December 15, 2021
FOR ALMOST THE PAST TWO YEARS, THE PANDEMIC HAS DISRUPTED HOW WE MAKE CONNECTIONS WITH OTHERS AS LIFE HAS MOVED ONLINE. FOR STUDENTS MOVING AWAY TO COLLEGE… THIS IS ESPECIALLY DIFFICULT. FOR RESIDENTS WANTING TO MOVE SOMEWHERE WITH A BUILT-IN BOND MANY APPLY TO LIVING LEARNING AND THEME COMMUNITIES… OR L-L-T-C-S. THIS IS A FLOOR ON EASTERN’S CAMPUS WHCH IS DEDICATED TO STUDENTS WHO SHARE INTERESTS OR ARE IN A SIMILAR ACADEMIC PATHS.
FIRST WALKING OFF THE ELEVATOR ONTO THE 8TH FLOOR OF HOYT… YOU ARE MET WITH PRIDE FLAG THAT READS “SPECTRUM COMMUNITY” NEXT TO A CHRISTMAS THEMED BULLETIN BOARD THAT READS “ITS BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE FINALS”. SPECTRUM IS A THEME COMMUNITY… WHICH EASTERN’S WEBSITE DEFINES AS A COMMUNITY FOR ANY GENDER IDENTITY… SEXUAL ORIENTATION OR ALLY OF THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY WHO WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE A SUPPORTIVE AND INCLUSIVE GROUP THAT WORKS TOWARDS PERSONAL AND ACADEMIC GROWTH.
IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND SPECTRUM IN THE PRESENT… I WANTED TO KNOW HOW IT WAS CREATED SO I SPOKE TO BECKY JANES… THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR HOUSING WHO HAS RECENTLY TRANSFERRED FROM A POSITION THAT OVERSAW ALL OF EASTERN’S LIVING LEARNING COMMUNITIES. WHEN THE FLOOR WAS FIRST CREATED IT WASN’T EVEN CALLED SPECTRUM… INSTEAD JUST SIMPLY THE L-G-B-T FLOOR.
(BECKY JANES) “I mean, we had some popularity with the floor, some none. There wasn’t any specific programming.”
BESIDES THE SPECTRUM FLOOR THERE WERE LIMITED RESOURCES FOR LQBTQ+ IDENTIFYING STUDENTS TO REACH OUT TO… BUT A NOTABLE ONE IS THE LGBT RESOURCE CENTER OR THE LGBT-RC. THEIR MISSION STATEMENT READS “WE SUPPORT AND EMPOWER MINORITIZED STUDENTS, PROVIDE INTENTIONAL LEARNING EXPERIENCES, AND CHALLENGE SYSTEMS AND STRUCTURES THAT PERPETUATE INEQUITIES”
ALL THE INITIATIVES FOR CONNECTIONS ACROSS CAMPUS MADE BY COMMUNITY PROGRAMS WERE ORGANIC AND STUDENT LED… LIKE SPECTRUM WITH THE LGBT RESOURCE CENTER.
(BECKY JANES) For the most part, they’ve really created those relationships with the staff over at DCI with the LGB trc to create those relationships.
THE LGBT FLOOR WAS FIRST FORMED IN 2010 AND JANES COORDINATED A PUSH TO OVERHAUL ALL THE LIVING LEARNING COMMUNITIES A COUPLE YEARS LATER AROUND 2013.
THEY HAD DONE RESEARCH INTO OTHER LIVING LEARNING COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE STATE AND NATIONWIDE FOR WHAT FIT EASTERN. SOME COMMUNITIES THAT LEAN MORE INTO THE LEARNING ASPECT OF L-L-T-C CREATE HUGE CURRICULUMS… ALMOST LIKE A CLASS. BUT SPECTRUM WAS FOCUSED MORE ON PILLARS THAT EVENTS COULD BE PLANNED AROUND. EVEN THE NAME SPECTRUM WAS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT WITH THE STUDENTS SINCE LGBT WAS A LIMITING NAME FOR THE FLOOR.
