The MSU DISC creates a place of solidarity for students

Last week, ABBA was queued, disco balls were turned on and students boogied the night away as MSU’s Diversity and Inclusion Student Commons (DISC) became a 70s-inspired disco. To transform the DISCxf, the room was decked with glitzy fringe decorations adorning doorways, multicolored lights reflecting across the ceiling and students wore glow-in-the-dark bracelets around their wrists as they enjoyed the DISC’s end-of-semester DISCo. 

The DISC is located in SUB 185 and serves as a welcoming and inviting space for students to hang out, work on homework and build community, according to the Managing Director of the DISC Barbara do Amaral. Most importantly, the DISC serves as a place of solace for all students, but especially for those who identify as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, are not able-bodied or neurotypical, or belong to any minority demographic in Bozeman.

The DISC makes space on campus for numerous important reasons, peace and safety being one of the top draws that brings students in, according to do Amaral. 

“Especially in the state that we're in with some of the more divisive stuff that can happen and rhetoric that can be pretty hateful, knowing that there's a space on campus where you can seek solace can be a really protective thing, at least for me,” ASMSU Student Diversity Advisor Anja Lincke said. “When I'm feeling like I really just want to find some friends or be in a safe space where I know that however I show up, I will be included and welcomed, which can be a really important thing to offer.”

Beyond the peaceful space that the DISC provides, they also work to put on a number of events throughout the year such as the DISCo. One of the DISC’s most notable events is the Multicultural and the Lavender Graduation Celebrations in the spring.

“Each of the two celebrations are one day apart, but one focuses on multicultural communities, and the other is the [LGBTQIA+] community, and it's called the Lavender,” do Amaral said. 

The Multicultural Graduation Celebration will be held on May 8, 2024 and the Lavender Graduation Celebration will take place on May 9. Students who graduated during the fall semester are also welcome to join during the spring commencement celebrations as well, do Amaral said. 

The DISC space as well as the events they put on, serve as an integral part of many students' college experiences through community building, according to do Amaral. “Building community is important. And that's exactly at the core of why these events are put on,” do Amaral said.

She noted that these events are for everyone on campus, but something special happens when we center the voices of specific communities. “When we focus on multicultural or LGBTQIA+ communities, or whatever it may be, we're giving those specific communities an opportunity to feel like they belong. And that's so important,” do Amaral said.

Students who belong to these often-underrepresented communities deserve a sense of safety and community just as much as the next student. “If we call them Bobcats like we all are Bobcats, then we should absolutely provide opportunities for these students to feel like they belong here,” do Amaral said. 

“​​Everyone who's part of the DISC tends to care about everyone who's also part of the DISC. And it's a really nice community to be a part of. It's a great place just to find your other niche communities,” Belle Carnes, a DISC ambassador and senior studying sociology, psychology and Latin American studies, said.  

The DISCo, held last Friday, Dec. 1, was one of the many events they hosted throughout the semester. This one especially was a “charged up, fun event for the end of the semester to help the students find that energy in themselves to finish off in a big way,” do Amaral said. 

Keep up with the DISC by stopping by their office in SUB 185 or by following their Instagram @msudisc.