we are now is that we need to sort of focus a little bit more on language, and sort of understanding all identities. And understanding how those identities are similar or different than the ones that we know that we hold ourselves. Right. 

So a lot more need for that dialogue within the queer community than ever before. And there was always a need for that dialogue in the past. But it was very much presented as here's a way of understanding yourself as being not heteronormative, not completely cis, and that's it. But we've really grown into a lot more nuanced versions of ourselves, which I think is really exciting and really good. But that needs to continue to have further education about those identities. Not just to the majority population, but also among the queer community as well. And I don't know that we do that entirely well right now. Just globally. Nationally not globally. Nationally. 

But I think the climate for students-- and I'm a little bit removed from it in my role. But when they interact with alumni, and that's sort of where I see it most, there's a lot of similar struggles there. But again, I think there's just a lot more outness and visibility. And a lot more-- you know, when I first came to Cornell, they had a very big like ally program where people had these cards. I probably have one here. Like a safe place card on their door. Faculty, member staff, whatever. I'm a safe place for the queer community. And that's all well and good. But like every place on campus needs to be safe. Right? 

And I just see things as simple as folks that are talking about pronouns. Folks that are accurately using acronyms, and knowing what the acronyms mean. To me, that's a lot better than putting a sticker on your door that says I'm not going to purposefully create a hostile situation with you. Because you still might inadvertently do that. The education I think has come a long way. Partly due to Cornell's efforts. Partly due to what's happened in the world and in the nation. 

TAYLOR BOURAAD: Yeah. Thank you. Yeah, that's a really good point and something we've been talking a lot about with the next step in supporting students. So in your perspective, in what ways has the opening of Loving House impacted the LGBTQ+ campus experience? And maybe from an alumni perspective as well. 

MATT CARCELLA: Yeah. So I mean, the history of how we got to Loving House is just one of those frustratingly positive stories. It's so interesting. And I always want to kind of focus on that. And I think everybody knows the history. There was this proposal, this call, demand, whatever you want to call it, from students who partially occupy [INAUDIBLE], but we're kind of really in support of Latinx students at the time who were also advocating for more support and for a living center. 

And basically what got approved was the LGBT Resource Center for the queer community, and the Latino Living Center for Latinx community. Bless you. And so years, and years, and years go by. Here and there-- when I first got here, there were a couple pushes for a residence hall. But it didn't really gain a lot of steam at that time. I think we were so focused on getting back resources that we had gotten taken away during the recession that like asking for something brand new didn't seem like the right approach. 

But I started meeting a lot of alumni who are part of that moment like Joe Barrios. I think I met him in DC at an event for alumni and he started talking about his experience there. And he hadn't been back to campus in a number of years. And not putting words in his mouth, but just sort of felt like dammit, why didn't that happen? You know? 

And to see Loving House finally open, and even though it took decades based on of some of that advocacy and that activism, I think a lot of the alumni who were students at the time who were really focused on that sort of advocacy and activism still saw it as a win that many years later. And I think that's really important because it was and it is a win even that many years later. 

And there's like a collective sense of struggle that some of the students who are younger who are now maybe young alums who were advocating for Loving House that were ultimately successful-- that connection to people who came before them many decades before, I would hope that we can continue to grow that connection. Because I think there's an important aspect of being partners in the struggle. 

TAYLOR BOURAAD: Yeah. Thank you. So we've been asking everybody this. And I kind of I think goes along with everything you've said so far. But what does the creation of Loving House mean to you? 

MATT CARCELLA: Oh, I guess I just reiterate that that connection between generations. That connection to-- when you think about advocacy, and you think about activism, and then you can sort of recognize a win, you can recognize something that is a place that can feel like home and like a true sense of home-- and the Resource Center is great. Obviously, I led it for a number of years. 

But somewhere where you actually like lay your head down. This actual sense of home. Not just a place where you can go, but at some point we close and you have to leave. So being able to sort of have that 24 hour I can be myself sort of situation. And I hope that other people recognize they're other students, other campus community members sort of recognize it for what it is as well. And it's not just seen as a place for folks. Queer folks. There's that recognition there that sort of stands alongside some of the other programs too. 

TAYLOR BOURAAD: Yeah. Thank you. Is there anything that I didn't ask that you'd like to add? 

MATT CARCELLA: Oh, boy. I mean, the only thing I think I would add is the work that I do with alumni. The students who are part of Loving House will become alumni. They're part of that community. How do we continue to steward Loving House? How do we continue to make sure that it persists, and that it stays, and that it grows if it needs to? That it is as welcoming as it needs to be and can be for all students of all identities. 

I wonder too like what are the connections that we can have between graduate and professional students and undergraduates. And that's always been a really I think meaningful opportunity. And I look at that with a lot of our identity based communities at Cornell. Oftentimes, the undergraduate experience is very much the undergraduate experience. You go through the Greek system. You're part of student organizations. They're all focused on the undergraduate sort of time frame. 

But when you're involved with Black Students United, or Haven, or the Resource Center. Or the Asian Asian-American Center. You can really connect to people who are different generations. Our graduate students are in law school. And I think that's really variable for undergraduates in particular. But also graduate students to have that interaction. So I think is there a is there a part of Loving House that can support that too? 

TAYLOR BOURAAD: Yeah. Thank you. 

MATT CARCELLA: We're all good.