Gabrielle Caumon / Hilltop Views

The new Progress flag hanging in Meadows Coffee, representing the LGBTQ+ community on campus.

St. Edward’s University students flocked to Meadows Coffeehouse this morning to witness the installation of a new Progress Pride flag after an email sent yesterday by university President Montserrat Fuentes invited the SEU community to observe the flag’s reinstatement.

“I think it took them a little too long to put the flag up, but I’m glad that it happened eventually,” senior Kelly Moncla said.

Several professors, like adjunct instructor of Rhetoric and Composition Amy Adams, moved their classes directly inside the coffeehouse to be present at the unveiling. Adams said she wanted to make her students reflect on this event. 

“I’ve been here since 2005 and one of the things I like about working here is that St. Ed’s is a very inclusive campus,” Adams said. “I’ve had a lot of students from all over the world, all different types of ethnicity, orientations and genders, and I’m here to support them all.” 

President Fuentes, senior Zach Benoit, freshman Louie Moore, sophomore Justin Trevino and College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) success coach Gilbert Contreras unveiled the flag together. 

“I have seen the passion, the advocacy and also the pain, and I am really sorry for how some actions have so negatively impacted our community, and so (I’m) devoted to make sure that St. Ed’s is an inclusive community where we celebrate all identities and everybody feels safe, and they are proud to be part of this community,” Fuentes said. “I’m gonna continue to improve as we install the dedication to make sure that we are all in alignment with that vision of a more just world.” 

In her email, Fuentes described this initiative as “the first of several symbols in the coffee shop that will represent and celebrate our vibrant hilltop community.”

“We have been talking to student leaders, we started conversations last week about other ways that make them included, both in this coffee shop but also in other places around campus,” Director of the Office of Student Belonging and Inclusive Excellence Erica Zamora said. “So, I don’t have anything solid yet but we have been having some really good conversations and already collecting images, flags, different writings and poems, and things that mean a lot to people.” 

The unveiling occurs after two student-led protests overtook campus last week, displaying students advocating for more LGBTQ+ representation on campus. 

“I have so much joy in my heart because of the flag being back up,” junior Indigo Lane said. “I’ve never seen any sort of community come together like this and really stand up for what they believe in — seeing that has been so powerful.”

Students are still apprehensive about the future actions St. Edward’s will take but are ready to see the university move forward. 

“I have lost a lot of trust in the administration of St. Edward’s after this,” Benoit said. “But I am hopeful that they can build it back and kind of create more inclusive spaces for this community on campus and more ‘community.’”