Hi, they/them! I hope you had a restful Fall break as the colder weather creeps in. Anyways, oSTEM collabs/resources, O4U Engineering hype, and a nice news section below.
Last Week
During our last GMM, we discussed oSTEM conference details, teased a collab event with the Health Promotion Office during our next GMM, and shared our excitement about the upcoming O4U Engineering Conference. More on the O4U conference below.
Coming Up
oSTEM
- E-Board at the O4U Engineering Conference
This week, our entire E-Board will be attending the O4U Engineering Conference in St. Paul, Minnesota! Keep an eye on our IG stories where we will each be sharing what we’re up to starting tomorrow. We hope these IG takeovers show you why we consistently hype up O4U and give insight into what conference day-to-day activities look like. - Graduate Applications Program: Applications due November 1, 2023
Applying to graduate schools typically costs many hundreds of dollars which poses a major barrier to queer students, who are disproportionately affected by economic hardship. The oSTEM and Queer in AI Graduate School Application Program aims to alleviate the financial burden of queer students and connect them with senior queer scientists for application feedback. Read more about the programs here and apply for financial aid here and/or for grad app review here. - oSTEM x Roc Rainbow Rally
The University of Rochester Libraries’ Roc Rainbow Rally starts today!! We are so proud to be part of this multi-day event highlighting artifacts and stories from the LGBTQ+ community. Our president, Ellie will be a panelist on Celebrating Activism Across Generations scheduled for tomorrow at iZone from 6-7 pm. This intergenerational panel will celebrate and share activism and advocacy through discussion of past experiences and selection of digitized physical objects that represent their activism and advocacy.
Because I’ll be out of state for the O4U conference, I’m gonna need y'all to show out for our girl!! Register here. - Website
Browse through our CCC website to take advantage of our compiled Resources & Opportunities (scholarships, conferences, etc.), read more about our iconic E-Board, and find other general oSTEM links. The website is regularly updated, if you spot any issues or know of an R&O we haven’t included, our Feedback Form is always open!
In The News
Hey all! Ellie back again with some queer news stories to share with you all! As always, if you have any topics that you want us to cover, please send them to our Google Form or message us on the “News” channel on Slack! :) • Miss Universe to Include at least 2 transgender competitors: Miss Universe
Miss Universe is one of the longest-running and largest international women’s pageant, with more than 90 countries participating each year. While in the past, many pageants had the reputation of objectifying women’s bodies, Miss Universe has become a global, inclusive organization, that works to provide a safe space for women to share their stories and drive impact personally, professionally, and philanthropically.
Winners of their own country's national pageant are set to take the Miss Universe stage later this year, including two transgender women. Marina Machete became the first transgender woman to win Miss Portugal last week, and Rikkie Valerie Kolle became the first trans woman to be crowned Miss Netherlands in July. These two women are both strong advocates for LGBTQ+ rights in their countries and are looking forward to bringing their work to the international stage. Transgender women have only been allowed to compete in the Miss Universe pageant since 2012, but many individual countries ban transgender women from their national competition. Last year however, Miss Universe was purchased by Anne Jakkapong Jakrajutatip, a Thai businesswoman and transgender advocate, which brings hope for the queer community to see more representation in coming years.
• NHL Bans Pride and Other Theme Symbols From Uniforms: NHL Story
For all you sport queers, an unfortunate development in the NHL will leave many organizations and groups, including the LGBTQ+ community, banned from the ice. Traditionally, players in the NHL have been allowed to show their support for many groups by decorating their sticks and jerseys, or wearing specific clothing items during games and warm-ups. Now, rulings from the NHL will ban all themed gear even on themed nights.
This ruling comes after a handful of players, including Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov and then-San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer, refused to participate in that game's “Pride Night” celebration. The NHL claims that themed gear left players who did not participate to feel “singled out” for their choice not to support that night. Rather than stand with the queer community, and the variety of other groups who support the sport, the NHL decided they would rather protect the reputation of a select few members and spare them from feeling left out by not participating. This has caused significant outrage among players and fans alike, who see this choice to take representation off the ice as a huge step backward for the work that has been done to elevate queer people within the sports realm.
O4U Engineering: Queering Professionalism
Out for Undergrad’s (O4U) conferences are life-changing experiences for LGBTQ2+ undergrads. Their all-expenses-paid conferences feature prominent queer speakers, mentorship discussions, legendary career fairs, and more!
Tomorrow, I am kicking off the IG takeovers since I will be flying in early for O4U’s TRANSFORM (geared for trans/GNC peoples) & MOSAIC (geared for BIPOC) Programming. I’ll give more details about them and the conference as a whole tomorrow!
