Dear Membership,

It is hard to believe it has been almost one month since we last reached out to you in the immediate response to the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping across our institutions; if you are anything like us, the last month feels to have simultaneously lasted several months and disappeared in a blink. We hope this message finds you well, in all senses of the word.

We would like to take a moment to share some important updates with you. As many institutions have frozen spending and/or are drastically shifting fiscal priorities in this moment, we know you may have concerns about renewing your Consortium membership, particularly if your renewal date is near. To that end,if your membership expired or will expire between March 1, 2020, and July 31, 2020, we will extend your membership benefits through August 1, 2020, with no penalty or lapse in membership. These dates will be continuously reassessed as we observe developments with COVID-19 and its impact across the higher education landscape. 

If, during this grace period, you are able to pay your or your institution’s membership dues, please do so as those funds allow the Consortium to continue to support our members through our programs and creates opportunities to subsidize memberships for those in need. There are more than 90 institutional and affiliate memberships that will benefit from the extended grace period; these memberships translate to at least $8,000 in revenue for the organization. If even a small portion of members due for renewal in this time period are able to renew as planned, it will make a significant positive impact on our organizational financial well-being. 

The Consortium board will engage in contingency planning through the end of our fiscal cycle (December 31, 2020), anticipating potential budget implications of COVID-19 on our members, as well as the organization, going into Fall 2020.  Potential contingency actions include, but are not limited to: 

• Extension of lapsed membership grace period or offering reduced rate renewal of membership for those whose budgets are cut or frozen.

• Dip into Consortium savings to fund continued membership engagement (e.g., Creating Change, webinars).

• Bolster our current fundraising platforms to offer a venue for those positioned with resources to support the Consortium to do so during this time.  

As we assess our financial standing as an organization, we are temporarily suspending the awarding of co-sponsorship funds. We will continue to reassess this decision as we move forward and the long-term impact of this pandemic is realized. If you have questions or concerns about co-sponsorship, please reach out to the Membership Engagement Collective at [email protected]. 

If you have any questions about your membership, please email [email protected]. 

To close, we offer our sincere hopes for peace and well-being for each of you in this time of stress and challenge. We have enjoyed engaging with many of you on our recent constituency calls, and we hope you will continue to consider us as a source of community and support. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us and to one another. 

Sincerely,

The Consortium Executive Board

Members, Colleagues, Friends,

We write to you today to offer our support to our collective community in this challenging and unprecedented moment addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. We are, like most of you, experiencing the variable and chaotic environments of our campuses and communities as we work to collectively flatten the curve related to the spread of the virus. 

We have a few messages we would like to share at this time, and please know, we will continue to be in communication as necessary.

First, we want to address the mental and emotional toll this moment in time is taking on us as professionals and simply as humans. Being on the front lines in supporting our students, navigating institutional responses, and adapting to changing work environments—while balancing the needs and well-being of our families, communities, and those around us—is a lot of weight from all directions and can be overwhelming. Events to which we have given labor and resources are being canceled, communities we have intentionally facilitated are being separated by distance, and the needed policy and practice discussions and decisions for which we have long advocated are being necessarily pushed aside in addressing present concerns. All of these experiences and more can induce all types of feelings:sadness, disappointment, frustration, and more. We hope we can collectively hold space for one another; we share two quotes we found timely for this moment (plus, this guide on caring for your mental health). 

From Audre Lorde:

“Pain is important: how we evade it, how we succumb to it, how we deal with it, how we transcend it.”

“Our feelings are our most genuine paths to knowledge.”

Second, while we hope all of our institutions are intentionally considering the impact changes in campus practice have on our marginalized student communities, we know from our work on our campuses that we are often the ones advocating specifically for our students’ needs. While each institution’s circumstances are unique and most of us are operating at or past capacity, we encourage you to reach out to your colleagues for support and brainstorming as we negotiate these challenges. A couple of requests for practice-sharing have come over the practitioner listserv thus far—if you have a moment to share and offer support, please do. We also want to offer a reminder of our regional listservs and social media groups, which can be utilized to discuss resource sharing and set up calls to increase regional support. The Consortium also has a number of constituency Facebook groups and general social media channels, which are additional ways to stay connected and offer support to one another. 

