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Cultural Connections

*Virginia Tech cultural centers are located in the Squires Students Center on the Blacksburg Virginia Tech campus. These are intended to be safe spaces of growth for each member of the Virginia Tech community. To learn more about these diverse ties at Virginia Tech, please visit the links above and view listed event calendars.

  • Living-Learning Programs:
    • Lavender House: The Lavender House is a living-learning community that encompasses LGBTQ+ students and allies to cultivate and learn about LGBTQ+ lived experiences, histories,and intersections. This community is open to all majors and emphasizes support for further exploration of LGBTQ+ community.
    • Ujima -This living-learning community, located in Peddrew-Yates Hall, strengthens the experiences of Black students. Through partnership with Africana Studies as well as the Black Cultural Center (BCC), it’s purpose is to encourage Black culture, identity, and history.
    • Aurora – Aurora is an interfaith living learning community located in New Hall West. This community encouraged growth and interactions of all faiths, spiritual, secular, or not yet known.

*Please explore all other Virginia Tech Living-Learning Communities here.

  • Women’s Center: The Women’s Center at Virginia Tech aims to support the well being of women and promote a supportive, equitable, and safe environment for the VT community. This center provides resources and events for the university and community on gender-related and women’s issues.
  • Inclusive VT: Home to the Office for Inclusion and Diversity (OID) at Virginia Tech. This office structures the way diversity initiatives are set up across campus, keeping our university wide community engaged in the spirit of diversity and excellence.
  • Solitude/Fraction Site: This location is an important historical point at Virginia Tech, being the oldest building on Blacksburg campus. The dedication of this site as the Fraction Family House has brought visibility to the enslaved families (Fraction, McNorton, and Saunders) in the history of the university. The Fraction Family House holds complex cultural and historical perspectives in our university history. Related Resources – 1872 Forward , More Than A Fraction
  • Center for Inclusion – Roanoke Campus -  In the spirit of InclusiveVT, this center is designed as an inviting and inclusive space where individuals can celebrate diversity and learn from one another. The center was opened in 2022 by the Fralin Biomedical and Research Institute at VTC,  the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine (VTCSOM), and the Office of the Vice President for Health Sciences and Technology
  • Cook Counseling Center – The Cook Counseling Center offers a variety of mental health services such as Vetted Mental Health Info, Referral to Resources, Outreach Presentations, Workshops, Support Groups, Therapy, Crisis Consultation and so much more. They are here as one support of wellbeing on the VT campus.
  • *TimelyCare is offered in partnership with Virginia Tech. This service is free with 24/7 access to virtual care services.
    *Embedded Counselor – Pamplin is just one of the locations on campus that has it’s own embedded counselor. You can access and make an appointment with our counselor in the Undergraduate Office, Pamplin 1046.
  • Hokie Wellness -  fosters a healthier Virginia Tech community by providing prevention services, education, outreach, and resources to employees and students. The department strives to educate and empower every Hokie to take an active and engaging day-to-day approach to their wellness in order to enjoy a long, healthful, and purpose-filled life.
  • *Virginia Tech Recovery Community - Virginia Tech Recovery Community works to ensure that students do not have to choose between their recovery and their education. We support students inside and outside the classroom, organize events and trips, and provide space for recovery meetings. Anyone is welcome to attend meetings to find out more.
  • Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) - The department provides numerous accommodations, services, and resources for students with disabilities and temporary injuries or illnesses.
  • Office for Equity and Accessibility - The Office for Equity and Accessibility promotes a learning and working environment free from harassment and discrimination for employees and students. We strengthen the university’s core institutional values of equitable practices through civility, compliance and education while mitigating risks. This office is responsible for the University’s : Americans with Disability Act and section 504 compliance,

    Affirmative action program and section 503 compliance, Compliance related trainings and conflict resolution program, Prevention efforts; as well as, response to discrimination, harassment and sexual misconduct.
  • *SAFE
  • Interfaith Initiative – The interfaith community explores narratives, practices empathy, and supports belonging.
  • *Regional Multifaith Resources

Lifting our local chapters and organizations to support and be supported by our larger community.

  • Onward NRV – This site is a detailed overview of life in the New River Valley. Living, working, or doing business, this site will provide statistics as well as a summary of each the NRV communities. A great resource for anyone new to the area or looking to move, providing data and resources.
  • Huddle Up Moms - Huddle Up Moms began in Southwest Virginia with the mission of empowering mothers through education, connection, and support. They aim to fuel meaningful connections within our community by working collaboratively with other organizations that promote women’s health and wellness. They believe that all mothers deserve to flourish in all aspects of their lives.
  • Blacksburg Museum and Cultural Foundation (BM&CF) – These two sites at the Alexander Black House and Cultural Center as well as St. Luke Odd Fellows Hall, offer events, exhibits,  and local history of the Blacksburg and greater NRV area.
  • New River Valley Community Services (NRVCS) – NRVC offers the following services and resources: emergency services, addiction treatment, developmental disability assistance, mental health services, substance use disorder programs, community transit, and prevention services.
  • Veterans of Foreign Wars – Post 5311 Leonard E. McCoy Post – This VFW post holds meetings on the first Thursday of the month at 6:30PM. It is located at 490 N. High Street, Christiansburg, VA.
  • NAACP : The local chapter of the NAACP is located at 570 High Street NE in Christiansburg, VA. They are active in New River Valley community, working to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination.
  • Blacksburg Interfaith Food Pantry : The Blacksburg Interfaith Food Pantry (BIFP) was founded on October 15, 1987, to serve families of Blacksburg and McCoy. The IFP is run entirely by volunteers.
  • Women’s Resource Center : Located in Radford, VA, the Women’s Resource Center is a non-profit, human service organization, providing programs and services to adult and child victims of sexual and domestic violence.
  • The Community Group (TCG): This group aims to build a community so enriched that racism will be ended once and for all. This group has three internal groups, one being The Community Group itself:
  • *Dialogue on Race : Dialogue on Race’s mission is to create a forum that examines racial issues articulated by the African-American community in Montgomery County, VA, and then develops and implements solutions.
  • *New Mountain Climbers Giving Circle : This group is to promote and expand a culture of philanthropy to improve the quality of life, potential and futures of African American youths in the community. It is also to reconnect to the vision and values that sustained and unified the African American community throughout its history of slavery and oppression.
  • Christiansburg Institute - a grassroots 501(c)3 cultural heritage and historic preservation non-profit organization with a mission of community education, intergenerational empowerment, and the responsible stewardship of African American history, stories, and culture.
  • Blacksburg Refuge Partnership – This is an organization run entirely by community volunteers who, like you, believe all humans have the right to a safe, peaceful, happy home. This group connects displaced families to the resources and ongoing support they need to successfully plant roots here in America.
  • National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) -  The local Blacksburg chapter of NAMI has a NAMI Family Support Group for family and friends of those living with mental illness, as well as a NAMI Connections Group which is a support group for those living with mental illness.
  • Literacy Volunteers of the New River Valley (LVNRV) - LVNRV assists adults in achieving literacy-related goals to be a successful parent, worker, and community member. LVNRV provides free instruction for adults in basic reading, writing and math; GED preparation; ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages); basic computer skills.  Skill UP NRV is an initiative to help adults achieve employment goals through literacy and language acquisition and employability skill development.
  • Regional Multifaith Resources