Hi everyone! I am excited to update you on the status of SpeakOut, the oral history project on LGBTQIA+ life at Dartmouth, which is very close to my heart. Over the past few years, I have been collaborating with the Dartmouth College Library and the History Department to define this initiative and shape its mission and vision. Per the announcement in the link below, the College has selected SpeakOut to be an official part of Dartmouth’s 250th Anniversary celebration. With the College’s formal support, the project will benefit from generous budgetary and staffing resources.
Category: News
Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs ’52 Leaders of the Year Award Celebration
DGALA’s President Brendan Connell, Jr. ’87 and VP Melanie Pastuck ’11 were surprised and extremely honored to receive The Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs Leaders of the Year Award at a recent dinner in Hanover (Club and Group Officers Weekend). Mel was unable to attend and receive her award, which Brendan accepted on her behalf, so we wanted to invite you to join us in celebrating Mel as we pass on her award to her too.
The award was made more special when we learned about the amazing Mr. Gibbs. Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs II ’52 (1852, that is!) was a pioneering missionary and educator as well as a politician during Reconstruction, serving as Florida’s first black Secretary of State. He was a member of the abolitionist movement while at Dartmouth, and he was only the third African-American to graduate from the College.
Hope to see you soon to celebrate Mr. Gibbs, Black History Month, Brendan, and Mel.
2015-2016 Membership Dues and Support!
Hi Everyone!
We are in the middle of our DGALA dues drive for 2015-2016, and if you want to make your contribution in 2015 and haven’t already, now is the time! DGALA is an independent tax exempt 501(c)(3) organization, and your dues support our robust regional programming, financial sponsorship of our students in Hanover (including Dartmouth PRIDE), and our newly launched service collaborations (most recently, with Harvey Milk High School in Manhattan), among many other initiatives.
It’s easy to pay your DGALA dues online:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dgala-2015-2016-membership-due…
Any level of support is much appreciated and will be well spent. Thanks so much!!
Best wishes for a great 2016. We hope to see or hear from you soon!
Brendan
Brendan Connell, Jr. ’87
President of DGALA
DGALA forms Board of Advisors
DGALA recently activated a Board of Advisors, comprised of members who have been of exceptional service. The Board of Advisors serves as an advisory body to the Board of Directors. For “DGALA President Brendan Connell, Jr. ’87 comments on the new Advisors,” see page 8 of the November 2015 Green Light.
Sarah Burgamy, Psy.D. is the founder of a very active private practice in Denver, Colorado, PhoenixRISE, with specialty offerings in identity development (considering intersections of target and non-target status identities), sexual minority competency as well as transgender and gender variant issues with adults, adolescents and children. She has previously instructed courses as an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Denver in the Psy.D. program and the International Disaster Psychology Master’s program focused on arenas of development and culture, LGBTIQQ cultural competency, and cross cultural analysis.
Dr. Burgamy is the current Colorado Representative to the American Psychological Association (APA) Council of Representatives and a Board member of the Colorado Psychological Association (CPA). She has previously served as the Diversity Division Chair of CPA. Additionally, she worked as the contracted psychologist to Mile High Youth Corps (MHYC) from 2007-2013, particularly the Youthbuild program, in Denver, serving low-income and, primarily, racial/ethnic minority youth ages 18-25. Dr. Burgamy has been a member of the Board of Directors for Urban Peak, a non-profit organization in Colorado serving youth experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless, since 2008.
Sarah told Green Light, “As a student at Dartmouth, nothing provided a sense of belonging, a sense of “home” away from my native Colorado, more than knowing I had a community. In my case, I was fortunate to know many “communities” as a member of Varsity Swimming, Dartmouth Women’s Rugby Club, Delta Delta Delta Sorority, Casque and Gauntlet, Palaeopitus, and the Dartmouth Rainbow Alliance. With so many varied points of connection, when I graduated and left Dartmouth, I was appropriately worried about how I would maintain my sense of place at the small College on the hill so far from my hometown of Denver. DGALA became one such “home away from home” keeping me connected to the College even while my life continued to grow and change away from the gaze of Baker Tower and those particularly bone chilling winters walking from the pool to the Hopkins Center while my hair froze in place! As a result of the collective efforts of DGALA, I have made multiple trips back to campus over the years, co-hosted and attended local alumni events in Denver along with the LGBTQ alumni of the other Ivies, and without noticing, served a long tenure as a member of the DGALA Board of Directors from 2004-2014. Appropriately, I stepped down from this role after 10 years simply because I believe every organization thrives on new energy and ideas, new perspectives and dispositions (OK, this might also have something to do with my over-analysis of most things as a psychologist!). However, there is also a value to experience, institutional knowledge and collective wisdom (if I dare claim “wisdom”). I am pleased to join the inaugural DGALA Board of Advisors and relieved that my time away from the organization was brief!”