(BECKY JANES) Everyone identifies differently. And it doesn’t always fit in that LGBT. So that’s why we took that out of it and made it more spectrum, so I think it really helped feel more inclusive for all of our students.
BECKY HAD WORKED CLOSELY WITH THE STUDENTS ON THE FLOOR… THE RA AT THE TIME… THE COMMUNITY PROGRAMER… THE GRADUATE ASSISTANT AND THE LGBT-R-C. COMMUNITY PROGRAMERS WERE ACTUALLY REALLY INFLUENTIAL IN THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVED. PART OF THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES WERE TO ASSESS THE NEEDS AND WANTS OF RESIDENTS AND FOSTER AND MAINTAIN A SENSE OF COMMUNITY ON THE FLOOR. THEY DID THIS BY PLANNING… ADVERTISING… AND HOSTING EVENTS.
(BECKY JANES) That floor was always thriving, and they always worked really well. And at one point, we actually had two RAS among community programmer, and we talked about bringing in into second community programmer, because they actually had a pretty strong presence
I AM SPEAKING ABOUT THIS ROLE IN PAST TENSE BECAUSE THIS POSITION HAS BEEN ELIMINATED FOR THE LAST 3 SEMESTERS. I SPOKE TO LAUREN JOHNSON WHO HAS BEEN THE RESIDENTIAL ADVISOR THE PAST 3 SEMESTERS… AND SHE DESCRIBED THIS ROLES ERASURE HAS LEFT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE STRUCTURE OF THE COMMUNITY BEING LEFT TO HER.
(LAUREN JOHNSON) All community programmers throughout the entire campus have these pillars that they had to follow for different programs that they put on. And since we don’t have a programmer now, since Easterns, kind of getting away from and getting rid of those. I don’t know if it’s because of budget or something. But I know that once they’re gone, they’re gone.
JANES EXPLAINED THIS POSITION WAS REMOVED DUE TO THE DIFFICULTIES OF EVENT PLANNING DURING THE PANDEMIC WHILE REMAINING SAFE.
UNFORTUNATELY… THIS ALSO MEANS THAT THE IDEAS AND THEMES FROM THE PILLARS WERE NO LONGER BEING SPREAD TO THEIR COMMUNITIES… SINCE RA’S DON’T RECEIVE THE SAME TRAINING ON THE UNDERSTANDING THEIR FLOOR’S STRUCTURE. THESE COMMUNITY PROGRAMERS WERE THE MAIN CONNECTION BETWEEN THE SPECTRUM FLOOR AND THE LGBT RESOURCE CENTER… SO THAT LINE OF COMMUNICATION HAS ALSO BEEN LOST.
LAUREN ACKNOWLEDGED THAT SHE HAS NEVER BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THE LGBT RESOURCE CENTER IN REGARDS TO THE SPECTRUM FLOOR. STUDENTS LIVING IN SPECTRUM ARE ALSO NOT REACHED OUT TO BY THE LGBT RESOURCE CENTER. SAVANNAH COVAULT A JUNIOR LIVING ON THE 8TH FLOOR OF HOYT EXPLAINED THAT SHE HAS BEEN TO A FEW EVENTS HOSTED BY THE LGBT RESOURCE CENTER… BUT THEY DON’T FEEL LIKE THEY ARE A PART OF THE SPECTRUM FLOOR.
(SAVANNAH COVAULT) But I think more of the close knit community over the events, the events just kind of help the whole college with the gay community and then Spectrum is just us.
DESPITE THE GROWTH THAT WAS MADE FROM THE NAME CHANGE FROM LGBT FLOOR… LAUREN FOUND THE CULTURE STILL FELT STAGNANT FROM THAT TIME
(LAUREN JOHNSON) So how it was described to me, it was just like the LGBTQ community. From my own perspective, it’s more than that, not only the LGBT community, but it’s also finding a home for them. I know I found a little more about myself just being the RA. I am part of the community, as I identify as lesbian, but like now more comfortable in my own identity.
