ECU can now boast that it has the largest center for its LGBTQ community out of the entire UNC system, giving students more space to hang out, study and feel welcome on campus.

Student's and staff say the new Dr. Jesse R. Peel LGBTQ Center has found prime real-estate inside the new Main Campus Student Center with plenty of space to collaborate and relax.

The larger, more visible location will help get new faces through their doors, Student Eric Hickerson said.

"It's a place you can wander to, nobody would wander to Brewster you know," Hickerson said.

The center moved from its old location in the Brewster Building onto the second floor of ECU's new 220,000 square-foot facility.

"It's definitely in a better location, it's a ot bigger too," Student Jessica Brennan said.

Since the LGBTQ Center opened in 2011 it has grown to serve more than 7,000 student visits during the academic year.

The Center's Associate Director expects those numbers to continue to grow now that they have this new space.

"Having the largest in the UNC System is a point of pride, but it is also a living demonstration of ECU's commitment to work that we do," Associate Director Mark Rasdorf said.

Along with all the study space, the new Center also holds a conference room and a lending library that holds more than 500 titles.

The Center will host a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new space on Saturday at 1 p.m.