Cherie Holmes ’79 graduated from Georgetown University Medical School in 1983. She served three and a half years in the US Navy, including seven months in the Persian Gulf during the first Gulf War. Cherie has been at Dartmouth Hitchcock Keene since 1997, specializing in Sports Medicine Orthopedics, Orthopedics Trauma and General Orthopedics. She has served as a DGALA director and on the Dartmouth Alumni Council and is a member of the Dartmouth Club of Southwest New Hampshire. She told Green Light, “I am pleased to be able to serve on the DGALA Board of Advisors. Having been a previous board member, I am acutely knowledgeable of both the mission and vision of DGALA. Since the Board of Advisors not only provides an advisory role but also a strategic one, I hope to help bring to DGALA a recognition of diversity and inclusivity within the Dartmouth GLBTQ community as well as promoting the need for improved communication, intellectual and cultural freedom of expression for GLBTQ students within the Dartmouth environment.”
Ed Hermance ’62 is the retired owner of Giovanni’s Room, the legendary LGBT and feminist bookstore in Philadelphia. Ed is credited with founding DGALA, when he wrote to the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine in 1983, announcing the formation of an LGBT alum group and setting up its first meeting. Of his joining the Board of Advisors, Ed told Green Light, “It would be wonderful if I can contribute to making life better for students.”
The Rev. Nancy A.G. Vogele, ’85 served as Vice President of DGALA from 2000 to 2003 and as co-chair of its first all-class reunion in 2002. Nancy is Director of Religious and Spiritual life at Dartmouth. Before that, she served for almost 20 years in Episcopal parish ministry, most recently as rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in White River Junction, Vt., from 2001 until August of 2012. In addition to her position at St. Paul’s, Nancy has been the chairperson of the Dismantling Racism Commission for the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont, served as a member of the Vermont Commission on Family Recognition and Protection, and served as an officer for United Valley Interfaith Project, a community organizing project in the greater Upper Valley. Nancy also served as a volunteer for mission with the Episcopal Church from 1988-1990 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In addition to a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth, Nancy holds a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School and a Doctor of Ministry from Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Susi Kandel ‘00 served as President of DGALA from 2006-11. She lives in Jersey City, New Jersey and serves as General Counsel, Latin America for American Tower Corp. Susi told Green Light, “The Board of Advisors is a fantastic initiative. It taps into the experience of DGALA leaders to maintain institutional history and provide a perspective different from the Board of Directors. At the same time, the members of the Board of Advisors are able to remain connected to the organization in a way that is less time intensive than being a director, but no less meaningful.”
David Eichman ’82 is an attorney living in Los Angeles and practicing in West Hollywood. He served as President of DGLA from 1999 through 2005.
President Philip Hanlon ’77 Q&A with DGALA President Brendan Connell, Jr. ’87
President Philip Hanlon ’77 Q&A with DGALA President Brendan Connell, Jr. ’87
June 20, 2015
Q. What is your reaction to past DGALA President Caroline Kerr’s recent election to the Dartmouth College Board of Trustees?
A. I join you in being thrilled that Caroline is joining the Board. As you know I work in close partnership with the Board; they are among my most important advisors; what is important here is that the Board brings to me not a unified perspective but a multiplicity of perspectives and experiences and Caroline helps along several dimensions, with not only her experience at DGALA and as president of DGALA but also she will be our first post-2000 graduate on the Board, so she brings us experience and perspective from that as well. There is one point in which I want unity on the Board and not diversity is that I’m blessed with a Board that wants only the best for Dartmouth. I know that Caroline’s passion for the College will only elevate, so I’m really looking forward to having Caroline on the Board with us.
