A photograph of people sitting at the information desk in the Multicultural Center. They have desktop computers and a small paper sign in front of them. There is also a large full-wall mural behind them featuring different students, patterns, and campus scenes.

Photograph of three women mingling at the 2nd Annual BSE event in 2012, held by UNT Special Collections. The image shows three African American women standing by each other and mingling. They stand in a grey carpeted room with a circle of chairs arranged behind them. Black Student Experience (BSE), was created to foster pride and promote academic success among the Black student population at UNT. Created in 2011, BSE is a weekend retreat that introduces incoming freshman and transfer students to leaders of the Black student population. This retreat is an opportunity for students to discover their campus involvement interests, become introduced to black faculty, staff, and alumni, and ideally begin or cultivate a path to become a leader themselves. BSE participants leave the retreat with a better knowledge of the UNT resources available to them, a foundation that will prepare them to be successful at UNT and a community of support and family.

Photograph of a graduate from the Spring 2018 Lavender Graduation.

Photograph of a graduate from the Spring 2018 Lavender Graduation.

Photograph of the two hosts of the 2018 Lavender Graduation, held by UNT Special Collections. The photo shows the two hosts side by side each other, the person on the right is someone with long blonde hair and wearing a dress,. On the left is a person with shorter hair and a grey long sleeve. In the background a projection with the graduation title can be seen. Lavender Graduation ceremonies have a rich history and began with the first Lavender Graduation at the University of Michigan in 1995. The first Lavender Graduation ceremony was created by Dr. Ronni Sanlo, the Director of the Lesbian and Gay Programs Office at the University of Michigan. Dr. Sanlo, who had been denied admittance to her children’s commencement ceremonies because of her sexuality, realized there were no recognition ceremonies to honor the lives and achievements of Queer and Trans students. With the extra stress and pressure placed upon Queer and Trans college students, Lavender Graduation ceremonies are an important rite of passage that offer recognition and inspiration to students. Lavender Graduation ceremonies are open to all graduates, those within the Queer and Trans communities and their allies. The tradition is continued today at hundreds …

Photograph of a graduate from the Spring 2018 Lavender Graduation.

Photograph of stoles from the 2018 Lavender Graduation, held by UNT Special Collections. The purple stoles are laid out on a green surface. They have rainbow stripes at the top and bottom, as well as two triangles. Lavender Graduation ceremonies have a rich history and began with the first Lavender Graduation at the University of Michigan in 1995. The first Lavender Graduation ceremony was created by Dr. Ronni Sanlo, the Director of the Lesbian and Gay Programs Office at the University of Michigan. Dr. Sanlo, who had been denied admittance to her children’s commencement ceremonies because of her sexuality, realized there were no recognition ceremonies to honor the lives and achievements of Queer and Trans students. With the extra stress and pressure placed upon Queer and Trans college students, Lavender Graduation ceremonies are an important rite of passage that offer recognition and inspiration to students. Lavender Graduation ceremonies are open to all graduates, those within the Queer and Trans communities and their allies. The tradition is continued today at hundreds of institutions across the nation and the Pride Alliance is honored to add UNT’s name to that list.

Photograph of Cara Walker and a friend at the 2nd Annual BSE event in 2012, held by UNT Special Collections. The image shows two African American women standing next to each other and smiling for the camera. The woman on the left wears a light blue shirt for the Multicultural Center at UNT and has green UNT name tag with her name "Cara Walker" on it. The woman on the right wears a green shirt and has on a white name tag, but her name is not visible. Black Student Experience (BSE), was created to foster pride and promote academic success among the Black student population at UNT. Created in 2011, BSE is a weekend retreat that introduces incoming freshman and transfer students to leaders of the Black student population. This retreat is an opportunity for students to discover their campus involvement interests, become introduced to black faculty, staff, and alumni, and ideally begin or cultivate a path to become a leader themselves. BSE participants leave the retreat with a better knowledge of the UNT resources available to them, a foundation that will prepare them to be successful at UNT and a community of support and family.

