In its 12th year of existence, the GLTBQ Leadership Council is the recipient of the 2016 Ever to Excel Award for its outstanding contribution to Boston College in areas such as education, social justice, service, and safety. The award is the first the group has received from the administration since its founding year.
The Office of Student Involvement (OSI) awards 16 groups, individuals, and faculty every year for their contributions to the BC community. The award that GLC received could be given to student groups that are not considered official student organizations by OSI.
Last year, the award was given to the Student Athlete Advisory Committee.
GLC was nominated for the award by Mark Miceli, the associate director of human engagement, Mark D’Angelo, the graduate assistant for LGBTQ student outreach and support, and Nick Minieri, chair of GLC and CSOM ’16.
“GLC works tirelessly to make our campus a more inclusive space for queer students, thereby improving their college experiences and actualizing BC’s Jesuit mission and pastoral ideas,” D’Angelo said.
In the past year, GLC has worked to increase programming for students of other identities. The group has held a bisexual student panel and an asexual student panel to educate about the different groups students could identify with. GLC also added a Latinx panel, to highlight Latino LGBTQ experiences, as well as a Black Queer student panel.
GLC has also added an LGBTQ roundtable in the Dean of Students Office. Members of GLC meet monthly with administrators who deal with LGBTQ issues on campus. The round table was created by Collin Pratt, director of policy for GLC and MCAS ’17, in order to talk about the quality of student life or any upcoming events or proposals.
“I see that as an award for the work we have been doing in the past 10 years or since we have been created,” Minieri said. “Finally, we are being recognized by the institution saying ‘this is a great organization, we do support and love the things they are doing.’”
—Nick Mineri, chair of GLC and CSOM ’16
“It gives us a new avenue to speak about our problems or issues directly,” Minieri said.
GLC also moved to get the Dean of Students Office to take over the GLTBQ Undergraduate Society and Queer Peers, a group of mentors who are available to have conversations with students about LGBTQ matters. This change will be implemented for the 2016-17 academic year.
The GLTBQ Undergraduate Society and Queer Peers were created by students in GLC and were previously completely student-run. Next year, they will be implemented as permanent and legitimate programs by the University. Minieri said that GLC has been advocating for the Dean of Students Office to take over the programs for years.
In January, GLC also planned to have Laverne Cox, an actress and transgender advocate, speak on campus. It was considered a significant accomplishment to have the University approve her visit, Minieri said. Due to a filming conflict, Cox had to cancel, but GLC is working to get her to speak next year.
GLC also hopes to continue with their initiative to add gender identity to the non-discrimination clause. The group drafted a report on gender expression and identity in February, but little progress has been made in the last year, Minieri said. GLC hopes to receive definitive answers from the administration in the coming year.
“I think it’s important to acknowledge the hard work of all of our student organizations do when we can, even if that work is not always visible to the greater community,” Miceli said in an email.
The group will also be working to add a gender non-conforming option to University document,. It also hopes to change the singlestall bathrooms in Gasson and Campion to gender neutral.
Minieri thinks that the Ever to Excel Award is a step in a positive direction for GLC, and hopes that it will encourage other faculty or students to reach out to the group. He also hopes that the award will encourage leaders in the future to continue the work that their predecessors have already done.
“I see that as an award for the work we have been doing in the past 10 years or since we have been created,” Minieri said. “Finally, we are being recognized by the institution saying ‘this is a great organization, we do support and love the things they are doing.’”
Featured Image by Julia Hopkins / Heights Editor
