About Our Organization

Mission Statement
Broad Spectrum Veterinary Student Association’s mission is to connect, support and empower community for LGBT+* students and allies across veterinary education.
*LGBT + will be used as an inclusive acronym for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer,Questioning, Asexual and others who self-identify on the sexual orientation and/or gender expression continuums.

Vision Statement
Broad Spectrum desires greater support and a sense of community for all LGBT+ students and allies throughout veterinary medical education. We actively strive to counter episodes of bigotry and marginalization with positive messages of diversity and inclusion. We have healthy, supportive and encouraging relationships with pre-veterinary, veterinary and graduate students, faculty, staff and administrators. We are known for advocating for the respect and equality of seen and unseen LGBT+ members in the academic veterinary community and beyond. We contribute to the development of safe and welcoming veterinary school environments for pre- and current veterinary students. Broad Spectrum makes veterinary schools more inclusive for all students, especially LGBT+ students. We accomplish this by starting important and courageous conversations about LGBT+ inclusion, in addition to maintaining much needed support for LGBT+ students in veterinary medicine.

Our History
We were founded in 2011 at the SAVMA Symposium hosted by UC Davis. The name 'Broad Spectrum' came out of a calculated attempt to be as inclusive as possible to any student who falls anywhere on the spectra of sexuality, sex, or gender. We welcome all students no matter their sexuality, gender identity, or gender expression. And yes, allies, this means we welcome you, too!

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Friday, September 2, 2011

Welcome Back to School!

We hope those of you returning to school had a decent summer and wish all the best for the pre-veterinary students currently applying into schools.  We, in turn, wanted to let you know what we've been up to these past few months! 

In July, Broad Spectrum VSA attended its first American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Convention in St. Louis, Missouri, where we held our first national meeting.  Our Broad Spectrum representatives discussed our mission with many prominent members of the veterinary community, including Dr. Wayne Hollingshead, LGVMA President; Dr. Ken Gorzyca, Executive Secretary of LGVMA; Dr. Mike Chaddock, Deputy Director of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC); and Lisa Greenhill, Associate Executive Director for Institutional Research and Diversity of the AAVMC.



Some highlights of the meeting included the creation of Starter Kits for LGVMA or LGBT-affiliated student groups, so that any group of students that wants to start a chapter will not be left to reinvent the wheel.  The starter kit would include
  • A constitution and bylaws
  • A contact person for help
  • An LGVMA contact
  • Event and fundraising ideas
We will be working on this throughout the year, so we'll let you know of any updates as they happen.  In the meantime, do direct any questions about student groups to broadspectrumoutreach@gmail.com

We also discussed our website which is currently in beta form.  Here is a sneak peak!

We'll be going live with it VERY SOON and will keep you posted.  The website will include
  • Resources with links to school clubs-so if your club is not represented in our spreadsheet (see the previous blog post) let us know!
  • Guide for New LGBT Groups
  • Calendar of Upcoming Events
  • Potentially a Members-Only section!
Finally, our representatives discussed next year's Student American Veterinary Medical Association (SAVMA) Symposium at Purdue in March of 2012.  We will be holding a meeting for students who are interested in joining, as well as helping/attending numerous LGVMA functions, panels, and workshops.  We'll be distributing buttons, so keep your eyes out!

In the mean time, do let us know if your school is hosting any events, and we will share the information through our blog!

Direct any questions, comments, and concerns to broadspectrumoutreach@gmail.com
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