Striving for increased awareness and cooperation, The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, and Ally (GLBTQQA) Resource Center at Colorado State University welcomes a new director.

On August 1, Aaric Guerriero began his role at the Resource Center, which has been on campus for 15 years. Its main functions include providing students with support, resources and educational programs and opportunities.

Guerriero previously worked as the founding director of the LGBTQ Resource Center at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, but he fell in love with Colorado during his interview process.

“It was very apparent that my personal and professional goals and what I needed out of a position and out of a campus matched what Colorado State could offer me,” Guerriero said.

Guerriero explained that he is excited about moving forward at Colorado State and that he was drawn to the culture of acceptance that exists at CSU.

“When I was here visiting for my interview, I really fell in love with the campus,” Guerriero said. “I thought there was a lot of phenomenal support for the resource center.”

Despite the previous successes of the Resource Center, Guerriero feels that there is still work to be done. He hopes to establish a campus-wide safe zone or safe-space program and strives toward working closer with other departments.

“A lot of my first year is going to be meeting with folks and getting connected and figuring out how we can all work together,” Guerriero said.

Mo Wells, director of diversity for ASCSU and health and human sciences major, said they also hopes to foster more cooperation at CSU by acting as a student connection to the Student Diversity Programs and Services (SDPS).

“As far as a first impression, he is really friendly and has an inviting personality, which is really important for being a director of an office,” Wells said of Guerriero.

Wells also said that they are excited to promote the events of all of the diversity organizations and offices on campus through their ASCSU platform.

“My hope is to be able to work with all of the offices pretty closely,” Wells said.

In addition to Guerriero, five students work in the Resource Center. Guerriero explained that he hopes to rely on the student team to develop the center by utilizing their strengths “to press the center forward in terms of visibility and the extent of programs that we provide.”

SOGLBT member and First Year Mentoring Program Peer Mentor Ashley Brown, a French and mathematics sophomore at CSU, recently began working in GLBTQQA Resource Center.

“I am excited to be more involved than last year,” Brown said.

Brown said she is excited to work with Guerriero because he has created a team-like environment within the center.

“He treats us more as colleagues rather than a boss-employee relationship,” Brown said.

Through increasing cooperation, Guerriero said he hopes to generate more visibility for the Resource Center.

“I encourage students to take advantage of all the SDPS Offices on campus,” Guerriero said. “All of us are doing amazing things in our departments and we do it for the benefit of the students.”

For more information about the GLBTQQA Resource Center, visit glbtss.colostate.edu.

Collegian Campus Beat Maddie Buxton can be reached at news@collegian.com and Twitter @madbuxx.