Photograph of three people at the 2018 Lavender Graduation, held by UNT Special Collections. The image shows three people sitting closely together at a round table. In the middle is the graduate with short black hair and glasses, wearing a green graduation robe and a purple stole around their neck with rainbow stripes. To the left is a young man in a black long sleeve and to the right a girl with blonde hair in black. On the top right side of the photo another table of people can be seen. Lavender Graduation ceremonies have a rich history and began with the first Lavender Graduation at the University of Michigan in 1995. The first Lavender Graduation ceremony was created by Dr. Ronni Sanlo, the Director of the Lesbian and Gay Programs Office at the University of Michigan. Dr. Sanlo, who had been denied admittance to her children’s commencement ceremonies because of her sexuality, realized there were no recognition ceremonies to honor the lives and achievements of Queer and Trans students. With the extra stress and pressure placed upon Queer and Trans college students, Lavender Graduation ceremonies are an important rite of passage that offer recognition and inspiration to students. Lavender …

Photograph of cupcakes from the 2018 Lavender Graduation, held by UNT Special Collections. The cupcakes lay on a tray, and there are two types: vanilla with white frosting and chocolate with chocolate frosting. Each of them have a round piece of chocolate on top with a green eagle symbol. Lavender Graduation ceremonies have a rich history and began with the first Lavender Graduation at the University of Michigan in 1995. The first Lavender Graduation ceremony was created by Dr. Ronni Sanlo, the Director of the Lesbian and Gay Programs Office at the University of Michigan. Dr. Sanlo, who had been denied admittance to her children’s commencement ceremonies because of her sexuality, realized there were no recognition ceremonies to honor the lives and achievements of Queer and Trans students. With the extra stress and pressure placed upon Queer and Trans college students, Lavender Graduation ceremonies are an important rite of passage that offer recognition and inspiration to students. Lavender Graduation ceremonies are open to all graduates, those within the Queer and Trans communities and their allies. The tradition is continued today at hundreds of institutions across the nation and the Pride Alliance is honored to add UNT’s name to that list.

Photograph of a group of people at the 2018 Lavender Graduation, held by UNT Special Collections. The image shows a group of six people sitting around a black table. The two furthest on the left are the graduates in their outfits with purple stoles around their necks, rainbow stripes on the ends of it. On the farthest right is a young man in a striped sweater, to his left another young man and the two people in the middle older woman. Behind them is a long table of refreshments, and on their right another table of people partially seen. Lavender Graduation ceremonies have a rich history and began with the first Lavender Graduation at the University of Michigan in 1995. The first Lavender Graduation ceremony was created by Dr. Ronni Sanlo, the Director of the Lesbian and Gay Programs Office at the University of Michigan. Dr. Sanlo, who had been denied admittance to her children’s commencement ceremonies because of her sexuality, realized there were no recognition ceremonies to honor the lives and achievements of Queer and Trans students. With the extra stress and pressure placed upon Queer and Trans college students, Lavender Graduation ceremonies are an important rite of passage …

Photograph of a graduate from the Spring 2018 Lavender Graduation.

Photograph of three people sitting in a room at the 2nd Annual BSE event in 2012, held by UNT Special Collections. The image shows two African American woman sitting on each side of an African American man. They are separated by one chair in between them and the women wear scarves around their necks. They all have name tags on their shirts and sit in a carpeted room. Black Student Experience (BSE), was created to foster pride and promote academic success among the Black student population at UNT. Created in 2011, BSE is a weekend retreat that introduces incoming freshman and transfer students to leaders of the Black student population. This retreat is an opportunity for students to discover their campus involvement interests, become introduced to black faculty, staff, and alumni, and ideally begin or cultivate a path to become a leader themselves. BSE participants leave the retreat with a better knowledge of the UNT resources available to them, a foundation that will prepare them to be successful at UNT and a community of support and family.

Photograph of African American graduates from Spring 2018, held by UNT Special Collections. The photograph shows a big group of African American men and women on a stage in their green graduation robes and caps, as well as their stoles with a traditional striped African print on it. They graduates stand on a stage in front of a white screen titled "Spring 2018 Graduates" with twelve columns of their names. Some of the audience is seen watching them, taking pictures.

Photograph of three people at the 2018 Lavender Graduation, held by UNT Special Collections. The image shows three people sitting close to each other at a round table. The person on the left is a girl with long blonde hair wearing a dress, in the middle is one of the graduates wearing a purple stole, and the person on the right wears a black t shirt. Lavender Graduation ceremonies have a rich history and began with the first Lavender Graduation at the University of Michigan in 1995. The first Lavender Graduation ceremony was created by Dr. Ronni Sanlo, the Director of the Lesbian and Gay Programs Office at the University of Michigan. Dr. Sanlo, who had been denied admittance to her children’s commencement ceremonies because of her sexuality, realized there were no recognition ceremonies to honor the lives and achievements of Queer and Trans students. With the extra stress and pressure placed upon Queer and Trans college students, Lavender Graduation ceremonies are an important rite of passage that offer recognition and inspiration to students. Lavender Graduation ceremonies are open to all graduates, those within the Queer and Trans communities and their allies. The tradition is continued today at hundreds of …

Photograph of a graduate from the Spring 2018 Lavender Graduation.

