Programs
LGBTQ+ Initiatives
The affirmation of our LGBTQ+ and Ally community is the foundation for creating a socially just and inclusive environment at UC Merced and in society as a whole. We believe that through the education the LGBTQ+ and Ally students receive, both inside and outside of the classroom, they will succeed in their academic endeavors and go on to thrive in their personal and professional lives. LGBTQ+ Initiatives is here to serve and support the LGBTQ+ and ally community at UC Merced.
Womxn's Programs
Women's Programs, within the Office of Social Justice Initiatives & Identity Programs, provides opportunities for the UC Merced community to learn, grow and reinforce the leadership and well-being of womxn. Through a continuous examination of power, privilege and the intersections of identity, Women’s Programs establishes a network of support and advocates for the positive educational and co-curricular experiences for all members of the UC Merced community while maintaining a specific focus on gender and womxn.
Living Learning Communities
AFRO Hall LLC
The Afrikan’s For Retention & Outreach organization is dedicated to providing a living and learning community for black students that focuses on academic excellence, community outreach, and providing a mentoring program that fosters student development throughout their college experience. We believe that very student is capable of academic success and that every student deserves a safe space to cultivate that success while giving back to the community and uplifting each other through peer mentoring.
Signature Programs
Black Graduation
Borderlands Book Club
The Borderlands Book Club will create an environment for our UC Merced scholars to engage in dialogue around difference, social identity, and provocative inquiry, and promote equitable opportunities for scholars of historically marginalized backgrounds to engage in active, community-based learning experiences. They will be required to empower themselves as a collective through decision-making, resourcefulness, cross-cultural communication and interactions, which will result in our scholars’ skill attainment and preparation to travel, live and lead inclusively in diverse, global spaces, during their UC Merced career and beyond.
Inclusive Excenlence Symposium
A one day conference style event for stdent leaders to engage in workshops, dialouge, and pannel opportunities around inclusive excellence and social justice leadership.
Latinx Graduation
Lavender Graduation
The Lavender Graduation Reception is an annual cultural ceremony that recognizes graduating LGBTQ+ scholars of all races and ethnicities and acknowledges the tenacity for creating positive social change by being part of the UC Merced graduating class. Our dedication to honoring the lived experiences and triumphs of our LGBTQ+ graduates is rooted in the desire to create a welcoming, inclusive and affirming environment.
Lavender Graduation Receptions is a joint venture between Lambda Alliance, LGBTQ+ Initiatives, the Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Queer Issues (CACQI), and multiple other departments across campus.