If you’ve opened a letter or email from the Office of Alumni Engagement recently, chances are good that you’re familiar with the way we describe the relationship between Elon and alumni.
Elon has committed support to our network in numerous ways, including hosting events, promoting our work, and dedicating staff time and resources. The LGBTQIA Network has several ways that we as alumni can work reciprocally to support Elon as partners, advocates, and investors.
As a partner, there are many ways to stay connected, informed, and involved within the network and the Elon community at large. Subscribing to this newsletter and following the LGBTQIA Alumni Network Facebook page are simple ways to act as a partner. The events hosted by the Network throughout the year, specifically at Homecoming, also offer great opportunities for us to connect with each other and be involved with Elon in ways we may not have experienced in the past. If you have not had the chance to attend the network’s Homecoming Tailgate Party or the Awards Brunch, mark your calendar for Oct. 17-19. We would love to catch up with you!
As advocates, the LGBTQIA Alumni Network hosts an annual career panel on campus and supports Lavender Graduation, hosted annually by the Gender & LGBTQIA Center for graduating seniors. Both activities give alumni the chance to interact with students on campus, encourage their work and invite them to be an active part of the network after graduating. Discussing internships and job opportunities with these students will help to grow their professional networks as they embark on their own journeys after Elon. Understandably, not all alumni can make it back to campus easily for such events. Joining The Elon Network on LinkedIn, sharing some of the posts from the LGBTQIA Alumni Network on Facebook, and even just forwarding this newsletter to a friend are other ways to advocate for Elon and our network regardless of your geographic location.
Finally, it is always important to be a committed investor in Elon. Donations of any size to the LGBTQIA Designated Fund have helped support current students and the Gender & LGBTQIA Center on campus. In 2013 the funds raised by the LGBTQIA Network helped send students to Camp Pride, where they learned leadership skills and resources to help create a safer, more inclusive environment on campus and in their future workplaces. The time and money invested by the LGBTQIA Alumni Network are directly impacting the LGBTQIA students on Elon’s campus today.
Members of our network are an integral part of Elon’s vibrant alumni community. Here are a few simple ways you can get more involved, engage others, invest in students and support priorities relevant to you.
- Forward this newsletter to folks who may enjoy the content but may not be receiving it at the time.
- Encourage a friend to like the Facebook page, and share the Network’s posts to engage others.
- Nominate someone you know for one of the LGBTQIA Community Enrichment Awards, presented at a brunch Homecoming Weekend.
- Make a donation today at www.elon.edu/makeagift. To direct your funds to the LGBTQIA Designated Fund, select “Other – please specify” in the list of places to apply your gift. Then type LGBTQIA Designated Fund in the box below. Any and all financial support of this fund is greatly appreciated by the students on campus that it benefits.
- Email Hillary Bruce ’08 at hbruce@elon.edu for more information about getting involved with the LGBTQIA Alumni Network.