Q. The other big event this year for us was the opening of Triangle House, for DGALA at our October reunion, although the students moved in during September. I’d love to get your perspective on that. And our thanks to you and Gail [Mrs. Hanlon] for being so visible and present at all the opening events; that meant so much to this community. I’d like to hear your take on how it’s going so far with Triangle House, and with everything that is happening with residential life, with residential colleges, how a living-learning center like Triangle House fits into that.
A. Triangle House is an important addition to our campus. And I was thrilled to be, as was Gail, at the opening to actually take a look at the facility. From all I have heard and seen it is completing its mission as intended. It is fostering a positive, safe, respectful community for its residents. It is increasing the whole Dartmouth community’s understanding and contemporary LGBTQIA issues. And it’s helping residents to take their passions from ideas into action. And I want to credit all the residents there, along with UGA Logan Henderson ’17, who has helped to create a space where everyone is able to express themselves authentically and where guests are welcome. So it is doing exactly what we had intended and hoped. In terms of the larger perspective in terms of transforming the residential experience, Triangle House fits really well with our major objectives, which are to provide greater opportunities for students to connect with faculty and develop relationships with faculty beyond the classroom, to create an environment that supports community building and social interactions – it gives more options for that. And it also creates promotes experiential learning as residents are learning about contemporary issues through living in a community centered on those issues. So it’s doing what we had hoped; it’s off to a fast start and it fits really well within our broader objectives for residential life.
Q. For us, DGALA members were very proud to raise $500,000 for the funding of the House.
A. Yes, I want to recognize you for that and thank you because that was key for getting the project done.
Q. Talk to us a bit about the Moving Dartmouth Forward initiative. I know it has many components Can you describe in some ways how it might impact the members of our community with respect to inclusiveness?
A. Yes, inclusiveness is one of the key objectives, along with reducing harmful behaviors. So one of its aspects is the climate study that will be conducted next fall; the Provost’s Office is just gearing up for that. The results of that will be very important for us as we better understand our community here, what’s going on how we can direct programs and resources to make it a better place. There is a broader faculty diversity effort that has included several things to promote faculty diversity which is one of our weak spots right now, we need to have a more diverse faculty for sure. Way back in my first year here, we directed significant recurring funds to support recruitment and retention of faculty that are underrepresented in their fields. Another part of MDF that is directly relevant to your question is the new expectations for student organizations. The Dean of the College has just completed the annual review process that is being put in place to insure that student organizations demonstrate their commitment and that tangible steps are taken to promote inclusivity.
Q. Do you have any thoughts on queer studies, part of our academic programs? I believe now that there is only one professor focusing on that and I know that that would be something for student or grad students coming here that could really be a marquee development.
A. I’m really glad you asked that and I understand the point that you are making, and it fits with our effort to diversify the faculty. The actual priorities for academic programs, investment in academic programs, whether it is money or space or the like, begins with the faculty themselves; the faculty themselves establish collectively what the priorities should be. They take that to the Dean of Faculty, who is directly responsible for the allocation of resources. I will for sure pass along the interests of this group to the Dean of the Faculty. But I also urge you to talk to the faculty themselves, that is really where the priorities have to emerge from.
Question from the floor:
Q. How do you see the evolution of men and women and gay people and other groups and has it changed over the years? What is your sense of the progress that has been made in terms of overall diversity and healthy interaction among groups?
A. This is a very important question. First, I would say that Dartmouth is just a reflection of our national society. So the first thing I would urge you to do in thinking about this question is to reflect on how our society has changed as a nation. The people who are students here are coming very recently from the outside. Today, there is much more of healthy normal relationships between men and women. And certainly societal considerations around being gay have changed so dramatically in the last couple of decades. I’ve read that it is as fast as any societal change that anyone can remember.
DGALA Joins AmazonSmile Program
When you shop on Amazon.com, starting this 2014 holiday season, Amazon will make a donation of 0.5% of your purchase price directly to DGALA!
Link your Amazon log in to DGALA’s Amazon Smile account today:
http://smile.amazon.com/ch/13-3967947
__________________________________________________________________
More about AmazonSmile:
What is AmazonSmile?
