News – Page 6 – DGALA | Dartmouth LGBTQIA+ Alum Association

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

Dartmouth to Host IvyQ Conference

Dartmouth to Host IvyQ in Fall 2014

Dartmouth will host IvyQ on Nov 6-9, 2014, the weekend after the DGALA All-Class Reunion (Oct 31-Nov 2). The student planning committee is seeking alum participation:

Alums interested in hosting a workshop or participate in a panel on topics such as Poetry, Asexuality, Queer Histories, ARt (non-poets), STEM panel, Wellness, Ability, Class, Relationships, Sex, Sexuality, Identity, Advocacy, Faith, and Diasporas and Internationalism.
Alums with connections to companies or organizations that would be interested in sponsoring the IvyQ conference. The fundraising committee is actively seeking individual, corporate, and organizational sponsors.
For more info, email: ivyqprogramming@gmail.com

IvyQ is an annual undergraduate conference focused on issues of gender, sexuality, identity, and leadership and is open to students throughout the Ivy League. Through meaningful and diverse programming and community-building, IvyQ aims to create an intercollegiate community of LGBTQ students and allies equipped with the skills to examine self-identities, value those of others, and understand the importance of intersectionality. While empowering all students to feel confident in their identities and their potential to instill positive change in their own lives and the communities they inhabit, IvyQ stresses the acknowledgment of our institutional privilege and seeks lasting social change for LGBTQ communities.

Landed: Together in Canada by Sarah Foy ’01

Landed: Together in Canada by Sarah Foy ’01

The Landed exhibition opens on May 28 with the launch of DOC NOW, the Ryerson University documentary media festival. Landed is also an official affiliate event of WorldPride 2014 Toronto, and will be in the Emerging Artists Project gallery at the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre, May 24 to June 29. For gallery hours and more information, visit: www.landedtogether.ca.

What was the inspiration for Landed: Together in Canada?

“I am an American, and in 2009, I fell in love with a non-American. At the time, U.S. federal law did not recognize same-sex marriage, and it did not permit U.S. citizens to sponsor their same-sex partners for permanent residence in the U.S. For my partner and me, this meant that our only viable option was to leave the U.S. when her student visa expired in 2012. We left our home, our community of friends and family, and our jobs and professional networks for the hope of finding a permanent home together.

“Fortunately in our case, my partner is Canadian. Because the Canadian government recognizes same-sex relationships, it was fairly straightforward for me to begin the process of immigrating to Canada as her partner. For many binational couples, the situation is far more complex because neither partner is from a country that recognizes same-sex relationships. Within a couple of weeks of my arrival in Canada, I met another couple who landed here for this reason. This inspired me to find as many couples as I could who immigrated to Canada because they could not live together in the U.S. I ended up identifying over 50 couples (including one who contacted me after reading about my project on the WorldPride website), 17 of whom I interviewed and photographed for Landed.”

Future plans:

“I am in the process of thinking through how I might continue to work on my thesis project. I would love to arrange for an exhibition of Landed in a gallery in the U.S. I may also seek funding to expand the project, e.g., to same-sex binational couples without a connection to the U.S. (or Canada), or to LGBT individuals who have sought refuge in Canada because it is too dangerous or difficult for them to live in their own countries.”

An Interview with Nancy Vogele ’85

Nancy Vogele ’85 Profile & Interview

In December 2012 the Reverend Nancy Vogele ’85, an Episcopal Priest, was named by the Tucker Foundation to become Director of Religious and Spiritual Life at Dartmouth. Prior to joining the Foundation, Nancy served almost twenty years in Episcopal parish ministry, most recently as Rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in White River Junction for over a decade. Nancy was a Director and Vice President of DGALA from 2000 to 2003, and served as co-chair of DGALA’s first all-class reunion in the fall of 2002. She was appointed in 2008 to serve on the Vermont Commission on Family Recognition and Protection to study same-sex marriage in Vermont. The Commission’s findings were instrumental in Vermont’s landmark legislation granting marriage equality to all.

