Are you the student that just cannot fit in with everyone else no matter how much you try? Maybe the Non-Normative Anti-Assimilationists is the group for you.
The officers that make N/A* possible, run the club differently than other clubs on campus. This can be seen by the official titles each officer holds.
“People who differ from the norm tend to be left out when resources are allocated. For instance, a health center might offer safer sex education, but only for heterosexual kinds of sex, which accidentally leaves out anyone who is not heterosexual” said James O’Deorian, N/A* Queer Questioner.
To help the non-normative KSU students that often feel forgotten, N/A* includes students who understand each other’s problems from personal experience.
O’Deorian said that non-normative students feel as though they lack a sense of community. N/A* is an easy solution with a commonplace in the Student Center, Cube 28, where their members can be themselves without worry.
“People who differ from the norm also lack safety,” said O’Deorian. “When average people don’t relate to them, they can be hurtful in ways they don’t even realize.” N/A* works to change Kennesaw’s community by eliminating KSU students’ feelings of seclusion from the rest of the community.
“We’ve already had some wonderful success with the health center providing resources to everyone including non-normative people,” said O’Deorian. “We’ve revitalized the Safe Space program and made it available to students, and through working together we’ve begun building community.”
N/A* inspired O’Doreian to further his involvement in the Kennesaw community. The Safe Space he mentioned is a KSU initiative that offers a message of acceptance and support to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students, faculty and staff.
The focus of N/A* leads to welcoming any aspiring student because, in their opinion, if they do not understand a student, it is their opportunity to learn what makes them a non-normative student.
“If you’re a passionately devoted fan of some obscure band or artist, you’ve had a taste of this [feeling misunderstood],” said O’Deorian. “For most people who differ in lifestyle, whether spirituality, sexuality, or otherwise, it’s like that in every aspect of our life.”
The only requirement to join N/A* is that you treat people with respect and take each opportunity as a learning experience. After all, it is these twovalues that founded the inspiration of N/A*. O’Deorian joined because he needed to build the community by making positive change.
While the title “Queer Questioner” may not be a formal chair title, it stands for the nontraditional structure N/A* holds. N/A* is operated on terms of the consensus rather than hierarchy.
O’Deorian chose his title because he considers himself queer because he consistently questions everything and everyone. This causes him to consistently asks questions that benefit N/A* when it comes to brainstorming various plans within the group.
N/A* is a great group for any student that needs to feel like they can be themselves and like they can benefit the community and others like him/her.
To further contact N/A* please email James O’Deorian at belenen@gmail.com or visit Cube 28 on the third floor of the Student Center. To get further information regarding Safe Space, please email safespace@kennesaw.edu.