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization. You can choose from nearly one million organizations to support.
How do I shop at AmazonSmile?
To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to smile.amazon.com from the web browser on your computer or mobile device. You may also want to add a bookmark to smile.amazon.com to make it even easier to return and start your shopping at AmazonSmile.
Which products on AmazonSmile are eligible for charitable donations?
Tens of millions of products on AmazonSmile are eligible for donations. You will see eligible products marked “Eligible for AmazonSmile donation” on their product detail pages. Recurring Subscribe-and-Save purchases and subscription renewals are not currently eligible.
Can I use my existing Amazon.com account on AmazonSmile?
Yes, you use the same account on Amazon.com and AmazonSmile. Your shopping cart, Wish List, wedding or baby registry, and other account settings are also the same.
Laura Erickson-Schroth Geisel ’08 quoted regarding Caitlyn Jenner’s Transition
Beyond Caitlyn Jenner’s Glamorous Vanity Fair Debut: Psychiatry Expert Dissects Her Transition
Read the full article online on The Wrap’s website
“I can imagine there are certainly positives and negatives to coming out in that kind of spotlight,” Columbia University LGBT health and public psychiatry fellow Laura Erickson-Schroth tells TheWrap.
Since the public debut of Caitlyn Jenner on the cover of Vanity Fair, the transition of the person formerly known as Bruce Jenner has been covered from a myriad of angles — one outlet even dove deep and identified the source of the lingerie that Jenner wore for the cover shoot.
But missing from much of that coverage is an explanation of the mental process that Jenner — and, for that matter, any given person undergoing transition — is going through. In an effort to understand Caitlyn’s emotional journey, TheWrap spoke to Laura Erickson-Schroth, an LGBT health and public psychiatry fellow with Columbia University, as well as the editor of “Trans Bodies, Trans Selves: A Resource for the Transgender Community.”
Surprisingly, and perhaps contrary to public belief, there are no therapy or counseling requirements for people undergoing gender transitions, Erickson-Schroth explained, though there are general guidelines that include recommendations for such. And while it was once common for people undergoing transitions to be encouraged to have a “real-life experience” — that is, dressing as the gender they were transitioning to — before undergoing any physical changes, that practice is falling out of favor, Erickson-Schroth said.
“They could be targeted, they could be harassed, things like that, if they were dressing differently without having made any physical changes,” Erickson-Schroth noted.
Nonetheless, she said, some form of psychiatric support is often helpful. “In a lot of circumstances, it’s really beneficial to people to understand what they’re going to go through and how their lives might change,” Erickson-Schroth noted. “Certainly, I think it’s very helpful for people to be able to have a place to think and talk about their transition.”
Only Caitlyn Jenner knows for sure how much therapy she has or hasn’t had. And as Erickson-Schroth noted, Jenner, a former Olympian and reality TV star, is transitioning under circumstances far different from those surrounding most trans people. Those differences could be a blessing, a curse, or both for Jenner.
On the plus side, Erickson-Schroth noted, Jenner is coming to the transition in a better financial situation than many. “She doesn’t necessarily represent the experiences of the majority of trans people. I think many are middle or lower class; they’re people of color; they don’t have access to necessarily good mental health care, hormones, surgeries — the kind of things that Caitlyn might have access to, being someone who’s wealthy,” Erickson-Schroth said.
There’s also the fact that Jenner is transitioning under the glare of a tremendous spotlight that includes not just the Vanity Fair shoot, but a widely watched “20/20” interview, the E! show “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” another upcoming E! show that will center on Jenner, a new Twitter account that quickly amassed more than 1 million followers, and countless headlines, tabloid or otherwise.
“I can imagine there are certainly positives and negatives to coming out in that kind of spotlight,” Erickson-Schroth said.
The massive microscope that Jenner is transitioning under could serve to exacerbate any hiccups she encounters during the transition, she cautioned.
“If people go through any particular difficulties when they’re transitioning, to have that broadcast to the entire world seems like it would be something that could be pretty hard,” Erickson-Schroth said, stressing: “There are going to be ups and downs. To have that on display all the time I could see as being a really hard experience to go through.”
