Greetings and Welcome!

The Dr. Jesse R. Peel LGBTQ Center at East Carolina University was founded in January 2011, following the visionary leadership, dedication, hard work, and perseverance of many people on this campus over the course of years, if not decades. ECU is now part of a growing network of college campuses across the United States that recognize the necessity of visible and organized support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, pansexual, and asexual students and their allies. We know that the support and programming we offer can be an integral part of the student experience and a critical component of student success.

Students can be involved in the Peel LGBTQ Center in a number of ways. Leadership opportunities include volunteering in the daily operation of the office or serving on an event planning committee. Students can serve as panelists on educational classroom presentations or represent the office at informational fairs on campus. Our office is open 40 hours per week to provide a safe and welcoming environment in which to socialize, study, or just relax between classes.

I welcome your ideas on creating an ever more inclusive environment on campus and I hope to see you often in the LGBTQ Center.

Mark Rasdorf, MA, NCC
Senior Associate Director, Student Engagement
Dr. Jesse R. Peel LGBTQ Center

ECU ranked #12 in national LGBTQ-friendly college poll

For LGBTQ Pride Month, Student Loan Hero researchers culled colleges and universities with a four-star rating or higher in the national Campus Pride Index and ranked these schools based on affordability.  East Carolina University, at #12, received the highest ranking for any university or college in North Carolina.  In the article accompanying the release of the findings, the author states, “Most students and their families have to consider affordability when choosing a college. But with homophobia, transphobia and other forms of discrimination running rampant in the world and on college campuses, LGBTQ students need to think about how welcoming their college of choice will be, too.” 

The Campus Pride Index is the national LGBTQ benchmarking tool for colleges and universities to create safer, more inclusive campus communities.  Since 2018, ECU has been designated as a Premier Campus with a rating of 4.5 (out of 5) stars.

ECU Purple Pantry assists students

ECU’s Purple Pantry is housed in the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement and is a collaborative effort between ECU Recovery and many entities of ECU’s Division of Student Affairs. The mission of the ECU Purple Pantry is to decrease food insecurity among the students of East Carolina University and increase access to other personal care items. Since opening in the late spring of 2018, students have been able to collect their most needed food and hygiene items. Members of the ECU community dedicate their time, talent and treasures to create a sustainable resource on campus to combat food insecurity.

For full details on locations and hours of operation, click here.

Using Your Preferred First Name at ECU

At ECU, we strive to promote a diverse, respectful, and inclusive environment for the university community. We recognize that students, faculty, and/or staff may wish to use first names to identify themselves, other than their Legal First Name. In a good faith effort to put such individual preferences into effect within the university, the university has implemented this opportunity to allow individuals to update their Preferred First Name.

The MyName section of the ECU website explains how to indicate a preferred first name, where this name will show up, and where, by law, your legal name will continue to appear.