Third, in terms of programming and support from the Consortium, we will do our best to continue our work as planned and to offer opportunities for community engagement for our membership. The Membership Engagement Collective has scheduled the spring constituency calls—these upcoming community gatherings will be an excellent opportunity to connect with colleagues. 

• Trans, Non-binary, and Genderqueer
• Constituency for members who identify as trans, non-binary, genderqueer, or another term outside of cisgender
• Thursday, April 2 at 10:30 AM PT/11:30 AM MT / 12:30 PM CT / 1:30 PM ET
• Access the Hangout video call at meet.google.com/bsv-cpiz-qia or call in via phone by calling +1 252-516-1110‬ PIN: ‪206 300 277‬#
• People of Color
• Constituency for members who identify as people of color
• Monday, April 6 at 10:00 AM PT/11:00 AM MT/12:00 PM CT/1:00 PM ET
• Access the Hangout video call at meet.google.com/cbo-spze-wqs or call in via phone by calling +1 470-735-3496‬ PIN: ‪813 092 404‬#
• Seasoned Professionals
• This is a new constituency for professionals who have been in LGBTQ+ resource professional roles for 7+ years.  This includes professionals who continue to work in LGBTQ+ resource professional roles, have advanced in their careers but previously worked in LGBTQ+ resource professional roles LGBTQ+ support roles, or continue to have LGBTQ+ support in their portfolios.
• Tuesday, April 7 at 9:00 AM PT / 10:00 AM MT/ 11:00 AM CT/12:00 PM ET
• Access the Zoom meeting at https://ucsd.zoom.us/j/445475890
• LGBT2
• Constituency for LGBTQ+ resource professionals and those who serve in LGBTQ+ support roles who do not serve as directors within their institutions (potential titles include Program Coordinators, Assistant and Associate Directors, etc.)
• Tuesday April 14 at 10:30 AM PT / 11:30 AM MT / 12:30 PM CT / 1:30 PM ET
• Access the Hangout video call at meet.google.com/mpm-nwqw-kfw or call in via phone by calling +1 414-909-5106‬ PIN: ‪716 025 702‬#

We appreciate your patience as we navigate our own capacities in this rapidly changing landscape. Please continue to reach out with questions or concerns- see below for a reminder on how to reach those with whom you need to connect. While there may be a slight delay in hearing from us, that is the best way to get in touch. 

• Practitioner Listserv: [email protected] (messages must be sent from the email address associated with your Consortium membership)
• Consortium Executive Board: [email protected]
• Internal and External Coordinators: [email protected]
• Membership Engagement Collective: [email protected]
• Organizational Operations Collective: [email protected]

Thank you for the important work you are doing in your communities. The history of the queer and trans communities’ strength and resilience feels particularly present now, and we hope it offers an anchoring point as we navigate what is to come. Thank you for your ongoing support, please reach out to share how we can support you, and, of course, wash your hands. 

In Solidarity, 

The Consortium Executive Board

Dear Colleagues,

It’s hard to believe we are nearing the second week of this new year, and that we will be gathering this week with many of you at Creating Change! We are reaching out today to share some additional details about Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals events at Creating Change 2020. 

Consortium Opening Social

Our first time together in Dallas will be a Consortium BAR TAKEOVER in The Parlor bar at the Sheraton from 9:30 - 11:00 pm. The Consortium will provide some apps, so be on the lookout for us (we’ll try to have some Consortium signage to help you find us), and come hang out before we kick off the daylong on Thursday! 

Consortium Daylong Institute

The theme of this year's Daylong Institute is Queering the Future & we are thrilled to be offering a full day of critical conversations, reflecting on both better practices & obstacles within our field as well as engaging in an afternoon of collective creation. Here's an overview of our schedule (times subject to change):

9:00 - 9:45 AM             Welcome & Presentation of Consortium Awards 

9:45 - 11:00 AM            Critical Conversation Breakout Session

We will be establishing community agreements for our space & engaging in a series of discussions around issues that impact our work. 

