Summer Update!

Hello Broad Spectrum!

We are so excited to tell you about all of the exciting stuff that we have coming up. 

A few of the Broad Spectrum leadership crew met via a Google + hangout for the first time and had a little too much fun playing around with the effects feature:

Pictured: Top - Sonia Fang (Western U); Bottom Left - Nikki Wright (U Penn);

Bottom Center - Amanda Fischer (Cornell); Bottom Right - Arturo Otamendi (LSU)

We are officially transitioning leadership from our outgoing Executive Board (Sonia Fang, Liam Gilles, and Nikki Wright) to our new Executive Board. 

Give it up for your current  BSVSA Leaders, Arturo Otamendi (LSU) and Amanda Fischer (Cornell)!! They have already been doing an amazing job and we are very excited about where BSVSA is headed.

“So... what are you up to?” you ask.

Well, to start things off we talked about our finances.

●      The Lesbian Gay Veterinary Medical Association has generously donated $500 to BSVSA as seed money to help us get on our feet as a new organization! We are SO incredibly THANKFUL for their continued support and encouragement - we would not be where we are today if it weren’t for them.

●      We are working on getting a BSVSA Bank Account and partnering with a 501c3 organization to borrow their tax-exempt status while we earn our own as a well-oiled nonprofit organization. If you have a 501c3 organization and you want to fiscally sponsor us, let us know! broadspectrumoutreach@gmail.com

We then switched gears and talked about what we are DOING

●      We are still working with Lisa Greenhill and the J-team (her amazing AAVMC diversity interns -  Josh and Janelle) on their “It Gets Organized” Campaign. PLEASE check out their awesome mini videos and respond with your input on the google docs! It is really EASY, FUN, and QUICK - and you will be helping us out a lot!

○      Episode One (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6U9oEnXrew&feature=youtu.be)

                            Then click here (http://tinyurl.com/ItGetsOrganizedEpisode1) to respond

○      Episode Two (http://tinyurl.com/BSVSAepisodetwo)

                            Then click here (www.tinyurl.com/ItGetsOrganizedEpisode2) to respond

●      Nikki, Sonia, Charlie Alex (VMRCVM), and the Texas A&M gang are going to be at the AVMA Convention in San Diego August 3-8. The LGVMA will be there too - check them out in the exhibition hall and don’t miss out on the amazing lecture that they are hosting (details below), their general meeting, and a fun networking reception.  Students are always invited to their events! Last year we had a great time in St. Louis with the gang. Definitely post on the BSVSA facebook group or email broadspectrumoutreach@gmail.com to get in touch with us if you are planning on going!

○      The Lesbian and Gay Veterinary Medical Association (LGVMA), thanks to the sponsorship of Pfizer Animal Health, and UCLA’s Williams Institute, is proud to announce the seminar entitled “LGBT People and the Veterinary Profession: From Legal Obligation to Economic Value”  followed by a networking reception at this year’s AVMA Convention in San Diego on Sunday, August 5th, 2012 from 5:00 – 6:00 PM at the Manchester Grand Hyatt. Exact room location to be announced.

○      For more details about LGVMA events at AVMA Convention stay tuned to: http://www.lgvma.org/cal/index.html

●      Arturo, Amanda, Charlie, and Stephen Cole (U Penn) will definitely be at SAVMA Symposium next year March 21-24 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  We hope to see you ALL there!  Arturo is already hard at work planning the diversity forum. BSVSA is planning all sorts of great events for you and LGVMA will most likely be hosting their annual evening mixer and also a LGVMA/BSVSA Leadership Breakfast!  Don’t miss out on your chance to visit the Big Easy and “Laissez les bons temps rouler!” with us. We can’t wait.

●      We are working on putting together another interview with an OUT veterinarian for you all. We know how much you guys love the interviews and we have had a lot of great feedback about Sonia’s interview with Dr. Patrick Mahaney: http://broadspectrumvsa.blogspot.com/2012/04/interview-with-dr-patrick-mahaney-vmd.html

●      We also talked about our roles within the organization. Are you itching to get involved? or Dying to start a Queer kids/BSVSA/LGVMA/whatever-you-want-to-call-it-Chapter at your Veterinary School??  LET US KNOW!!! broadspectrumoutreach@gmail.com

That’s all for now folks!! 

Hope you are all enjoying SUMMER :)

Cheers,

BSVSA