Retired faculty, alumni and students in the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s Pride Alliance club have raised enough money to support a new and unique fund to benefit future students of the club.
Professor Emeritus Tim Ziaukas and his husband, Chris McCarrick, established the Tyler D. Morris LGBTQ+ Fund in 2019. Ziaukas envisioned the fund as a way to support students in the Pride Alliance, a club for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning students and their allies.
After an initial donation from Ziaukas and McCarrick, additional funds have been contributed by individuals, including members of the Pitt-Bradford faculty, and friends and family of club members.
Courtney Short ’22 helped lead the charge to reach the $10,000 threshold to endow a fund. She served as the club’s president during the 2021-22 academic year.
“I was so passionate about it because when I started at Pitt-Bradford, the Pride Alliance was the first place that I felt comfortable,” she said. “It was the only place that I had friends. I am not the same person I was freshman year thanks to the club.”
Each year earnings from the fund will be made available to the Pride Alliance to provide money for students to create more or enhance events, attend a conference or bring a speaker or author to campus. It is the first fund of this kind at Pitt-Bradford.
Tyler Morris ’19 is a former president of the club who has remained involved as an alumni adviser, providing a valuable continuity for student leadership. Morris was a leader in the club during his time as a student, which was extended due to a medical condition, and he actively advocates for disability issues as well.
“It’s definitely been a huge team effort,” Morris said of the fundraising efforts. He and Ziaukas have continued to solicit support from members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community.
When not planning signature campus-wide events such as an ice cream social, Coming Out for Equality, Trans Day of Remembrance or Pride Night, members of the club meet up for game nights, social activities and to learn more about LGBTQ+ history and community.
Dr. Helma de Vries-Jordan, associate professor of political science, also advises the club.
To contribute to the Tyler Morris LGBTQ+ Fund, contact the Office of Philanthropic and Alumni Engagement at Pitt-Bradford at 814-362-5091 or visit upb.pitt.edu/giving.