When Kent State sent out its letter titled “Supporting Our Community During Change” on June 2, 150 students found themselves in limbo while preparing for the upcoming school year — the LGBTQ+ Living Learning Community (LLC) had been announced to close.
The communication announced the closure of the LGBTQ+ Center, Women’s Center and Student Multicultural Center on the Kent Campus to comply with Senate Bill 1 (SB 1). Because the LLC, previously located in Korb and Leebrick Halls, was sponsored by the LGBTQ+ Center, it had to shut down as well.
Even though it is closed for now, there is hope that the LLC could open again. If the LLC had an academic partner, like the Gender & Sexuality Studies major or the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Studies minor, it has potential to re-open, according to Assistant Dean of Students and CARES Center Director Ken Ditlevson. It would just require students to be taking that major or minor in order to live in the LLC, similar to the other academic LLCs on campus.
Many students have also expressed interest to continue living in Korb and Leebrick, helping the community that the former LLC created live on.
“Kent State has a long history of advocacy — student voices being heard and uplifted — and the LGBTQ+ community has a long history at Kent State, too,” Ditlevson says. “Legislation cannot take away those pieces. I can tell you that there’s lots of students, as well as faculty and staff, that are going to continue to be advocates and supporters for the community.”
Reactions to the LLC closing
Charlie Burrows, a sophomore computer science major who lived in the LLC this past school year, says he felt the closing of the LLC was inevitable after SB 1 passed. Even so, the news wasn’t easy to take in.
“I had anchored myself so solidly in this community just to have it ripped away from me,” Burrows says. “Honestly, I cried because it was just so sudden and disheartening, and thinking about how many people I knew that were going to be affected or were going to feel unsafe.”
He says he originally chose to live in the LLC for safety reasons.
“Weighing my options as a trans person in America, it was honestly terrifying thinking of the idea of living in an area with cisgender people who I have no idea if they’re accepting or if they are going to do anything,” he says. “So, it just really wasn’t a risk that I was willing to take.”
He plans to continue living in Korb, but because the safe environment provided by the LLC is not guaranteed, he has concerns that people will be introduced into the living space who are not accepting.
Despite this, he knows a lot of people from the LLC who are continuing to live in Korb.
“It feels very secure, as like, we’ve taken this and we’ve claimed it as our own,” he says.
Rebekah Hiles, a sophomore early childhood education major who also lived in the LLC this past school year, says she also felt the closing of the LLC was inevitable. She is also staying in Korb, and to prepare for the upcoming school year, she says many of the people who lived on her floor created a group chat so they could have a way to keep the community going.
Even though the physical space may be gone, Hiles says, “We can’t let that control what we do with our community. We’re all still here; we’re still going to be here.”
She hopes that those who plan to stay in Korb will find a way to get together and make plans for keeping the community alive.
“When that decision was made and the email went out, it definitely pulled on my feelings, and there was definitely a feeling of loss,” Ditlevson says. “We did make it clear that students that were living in those communities could choose to stay in those places because of the friendships and communities that they’ve already formed, and so I do know that there’s quite a few students who are planning to stay in those areas, and I think that will lend itself for that community building to continue.”
History of the LGBTQ+ LLC
Ditlevson, as former director of the LGBTQ+ Center, was involved in the creation of the LLC from the beginning, and he says the idea sprouted from students who were voicing a desire for a community.
Working with Pride! Kent and the Undergraduate Student Government, the LLC was officially formed in 2016. Jill Jenkins, University Housing senior executive director, says it would become one of their longest-standing LLCs.
LLC students were concentrated in Korb and Leebrick, but could live anywhere and still be a part of the community through its programming, initiatives and resources. Interest grew each year, and in 2024, 150 students were living in the LLC, according to Jenkins.
“I think the biggest thing that students resonated with was having the staff and resources and activities sponsored by that center offered to them, and in a lot of cases, right where they live, which I think certainly provided a level of comfort and engagement and safety for students,” Jenkins says.
All of the RAs and hall staff were aware and engaged in the community, which helped to create a safe environment. Ditlevson says the LLC gave students a place to be their authentic selves and connect with others who understood their challenges and experiences.
“It just filled an important role for every student feeling welcome and included on our campus and really giving an outlet for students that might have fears around coming to campus and wondering if they’re going to be safe,” he says.
A safe environment
Hiles says she decided to live in the LLC because she didn’t want to take the risk of possibly being placed with a homophobic or unaccepting roommate.
“Knowing that Kent had the LLC just made me feel safer in so many ways, and it was something that, knowing that if I was among people like myself, I wouldn’t have to be as worried about possibly being hate-crimed or discriminated against within my own dorm,” she says.
She says she immediately made friends with the people on her floor, and she doesn’t know how she would have gotten through college thus far without them.
Burrows says the people he lived with were overwhelmingly friendly, kind and understanding.
“It feels so different from any environment that I’ve ever been in before where you see somebody, and there’s at least somewhat of a guarantee that they are going to be at least okay with your existence,” he says. “Queer people have, I feel like, such a strong sense of community that the second that I walked into Korb, I immediately felt like I was surrounded by my community.”
Finding alternative resources
Ditlevson says he wants to guide students to reach out to student organizations, as those are one of the areas that are not impacted by SB 1.
Some of these include Pride! Kent, TransFusion and Rauch – Queer Jewish Spirit.
“I can tell you, without a doubt, there is a place for everyone on our campus,” he says. “I want students to know that they are not alone, that living learning communities can be closed or identity centers can be closed, but Kent State does have a commitment to making sure that everyone feels welcomed and included.”