There’s also the matter of age — Jenner is 65 — which also provides its benefits and drawbacks.
“I’ve talked to people who’ve transitioned later in life, and a lot of people have a lot of regret about not having done it earlier, and what kind of lives they could have had,” Erickson-Schroth noted. “But some of the positives that people talk about are, for example, being financially stable. That was something that helped them to transition more comfortably or the way that they would like to.”
Despite the unique hurdles that Jenner faces, Erickson-Schroth said that her journey appears to have gotten off on the right foot. “I don’t know that I can give her any advice in particular. Everyone has their own experience, and everyone has to go through things at their own pace and in their own way, and it sounds like she is,” Erickson-Schroth said.
TEDX Talk with Liz Teutsch ’99
A Shift in the Conversation | Liz Teutsch ’99 | TEDxBerkleeValencia
In this call-to-action, Liz Teutsch asks the world to look closely at how social injustices are perpetuated in day-to-day conversations and to consider shifting the everyday conversation to bring about positive social change.
Join the DGALA Email List Online!
Are you receiving DGALA emails, our Greenlight Newsletter, and our Facebook events? If not, please join the DGALA email list or contact DGALA online!
Friendfactor, Dartmouth Run Non-Profit for LGBTQ Allies, Launches Fundraising Competition
Joanne Sprague ’04 and Chris Pearson Smith T’13 lead the non-profit Friendfactor to activate LGBT allies in business schools and workplaces across the country. Last week they launched a fundraising competition for alumni and Dartmouth is in the lead! Learn more about the program and become a supporter today: crowdrise.com/friendfactor
THE STORY
DEADLINE TO GIVE: DEC 31, 2014
FUNDRAISER SET UP DEADLINE: DEC 31, 2014
Help us make business schools a great place to be for all students!
Friendfactor’s 3rd annual MBA Ally Challenge is in full swing, with 23 top US business schools competing to engage as many students as possible as allies to make their MBA programs great environments for their LGBT classmates.
To support the sustainability of the MBA Ally Challenge in 2015 and beyond, we’re inviting students, alumni, and friends to get in on the fun. Between now and Dec 31, 2014, you can contribute to Friendfactor on behalf of the school you love (or another group you feel close to), and have the chance to win prizes and props in addition to supporting your school’s commitment to equality. Details are below. Thank you for your commitment to activating allies for LGBT equality and creating spaces where every person can be proud of who they are!
HOW TO CONTRIBUTE
There are two ways you can get involved:
- Donate on behalf of the school you love by clicking “Donate to a fundraiser” above and choosing your school from the Team dropdown list. You can also choose the “Unaffiliated” team.
- Set up your own group fundraising page by clicking “Set up your fundraiser”, and see if you and your friends or colleagues can beat out the best MBA programs in the country.
You can also invite your fellow alums and friends to join you in contributing to support your school or group. Just send them the direct URL link to your fundraising group page and that group will get credit for the donations you bring in!
PRIZES
To thank you and your friends for helping support the sustainability of this program, we’re giving out a number of perks for individual and group contributors:
GROUP AWARDS
- Most Funds Raised: Free 10-person table at the Friendfactor Ally Challenge Awards Dinner in October, and honored on stage with an award for your group’s support. Click here for the rules.
- Most Donors Contributing: A profile of your school or group’s work to engage allies for LGBT equality on the Friendfactor blog, and honored on stage at the Ally Challenge Awards Dinner for your group’s support. Click here for the rules.
- Any school that hits its group goal of $6,000: Designation on the Friendfactor website as a “Pay It Forward” School whose alumni and supporter community has shown its commitment to building a culture of equality. Click here for the rules.
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
- $1,000 or More Contributed: Membership in the Friendfactor Founders Circle, which includes your name, photo and story on the Friendfactor website, two 50% discounted tickets to the Awards Dinner, and regular insider updates on how the competitions are going. Click here for the rules.
- $500 or More: One 50% discounted ticket to the Awards Dinner, and a free Friendfactor t-shirt.Click here for the rules.
- $250 or More: A free Friendfactor t-shirt. Click here for the rules.
- $100 or More: Your name on the Friendfactor wall of supporters. Click here for the rules.
