By Steve Seepersaud
Building tradition and pride. Creating spaces where all are welcome. With this spirit, the Binghamton University Alumni Association is reinvigorating its Q Alumni Network. The goal is to keep LGBTQ+ alumni connected through programs and events that allow them to converse, share professional and personal journeys, and develop sustained collaboration.
To date, the Q Alumni Network has been active on LinkedIn and MentorMatch to facilitate connections between LGBTQ+ alumni. The group recently held a meet-and-greet event on campus during Homecoming weekend.
Erin Hansen '13, MAT '14, career education and outreach specialist with the Fleishman Career Center, took a leadership role with the Q Alumni Network to meet alumni whose experiences could help students find their own success. Being involved with this alumni affinity outreach was also a natural extension of her leadership of the Bing Queers faculty and staff group.
"As someone who was not out during my time as a student at Binghamton, I wanted to explore ways to connect with fellow queer people in the greater university community, whether that be other employees, our students or our alumni," Hansen said.
"When I was a student nearly two decades ago, support for LGBTQ+ students at colleges anywhere still felt like an afterthought," said David Belsky '08, who is on the network's leadership team. "When I worked at SUNY System Administration, I was the first openly LGBTQ+ member on a Chancellor's cabinet and helped push the system to participate in NYC Pride. I'm confident there is a large contingency of Binghamton alumni who are part of the LGBTQ+ community and didn't know it when they were a student (like me!). It feels like an important step to really create a space for our alumni to reconnect as we think about ways to engage with students."
In the coming year, the network wants to increase participation in its LinkedIn and MentorMatch groups. Because a large number of Binghamton alumni live in the Metro New York region, the goal is to host an event there as well as virtual gatherings that anyone, regardless of location, can attend.
"Alumni should become involved because the queer community needs each other now more than ever," Hansen said. "We need to hear each other’s stories and expose each other to new resources and strategies to empower one another. There is tremendous power in numbers, and there are so many LGBTQ+ members of our Binghamton University community. We need to continue to amplify each other’s voices, build relationships, and create spaces that foster queer joy."
"Bearcats have a special bond," Belsky said. "I see it every time I encounter another Binghamton grad out in the field. There's no better way to network than to start with folks you have something in common with. If you bleed green and rainbow, there's no better head start to making connections and forging friendships."
For more information about the Q Alumni Network, contact Tamar Boyajian, coordinator for multicultural alumni programs in the Office of Alumni Engagement, at tboyajian@binghamton.edu.