September 24, 2014

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There is now a formally recognized LGBTQ group at St. John’s. It’s called Spectrum, and they say they intend to focus on inclusiveness, increasing awareness and their four pillars of support, education, service and faith. Although the Spectrum group itself has been two years in the making, the push for a LGBTQ group on campus started 20 years ago, according to one of the co-presidents, Mairead Carr. The creation of Spectrum is a University-wide initiative, according to the four co-presidents, Carr, Oscar Diaz, Melanie August and Aarika Miller. According to Carr, the birth of the Spectrum initiative can be traced to February 2012 when a petition with 1,400 signatures was presented to administrators. Both Carr and Diaz said that there’s been a noticeable gap when it comes to presence and visibility of the LGBTQ community at St. John’s, and Spectrum plans to make that gap disappear. “We are moving in a great direction,� Carr said. Carr is an ally within the group, and she emphasized that Spectrum’s focus is inclusion of everyone. An ally is a friend of an LGBTQ group that doesn’t identify, but provides support to its members. The word ‘spectrum’ was chosen because it represents the entire spectrum of sexuality, gender and expression -- and the wide array of diversity that exists at St. John’s, according to Diaz and Carr. Spectrum’s logo is meant to represent that range of diversity, and includes different shapes and colors meant to represent different types of people. “We also used the pink triangle, a symbol of strength in the [LGBTQ] community both historically and culturally, and included a missing piece

DV ZHOO PHDQW WR UHSUHVHQW WKH RSHQ YRLG WKDW FDQ EH Ă€OOHG E\ DQ\RQH including allies,â€? Diaz said. Spectrum came about after increased student interest, but also involved the help of faculty members. The group has worked closely with administrators, such as Dean of Students Dr. Daniel Trujillo, as well as the Global Studies, Student Wellness and Campus Ministry departments, according to Diaz and Carr. 6SHFWUXP LV QRW DQ 6*, JURXS DV RI QRZ EXW ZLOO KDYH Ă RRU UHSUHsentation at SGI meetings, according to Trujillo. Their budget currently comes from Trujillo’s department, the Division of Student Affairs. The pillars that Spectrum has created are support, education, service and faith. Each pillar utilizes the help of a faculty advisor, and provides leadership roles for students. The support pillar focuses on the expansion of the university’s ‘How You Doin’’ and ‘SafeZone’ programs. Spectrum intends to enhance the SafeZone program by creating awareness and letting students and faculty know that it is a safe space for discussion of any topic. “It’s a loving and caring and kind space,â€? August said, “and we want to make faculty aware of what we have to offer.â€? SafeZone will also feature enhanced sensitivity training for both students and faculty, whereas previously only a few faculty members received the training, according to Diaz. SafeZone has been the source for faculty training since its beginning, but Spectrum plans to enhance the program by updating and expanding it. They are working with Hannah Stravers, Assistant Director of Wellness and Violence Prevention, to create lessons for both incoming students and more faculty members, according to Diaz, Carr and Spectrum member Jake Traugott. Continued on page 3

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