IvyQ Conference Considers Sexual and Gender Diversity
Posted on November 20, 2014 by Kelly Sundberg Seaman
Reese Kelly, director of the Center for Gender and Student Engagement and interim director of the Office of Pluralism and Leadership, gives the opening address at IvyQ 2014, held at Dartmouth Nov. 6-9. (Photo by Eli Burakian ’00)
The annual conference, which has previously been held at the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia, Brown, Yale, and Princeton, offers a mix of workshops, forums, speeches, and events with educational, social, and networking goals. It was planned and organized by a team of Dartmouth students, who handled everything from funding to logistics to hospitality. Attendees included students from the University of Oxford, RPI, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Middlebury, Stanford, and Duke in addition to the Ivies.
“Student leaders, professional educators, performers, and advocates offered lectures, workshops, and discussions that empowered and challenged conference attendees,” says Kelly. “Due to generous support from the college and corporate sponsors, the Dartmouth IvyQ schedule boasted prominent voices on the national scene including Denice Frohman, Kim Katrin and Tiq Milan, Mara Kiesling, and the Rev. Dr. Jamie Washington.”
“As the CGSE, we are honored to have had the opportunity to support this endeavor, to engage student leaders in the process of conference organizing and community development, and to encourage critical reflection around topics of gender and sexuality,” says Kelly.
Michelle Hector, CGSE associate director, says, “Towards the end of the conference I overheard two Dartmouth students discussing how different the campus felt. They said something that students constantly reiterated throughout the conference: having so many LGBTQIA+ students on campus felt good. That made me so happy and proud of our students.”
IvyQ student chair Kelsey Weimer ’16 has received positive feedback about the conference from attendees and from “both institutional and student LGBTQIA leaders.” Dartmouth’s campus “really opened up and welcomed attendees,” she says, including 121 Dartmouth students who hosted guests. And, she says, “ideologically, the conference is progressing well, and is built to be up to speed with important social movements within the queer community.”
“We spent over six months planning this conference, and while there were struggles along the way, the planning committee went above and beyond to make the conference a success. We had amazing keynotes, informative workshops, and fun social events,” says team member Yeja Dunn ’16.
The Rev. Nancy Vogele ’85, director of Religious and Spiritual Life at the Tucker Foundation, was one of several Dartmouth community members on the conference program. Hosting the IvyQ conference this year was important for three reasons, she says.
“First, it allowed our LGBTQIA students to create and be a part of a larger LGBTQIA community. Dartmouth students loved meeting their peers from other institutions,” Vogele says. Also, she says, “a great deal of intellectual learning, debate, and networking happened. One student from Princeton took part in my workshop to get ideas for his senior thesis. Over 30 students attended a workshop given by Ethan Falleur ’16 on “What the Bible Says about Homosexuality” in order to learn in more detail from where and why opposition continues.” And finally, says Vogele, “hosting the IvyQ allowed the entire campus to think about issues of sexuality, justice, inclusion, and acceptance.”
“I think Dartmouth can benefit in a lot of ways from IvyQ,” says the conference’s finance chair. “It expands the minds of Dartmouth students to see the diversity of people out there and to learn to be less scared of them. It also helps Dartmouth as an institution by showing the visiting students and, by extension, the rest of the collegiate community that Dartmouth simply is not the scary, wild place that so many make it out to be. By ensuring this conference was funded, I hope we’ve made a difference in the lives of the attendees. IvyQ is a really unique opportunity for people to find lots of others with similar experiences and see the resources available to them.”
DGALA Board of Directors Elections
DGALA, the Dartmouth Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Alumni/ae Association, is currently seeking nominations and applications for new members for our Board of Directors. This is an exciting opportunity to stay connected to life at Dartmouth and to be deeply involved in all of DGALA’s activities, including:
– Planning and vision-setting for the organization
– Providing leadership for and participating in one or more Board projects or initiatives
– Working with the College administration on policies that affect LGBTQA alumni/ae and students
– Organizing educational, social, and professional events around the country
– Mentoring young alumni/ae and current students
– Managing DGALA’s communications with its members and others, including via web properties, social media, and email
– Sponsoring important on-campus events such as annual Pride programming, all-class reunions, and mini-reunions
The DGALA Board of Directors is extremely active and members are required to commit to a minimum level of engagement during the entirety of their terms. Minimum engagement levels are defined as:
– Participating in at least 75% of Board conference calls (usually held once a month on Saturdays)
– Playing an active leadership/co-leadership role in at least one DGALA project or initiative
– Making a financial contribution at a level that is comfortable for your budget
Prospective Board members should be aware that DGALA is a not-for-profit corporation separate and apart from the College, and that the Director role includes fiduciary responsibilities to the corporation.
