Making an impact through Spectrum
Rachel Stoczko, Marketing Major
Spectrum is Loyola’s LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, +) club on campus.
We are comprised of a strong and growing group of members and allies of the LGBT community who advocate for understanding and recognition on campus, in Baltimore, and on a global scale.
In our diverse and changing world, Spectrum aims to expose Loyola’s campus to and inform our community of LGBTQIA issues to promote awareness and acceptance.
As students at a Jesuit university, it is our duty and privilege to be able to educate and advocate for inclusion of all people, no matter their sexual orientation, gender, race, or anything else.
I have been a member of Spectrum since my first year at Loyola. Being part of a club that makes a difference on campus and its culture and climate is unique. It’s also pretty powerful.
Spectrum provides resources and executes social gatherings, outreach services, educational events, and community advocacy programs to the Loyola community—including students, faculty, staff, administrators, and friends and allies to the LGBTQIA community.
Spectrum also holds biweekly meetings during which we plan events, welcome guest speakers from the Baltimore community, and hold educational sessions on the various identities the club represents and the issues these populations face.
Every year Spectrum organizes a Coming Out Day event, as well as a Sexual Diversity and Gender Awareness Week (SDGAW). Our student executive board plans the events. The club moderators are involved in the planning and logistics, and we all get to see our ideas come to life on Loyola’s campus.
The student-run programs and panels during SDGAW feature different members of our community who have the opportunity to share their thoughts, experiences, and hopes for the future with one another.
Being a member of Spectrum is important to me and to others because we get to make an impact on campus and beyond. We support the people with whom we share this community. We don’t just talk about ideas or hopes for the future of Loyola; we work to make those dreams a reality through education, support, respect, and understanding. To me, that’s something pretty special.
Follow Spectrum at Loyola University Maryland on Facebook to learn more and for the latest information on upcoming events.
Learn more about Spectrum at Loyola