Would you tell us a bit about the Tucker Foundation and your role in it?

The Tucker Foundation began in the mid 1950s as the moral and spiritual authority of the College. Today it is Dartmouth’s Center for Service, Spirituality, and Social Justice. We literally have thousands of students engaged each year with our many programs. I am currently the Director of Religious and Spiritual Life. In addition to overall Foundation work, I focus providing programming and one-on-one work that helps students (and others) who are interested to grow deeper in their faith as well as multi-faith programming that help foster an appreciation and knowledge of the role faith plays in peoples’ lives (on campus, across the country, and throughout the world). One part of my role is that I oversee about two dozen student religious groups and their 30+ advisors.

What’s it like to be back at Dartmouth and working with students?

I love working with students! Even when I was a local parish priest, Pam Misener would contact me whenever she thought a student could benefit from talking with me. Now, I spend a good portion of my time working directly with students. I feel this helps me keep perspective on the administrative part of my position! The Dartmouth students I work with are so smart, energetic, creative, and deeply

Are there any parts of your current role that you find particularly enjoyable or moving?

Working with students. During Winter Term, I also shepherded another group into being: “Journey Inward, Journey Outward.” This group, started by two international students, is designed to help fellow students explore what is at their core that brings vitality to their lives and then how to live from the place of vitality. I’m their “elder” (!) and I don’t mind the term because the student who gave me the title is from Uganda where elders are respected.

What opportunities do you have to collaborate with colleagues across campus?

During Winter Term, I co-facilitated an Intergroup Dialogue on sexuality with 10 students. Our IGD met for 2 hours each week – which is a big time commitment for students and the facilitators. But it was so worth it. Together we learned about gender and sexuality and shared our life stories. Students got to be real and themselves and really appreciated being able to have a safe and brave space to explore these issues. This program was developed through the Office of Pluralism and Leadership (OPAL). I interact with these wonderful people on a weekly basis. Since it is just my nature to be about campus collaborating with other departments and folks, I think I spend ½ my time doing this. I am part of the Orientation Committee for next fall’s incoming call of 2018; I am a member of the search committee for a staff position in OPAL; I talk with a lot of people across campus about mindfulness and meditation; and am always looking for possible new partners and friends. It’s great to have so many here at Dartmouth.

What changes have you observed in the climate for LGBT individuals at Dartmouth, from when you were a student, through when you were a DGALA leader, through today?

First of all, when I was a student – way back when (1981-1985), there was VERY little in terms of LGBT support. There was no OPAL; no IDE (Institute of Diversity and Equity). There probably was some sort of Gay-Lesbian student group, but I didn’t know about it. All I know if that I went to a frat with a gay friend of mine and while I was using the restroom, he got kicked out of the party. There was no one to register a complaint with. Today, there is a way to anonymously register such a complaint (a “bias incident report”) on-line (another thing we didn’t have when I was a student – believe it or not!!). There is an advisor for LGBTQ students, a Center for Gender and Student Engagement, a Gender Neutral Living and Learning community, and a soon to be opened Triangle House. And there are official policies against discriminating along sexual orientation or gender lines. None of this was present when I was a student. There was also no DGALA acting on behalf of the students and the College. DGALA is a very important and powerful alumni group and we use our power judiciously and well. We must never take this for granted but also shirk from the responsibility was have to be a voice of inclusion for all.

What are your hopes for LGBT students at Dartmouth today?

Like all students, I hope their Dartmouth experience will help them think in totally new ways about this world we live in and how it operates as well as about themselves: Who are they? Who do they want to be? What gives them a sense of vitality and purpose? What brings them deep joy?

What are you looking forward to regarding DGALA’s 30th?

I can’t wait to see other LGBTQ alumni and all the smiles and laughter that happens when we all come together. I only went to one of my class reunions and ended up hanging out with all the queer alums from the various class reunions. I realized, at least for me, the DGALA reunions were the most positive way for me to reconnect with other alums and enjoy each other’s company. It will also be great for everyone to see the finished Triangle Office and getting to interact with alums and students involved in this effort.