Applications, nominations and questions should be emailed to DGALA at DartGala@gmail.com. To apply, please submit a resume and brief cover letter outlining your interest in serving on the DGALA Board on or before December 8, 2014. In outlining your interest in serving on the DGALA Board, please discuss the following:
– Specific DGALA initiatives that are of interest to you, and why
– Other Dartmouth alumni leadership, Non-Profit or Board experience
– How you plan to align your commitment to DGALA as a director with your schedule
– Anything special about your candidacy that we should consider
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DGALA Mission:
The Dartmouth Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Alumni/ae Association (DGALA) strives to foster community between and among the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Allied (GLBTQA) alumni/ae of the College by furthering the intellectual, social, cultural and educational well-being of GLBTQA alumni/ae and students and providing the College and the greater College community with active support in matters of mutual concern.
DGALA also aims to enhance the experience of GLBTQA persons at Dartmouth and support the College’s commitment to diversity by fostering communications between and among GLBTQA alumni/ae and students, faculty, staff, administrators, the other affiliated groups and the College community as a whole.
To learn more about DGALA, visit dgala.com
Experiencing a More Inclusive Dartmouth
Dartmouth Now article, published November 17, 2014, “Experiencing a More Inclusive Dartmouth” by Caroline Kerr ’05
S. Caroline Kerr ’05 serves as president of DGALA, the Dartmouth Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Alumni/ae Association.
I savor those rare moments that are pinnacles of community. Moments when you have time to pause, reflect, and celebrate a community’s history, present, and future. Dartmouth’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and allied community is marking historic milestones this fall and enjoying many of these moments.
Over the weekend of Oct. 31 through Nov. 2, DGALA, Dartmouth’s LGBTQIA alumni association, celebrated its 30th anniversary with an all-class reunion that brought more than 200 alumni, students, faculty, staff, spouses, partners, and friends together in Hanover. The weekend events included the celebration of Triangle House, a new Living and Learning Community that supports LGBTQIA students.
The DGALA anniversary provided many moments when Dartmouth’s past and future came together. For some alumni, this was the first return to campus in decades, as their own time in Hanover was painful. One alumnus shared with me that he came to Dartmouth as a legacy, hoping to love the College as much as his father and his classmates had. Dartmouth wasn’t a welcoming place for him, and he described feeling cheated out of that storied Dartmouth experience. But this alumnus, along with others who suffered here as students, keeps coming back. Their resilience is remarkable, and they enjoyed a weekend of events and a community that embraced them. Some encountered a Dartmouth that they could proudly reclaim.
Alumni were welcomed back to campus by the rainbow lights shining on Blunt Alumni Center, with a DGALA banner and rainbow pride flag flying from the front. The weekend began with a reception hosted by President Phil Hanlon ’77 at Rauner Special Collections Library. The special collections team pulled articles, programs, and other items out of the archives that spanned gay history at Dartmouth between 1900 and 2014. Jim Noonan ’01 and Jimmy McNicholas ’01 took the stage in Collis and performed their fabulous Dartmouth Halloween show, Go Big Queen!, to a packed audience of students, alumni, and staff.
On Saturday morning we started early with a hike up to the fire tower on Gile Mountain in Norwich. Associate Professor of Government Sonu Bedi gave a lively talk on the future of civil marriage. Mid-day, the group convened at Triangle House, a place where LGBTQIA and allied students can spend time talking about topics related to their community, intellectual life, and social justice.
The first residents of the house moved in this fall, and the opening ceremony celebrated the long road to making Triangle House a reality, including the role alumni have played, from advocating for its existence, to serving on planning committees, to raising more than $500,000 to date to support construction and almost $90,000 for programming—a figure that exceeded the initial $500,000 goal for construction only. The ceremony and sheer existence of the house constitute a historic moment for Dartmouth, and a most moving one for alumni.