THROUGH THE LAST 2 YEARS OF BEING AN RA… LAUREN HAS BUILT UP SKILLS ON DEVELOPING A SENSE OF COMMUNITY AND SHE CREDITS PART OF THAT TO THE SUPPORT THAT SPECTRUM HAS GIVEN HER… AND HOW SHE HAS PERSONALLY GROWN. SHE SAYS MUCH OF HER GROWTH COMES FROM JUST LISTENING TO HER RESIDENTS AND THEIR STORIES. NOT ONLY DOES THIS MAKE THEM FEEL HEARD… BUT IT INSTANTLY BUILDS LASTING CONNECTIONS.
(LAUREN JOHNSON) I’d say just go in with an open mind. Make sure you listen to everybody and their stories, because that’s one thing that I did, and it made the residents feel like they could talk to me. Because in their home lives, it’s always hit and miss with being heard, and their voice mattering.
LAUREN FINDS WHAT MAKES SPECTRUM DIFFERENT THAN OTHER LIVING LEARNING COMMUNITIES ARE WHERE THESE STUDENTS ARE COMING FROM. SHE RUNS INTO A LOT OF RESIDENTS WHO HAVE HAS TO REPRESS THIS PART OF THEM BEFORE COMING TO COLLEGE BECAUSE THEY AREN’T OUT TO THEIR PARENTS SO THEY HAVEN’T REALLY EXPLORED WHO THEY ARE… WHICH CAN BE SAID ABOUT A LOT OF COLLEGE STUDENTS BUT PARTIALLY WITH THOSE WHO ARE A PART OF THE LGBT COMMUNITY. COMING FROM A SHELTERED HOME HERSELF… LAUREN WANTS ALL HER RESIDENTS TO BE ABLE TO WIPE THEIR SLATE AND BEGIN BUILDING THEIR OWN IDENTITY AND DO WHAT MAKES THEM HAPPY. ALL OF THIS WELLNESS AND COMPASSION BEING PUT INTO THE FLOOR CAN DEFINITELY BE FELT BY LAUREN’S RESIDENTS.
SAVANNAH DESCRIBED THE COMMUNITY AS SUPER CLOSE KNIT AND OPEN… SOMETHING THAT SHE DID NOT EXPECT. SHE ALSO GIVES RECOGNITION TO HER RA FOR HER ROLE IN THEIR GROUP AS BOTH FIRM IN SETTING BOUNDARIES AND ENCOURAGING OTHERS TO DO SO AS WELL WHILE STILL BEING AVAILABLE AND EMPATHETIC TO HER RESIDENTS.
(SAVANNAH COVAULT) First of all, I love RA Lauren, I do think that she keeps everyone very neutral. Like she’s very good at being like in charge but also like there for you
LAUREN DESCRIBED FINDING THIS BALANCE TO BE A CHALLENGE… AND ONLY IN HER SECOND YEAR IN THE RA ROLE HAS SHE GOTTEN THE HANG OF IT. CREATING BOUNDARIES CAN BE DIFFICULT… BUT IT HAS ONLY HELPED SOLIDIFY LAUREN’S ROLE AS AN RA.
(LAUREN JOHNSON) Hey, I am your friend. But like, I’m also a resource and campus security for you.
STUDENTS WHO APPLY TO SPECTRUM SHOULD EXPECT TO BE MET WITH A SAFE SPACE WITHIN THE UNIVERSITY WHERE YOU CAN LIVE AROUND ENTHUSIASTIC PEOPLE WHO SHARE SIMILAR AND WIDELY DIFFERENT IDENTITIES. AND HEY… YOU MIGHT LEARN A THING OR TWO ABOUT YOURSELF.
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