September 14, 2014 | By Ashley Schwedt, Bystander Intervention Coordinator, the Spectrum Center
The new semester has begun and we have arrived with splashing glitter and soaring rainbows! We enjoyed the gloriously warm weather for a few short weeks and are now preparing our layers as the weather falls in true Michigan fashion. Just like the weather, the Spectrum Center has made many changes over the last few months and we are confident in saying that our most celebrated season is still ahead of us!
At the end of last year, we said goodbye to our tenured director, Jackie Simpson, as she transitioned into a new role as Director of Trotter Multicultural Center. Our Associate Director, Will Sherry, has agreed to take over the role of Director on an interim basis while we spend the year conducting an internal and external review of the Center. Ariana Bostian-Kentes has moved into the role of Program Manager for Inclusive Leadership Education and we have hired Josephine Boakye in the role of Community Development Coordinator. Take some time to explore the bios on our website to meet the new staff and reacquaint yourself with our returning staff!
Although we haven’t even hit October yet, the Spectrum Center has already been busy this year! We already hosted a Queer Graduate Students of Color Ice Cream Social, a Karaoke & Ice Cream Student Welcome at the Cube, our Open House with special guests Vice President Royster Harper and President Mark Shlissel, and a bagel & coffee brunch for Celebrate Bisexuality Day! Check out our Facebook Page for photos from these different events. We promoted Spectrum Center and the work that we do at events like Festifall and Go North! Fest and are extremely excited about the passion and energy of this new class of students on campus.
A huge portion of my internship with the Spectrum Center has been my involvement in the development and soon to be implementation of the Change it Up! program. Change it Up! will will bring bystander intervention workshops to every first-year student in living in University Housing. We will be facilitating over 50 workshops during October and early November with the purpose of building a community of active bystanders on campus who together will make a positive impact on the University of Michigan campus climate. Change it Up! is a program situated within Student Life with a partnership with the University of Michigan Educational Theater Company. We are excited to see the positive impact this program has on our campus.
You’re going to see some amazing things out of the Spectrum Center over the course of this coming semester and we can’t wait to share it with you!