The day continued with a talk by Eric Fanning ’90, a member of DGALA and undersecretary of the U.S. Air Force. The event was the result of a collaboration between DGALA and the Dartmouth Uniform Service Alumni group (DUSA). We then enjoyed a special tour of the Hood Museum exhibit “Witness: Art and Civil Rights in the Sixties,” and wrapped up the evening with an awards gala at which several alumni were honored. Pete Williams ’76 received the Hero Award for his exceptional dedication and decades of service as DGALA’s secretary and treasurer. Lee Merkle-Raymond ’86 received the Leadership Award as one of DGALA’s early leaders and the first female president. Amanda Rosenblum ’07 and Laura Erickson-Schroth Med ’09 received the Vanguard Award for their groundbreaking work Trans Bodies, Trans Selves.
Sunday morning began with a celebratory service at the Top of the Hop, led by the Rev. Nancy Vogele ’85, DGALA member and director of Religious and Spiritual Life at the College. The Rockapellas performed Born This Way, Ella’s Song, and Same Love, with lyrics by rapper Angel Haze.
A member of the group spoke about how important it was to her to have alumni back on campus. Our presence, she said, helps make the College a place where she can be her full self. Andrew Nalani ’16 spoke as a straight man from Uganda whose own views have evolved over time. He gave a beautiful blessing, and we closed the weekend with a brunch and community forum discussing what’s next for DGALA.
At moments like these, I see Dartmouth at its best: innovative and inclusive. I look forward to many more in the future.
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Original Article: http://now.dartmouth.edu/2014/11/vox-populi-experiencing-a-more-inclusive-dartmouth
Got Something to Say? Members of the Dartmouth community are invited to submit essays for possible publication on Dartmouth Now. Email essays to:dartmouth.now@dartmouth.edu.
2014 All Class Reunion Photos and Recap
We would like to thank so many of you for attending our 2014 All Class Reunion in Hanover! Please take our brief post-reunion survey (regardless of whether you attended) to let us know about your experience: Survey Link
All Class Reunion Photos: If you have Reunion photos that you would like to share, please either post on Facebook or send them to dgala2014reunion@gmail.com so that we can host them on our page. Existing photos from the weekend can also be found on the DGALA Flickr and DGALA Facebook pages.
Board of Directors Elections: We will be holding Board of Directors elections in December of 2014. If you are interested in running for the Board and would like to see a full job description, please contact us at dartgala@gmail.com. Information about the current Board of Directors can be found at: dgala.com/about/board
Triangle House Giving: Additionally, there is also still time to contribute to Triangle House Dartmouth’s new LGBTQIA Living and Learning Community. Give online before the November 30th contribution deadline! (leadership level of $2,500+ for inclusion on the plaque)
Mentorship Program: We are also looking for alumni willing to mentor students over the course of a year (and beyond) through our mentorship program. The time commitment would be a couple hours per month for phone and/or videoconference contact with your “mentee.” If you are interested in becoming a DGALA mentor, please contact Director Rigel Cable ’10 (rigel.cable@gmail.com). Please note, mentorship is not restricted to career and networking but also life coaching, academic, interest-based etc. Please contact DGALA or Rigel with any questions.
Triangle House Giving
If you would like to donate to Triangle House, visit Triangle House Giving at Dartmouth College.
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The aim of the Triangle House program is to enhance the intellectual and cultural environment of the Dartmouth College campus with particular regard to those issues which pertain to the historical and contemporary experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and allied people by accomplishing the following learning objectives:
- Community – Foster a strong sense of community and well-being among LGBTQIA students, based on mutual accountability and respect.
- Knowledge – Develop knowledge of LGBTQIA histories, identities, culture, and politics.
- Action – Increase exposure to and experiential practice of contemporary models of social justice organizing, service, and action.
Triangle House is open to undergraduate students of all class years. Available housing options include four one-room doubles and seventeen singles. Rooms may be assigned without regard to gender.
For more information about Triangle House, visit:
http://www.dartmouth.edu/livinglearning/communities/trianglehouse.html
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