Photograph of a speaker at the 2018 Lavender Graduation, held by UNT Special Collections. The image show a speaker behind a podium with a green plaque in front of it. On the plaque are the letters UNT in white. On the right side the projector screen can be seen with the Lavender Graduation title on it, surrounded by a circle of lavender. Lavender Graduation ceremonies have a rich history and began with the first Lavender Graduation at the University of Michigan in 1995. The first Lavender Graduation ceremony was created by Dr. Ronni Sanlo, the Director of the Lesbian and Gay Programs Office at the University of Michigan. Dr. Sanlo, who had been denied admittance to her children’s commencement ceremonies because of her sexuality, realized there were no recognition ceremonies to honor the lives and achievements of Queer and Trans students. With the extra stress and pressure placed upon Queer and Trans college students, Lavender Graduation ceremonies are an important rite of passage that offer recognition and inspiration to students. Lavender Graduation ceremonies are open to all graduates, those within the Queer and Trans communities and their allies. The tradition is continued today at hundreds of institutions across the nation …

Photograph of a group of eight people sitting in a room at the 2nd Annual BSE event in 2012, held by UNT Special Collections. The image shows a group of eight African American men and woman sitting in a half circle inside a carpeted room with white walls, all of them dress in business casual clothing. Black Student Experience (BSE), was created to foster pride and promote academic success among the Black student population at UNT. Created in 2011, BSE is a weekend retreat that introduces incoming freshman and transfer students to leaders of the Black student population. This retreat is an opportunity for students to discover their campus involvement interests, become introduced to black faculty, staff, and alumni, and ideally begin or cultivate a path to become a leader themselves. BSE participants leave the retreat with a better knowledge of the UNT resources available to them, a foundation that will prepare them to be successful at UNT and a community of support and family.

Photograph of a graduate from the Spring 2018 Lavender Graduation.

Photograph of a graduate from the Spring 2018 Lavender Graduation.

Photograph of three women socializing at the 2nd Annual BSE event in 2012, held by UNT Special Collections. The image shows three African American women in business casual clothing standing in a carpeted room talking to each other, a blank projection screen in the background as well as a table covered in a black cloth. Black Student Experience (BSE), was created to foster pride and promote academic success among the Black student population at UNT. Created in 2011, BSE is a weekend retreat that introduces incoming freshman and transfer students to leaders of the Black student population. This retreat is an opportunity for students to discover their campus involvement interests, become introduced to black faculty, staff, and alumni, and ideally begin or cultivate a path to become a leader themselves. BSE participants leave the retreat with a better knowledge of the UNT resources available to them, a foundation that will prepare them to be successful at UNT and a community of support and family.

Photographs of a graduate from the Spring 2018 Lavender Graduation, held by UNT Special Collections.

Photograph of a group of people at the 2018 Lavender Graduation, held by UNT Special Collections. The image shows one of the graduates and a friend sitting by each other at a table. On the left is the graduate with brown hair and a purple stole around their neck. On the right is a friend with blonde hair. Behind them rows of empty chairs can be seen. Lavender Graduation ceremonies have a rich history and began with the first Lavender Graduation at the University of Michigan in 1995. The first Lavender Graduation ceremony was created by Dr. Ronni Sanlo, the Director of the Lesbian and Gay Programs Office at the University of Michigan. Dr. Sanlo, who had been denied admittance to her children’s commencement ceremonies because of her sexuality, realized there were no recognition ceremonies to honor the lives and achievements of Queer and Trans students. With the extra stress and pressure placed upon Queer and Trans college students, Lavender Graduation ceremonies are an important rite of passage that offer recognition and inspiration to students. Lavender Graduation ceremonies are open to all graduates, those within the Queer and Trans communities and their allies. The tradition is continued today at hundreds …

Photograph of two graduates at the 2018 Lavender Graduation. The image shows two graduates holding framed certificates. The one on the left wears a black blazer and the one on the right a black floral-patterned shirt. They both have purple stoles around their necks, and stand in front of the stage with Kathleen Hobson behind the podium in the background.