11:00 - 11:45 AM           Regions Connection

An opportunity to connect with your region representative & other colleagues within your region. 

11:45 AM - 1:15 PM        Lunch on Your Own Break

1:15 - 3:15 PM               Affinity/Identity Group Breakout Session

We will enter into this session with a reassertion of our commitment to racial justice per the Consortium's revised mission & vision. We will break up into race-centered spaces & reflect on our positionality & possibilities.

3:15 - 4:45 PM              2020 & Beyond: Envisioning Our Liberation

We're making a zine, ya'll! We'll be reflecting on the futurity of our campuses, our students & ourselves as a guide for co-creating a series of zine pages, personal art, collages, etc. WE INVITE & ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO BRING MATERIALS TO SHARE FOR THIS PROJECT. This can include: magazines, stickers, newspapers, stamps, cool paper, old books, markers, etc. The more materials we have, the more expansive our project can be. We will be scanning/photographing pages folks are willing to share to then be disseminated to membership & beyond to communicate our vision of the future.

Consortium Extension Session

The Consortium has a session reserved during the second workshop block on Friday, January 17th. Currently this session is set-up as a continuation and enhancement of our work during the Daylong Institute - it will be a space to continue engaging in thoughtful conversation and networking with colleagues, as well as to learn more about the Consortium and connect with the current Executive Board. 

Consortium Socials Throughout the Conference

All socials (minus the Consortium Opening Social) will take place in the Consortium Suite, within the conference hotel - the suite number will be announced at the Daylong Institute and via social media.

• Graduate Student Social/Lunch: Friday 12 - 1:15 pm; a space for graduate students in any discipline to connect

• TGQ Dinner: Friday 6 - 7:30 pm; dinner welcoming folx who identify as trans, non-binary, genderqueer, and gender non-conforming

• Past Board Social: Friday 8 - 9 pm; space for all past board members of the Consortium to connect and be in community

• Consortium Meetup: Friday 9 - 10:30 pm; all Consortium members and guests welcome - connect with colleagues and friends and meet new ones

• LGBT2 Lunch: Saturday 11 - 12:30 pm; lunch welcoming higher education professionals doing LGBTQ+ work who are not directors on their campuses (program coordinators, assistant directors, etc.)

• POC Dinner: Saturday 6:30 - 8 pm; dinner welcoming Consortium members and higher education LGBTQ+ professionals who identify as People of Color

• Sober Social: Saturday 9 - 10 pm; social space for Consortium members and guests to connect in a substance-free environment

Higher Education Content Sessions
The Consortium board worked with the National LGBTQ Task Force staff to curate a diversity of higher-education sessions throughout each day of the conference in the same (or a nearby) room.  We hope this will provide our membership with opportunities to engage in sessions related to our work throughout the conference in a convenient location!

Fri., January 17, 2020 - Austin 2, Hotel 2nd floor

9:00 AM           Designing Change on College Campuses

10:45 AM         Dismantling White Supremacy in LGBTQ Centers as a QTPOC Director           

3:00 PM           Engaging Queer Students in STEM Fields with Queer Science! 

4:45 PM           Everything I Need To Know About College I Learned In A Black Church           

Fri., January 17, 2020 - Other Locations

10:45 AM        Consortium Extension Session (Austin 1, Hotel 2nd flr)

6:30 PM          Caucus: Black Queer Women in College, (Houston C, Convention Ctr, 3rd flr)          

Sat., January 18, 2020 - Austin 2, Hotel 2nd floor

9:00 AM          Igniting Lighthouses in a Storm: Creating College LGBTQI+ Mentorship Programming        

10:45 AM        Youth Empowerment and College Pathways Collaboration   

1:30 PM           What’s Faith got do It? Queering Faith and Spiritual Journeys in Higher Education    

3:15 PM           Working From Whiteness: Supporting and Challenging LGBTQA+ White College 

Students              

7:00 PM           Caucus: Queer College Conference Leaders

Please do not hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected] with any questions or concerns, and we look forward to connecting with you in Dallas!

Sincerely, 

The Consortium Executive Board

For questions about The Consortium's presence at the Creating Change Conference, please email [email protected].