Cathlene McGraw’s first day of employment at the Queer Resource Center isn’t until July 19, but that hasn’t stopped her from getting acquainted with the campus in the weeks leading up to her official arrival.
She plans to spend time prior to her first day of work on Portland State’s campus so she can meet students and colleagues.
“Coming to Portland State has been incredible. All the students and staff I’ve met so far have been super welcoming to me,” she said. “People are excited and ready to start working with this position.”
McGraw has been appointed as the coordinator of Queer Student Services, Outreach, and Education, a new position added to Queer Student Services at PSU.
“Queer students and their allies face a unique set of stressors in their identity development and in the support networks that can complicate their ability to access higher education,” she said.
McGraw also explained that those working in QSS collaborate with other offices, including diversity and multicultural student services, disability services and veterans support, so that “students can feel like all of their identities and experiences can be honored and accepted at any office they access at Portland State University.”
As coordinator of QSS, McGraw will work with PSU students, staff and faculty, as well as the entire Portland community in order to provide a campus environment that is free of homophobia, heterosexism and gender bias, she said.
“On a daily basis, this means working with students to provide support for their experiences on campus, as well as leadership opportunities and events. [It means working] to provide queer students and their allies with equitable access to resources to assist them throughout their higher education experience,” McGraw said of her position.
She said that she will also work with faculty and staff to ensure student success at PSU, in addition to creating a “supportive community network for queer staff and faculty and their allies.”
McGraw graduated from University of Oregon with a Bachelors of Arts in journalism in 2003. Afterwards, she received her Masters in Science from Oregon State University’s college of Student Services Administration with a concentration in social justice and organizational change in 2006.
McGraw has had plenty of experience in this line of work. Not only has she spent five years working in student services, but three of those years were specifically spent in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender services, she said.
These years of experience were gained while McGraw worked at the University of Oregon. During her time working at U of O, she worked in student conduct, conflict resolution services and other non-traditional student programs. Much of that time was spent working as a program assistant to the LGBT Education and Support Services program.
“I love working with students and working within queer communities,” McGraw said. “I feel very blessed to be able to do each of these things every day at work.”
Those currently at the Queer Resource Center share McGraw’s enthusiasm for the queer community and are excited to see her in action.
Beth Olson, administration and publicity coordinator at the QRC, expressed some of the anticipation building for McGraw’s arrival.
“We are super excited to have Cat with us here at the QRC,” Olson said.