Club Update: Ross Spectrum Club

We've got a great update from the Ross Spectrum club just for you!

Did you know that Ross is one of the largest AVMA accredited veterinary institutions, but has one of the smallest campuses? We had no idea!

The students as RUCVM provided us with some excellent history of St. Kitts to give students from the states an idea of what its like living in the Caribbean (the bad and the good).

"St. Kitts is traditionally a devoutly religious island founded by Christopher Columbus and first claimed by Spain in 1493 and lastly by Britain in 1783. It is extremely historic and the island demands a lot of respect for being such a historical landmark in ancient history. It has evolved from a combination of West African traditions of slave populations with additions of French and British colonist. Following its independence from England in 1983 several historic Anglican churches remain with over 50% of the population still practicing this religion. St. Kitts has a very vibrant culture with legislation still in place that criminalizes homosexuality amongst males."

RUSVM spectrum Club helps give LGBT students and allies a safer sense of community on campus.
there is no LGBT support outside of the university!

"The LGBT students of RUSVM do their research before arriving to the island and participate in a thorough orientation that lasts for more than a week. Here we all learn what our life will be like for the next two and half years. Will we hate it? Will we “suck it up” and just hide who we are? Do we never venture out into the community? Are we going to feel safe? Who can I go to for help? These and many other questions run rapidly through our head, but we soon realize that we are visitors in this country and there isn’t much we can do to change the culture of an entire country. Instead we learned that the citizens of St. Kitts are more accepting than we realized and demonstrate respect for who we are as long as we give them the respect they deserve."

RUSVM students have ties to the community and organize local events.

RUSVM Spectrum now active! Members keep up on LGBT topics in the news and use Facebook to keep in touch outside of class. They host socials to build LGBT and ally student community, LGBT friends in the local community, and studnets at other universities on the island.

holding bake sales to fund events: fly in speakers, promote veterinary experiences.

Hope to someday give back to the community as the club grows or use funds to send members to veterinary conferences and other opportunites.

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UPDATE: AAVMC LGBT Student Climate Survey

For those of you that aren't familiar with the AAVMC outside of your veterinary college applications, the AAVMC has been working hard the past few years to understand the campus climate with regards to diversity at the veterinary colleges.

How did we get to the LGBT Student Climate Survey?
In the Spring of 2011 the AAVMC launched the AAVMC-AVMA DiVersity Matters Climate Survey.  With an overall response rate of 48.1%, the survey was able to get a clearer picture of the LGBT community within the nation's veterinary colleges.  These initial findings allowed the AAVMC to narrow in on the LGBT student experience with a focused LGBT Student Experience Survey in the Fall of 2012.  The LGBT Student Experience Survey was an open answer survey, which is still being analyzed.

Impressions of the LGBT Student Climate Survey based on the webinar:



We are so thankful that the AAVMC has undertaken this task and is pushing to improve the student experience for future veterinarians across the country.

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http://www.aavmc.org/Diversity/AAVMC002DAVMA-DiVersity-Matters-Climate-Survey.aspx

http://www.aavmc.org/Diversity/DVM-LGBT-Student-Experience-Study.aspx

College Leadership: Tufts and University of Florida

Congratulations Deans!

This summer at the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) meeting, the Lesbian and Gay Veterinary Medical Association (LGVMA) held their annual meeting where two leadership awards were given out.  These awards honor individuals who have supported inclusion and diversity in veterinary medicine by using their leadership position to facilitate change.

The awards were given out to Dean Kochevar, at Tufts, and Dean Lloyd, at University of Florida.

If you want more details, here is the article on the Tufts website.  Get the word out and lets celebrate some wonderful leadership in veterinary medicine!

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http://now.tufts.edu/news-releases/tufts-veterinary-school-dean-honored

LGVMA Strategic Planning Re-cap

You’ve seen the schedule,so you know what we were up to...in theory.  But what you don’t see in the hour by hour breakdown is that there was so much more than mission statement wordsmithing and action planning taking place in Las Vegas.  Its hard to say where to begin, because every time I think about the trip I get wrapped up in all the moments that made me so happy to be there.

This is one of those moments.

As you may know, I’m one of the current leaders of Broad Spectrum Veterinary Student Association.  If you want to know more about me, there’s an entire interview of myself and Arturo from last year on this blog.  This has been an amazing year, and I’m so glad I finally got involved in the LGBT community.  Before veterinary school, I never felt that I was a part of a queer community.  I strongly believe that all veterinary students, no matter where your diversity stems from, deserve a community that understands you. Life is stressful enough for us already.

Group Photo: the LGVMA Strategic Planners

So what do you do to prepare for a Strategic Planning meeting? You do some research!  I honestly didn’t know much about the history of the LGVMA before the meeting.  Everything I knew was based on the brief history on the LGVMA website and what Ken (Dr. Gorczya) told us about the LGVMA at last year’s Broad Spectrum meeting.  Some of our resources included the LGVMA NAVMEC Report from 2011 regarding LGBT acceptance and safety in the veterinary profession.  We also read the Special Edition of Good News! (the LGVMA newsletter) that focused on the personal stories of veterinarians integral to the creation of the LGVMA.  If you’re interested in reading any of these resources we can send them your way!  Reading all of these resources made me so grateful to be a part of the community and even more grateful for all the hard work that has been done already.

Liam layin' it out.

All attendees and some student/LGVMA leaders filled out a survey asking about our views on the current LGVMA and where we would like to see the organization go.  After the survey closed everyone attending the meeting was able to read all responses (which were anonymous) to each question.  I reviewed these on my 3 plane trips from Ithaca to Las Vegas.

Dr. Apryl Steele and Table 2, hard at work.

I arrived at the Red Rock Casino and Resort (which was about 10 times larger than I had imagined) just in time for our first meeting to start.  As you can imagine, as with most things that involve discussion, we didn’t stick to the schedule exactly, but we started, ended, and took breaks as indicated.  From breakfast until around 5pm we were together, getting to know each other personally and professionally outside of meeting discussions.  

Nikki presenting the fruits of our labor

In summary, we talked a lot and made some awesome charts.  It was difficult at times.  Sitting in the same room for hours only reminds me of vet school, but we were always engaged and participating to make this process successful.

Discussing organizational structure

You also probably saw us all posting on Facebook from inside the meetings, and after the meetings.  Despite being jetlagged and tired from early starts each day, a group of us took a trip to see the Vegas strip.  I’m so glad we did this!  I got to see the famous Bellagio fountains and walk through the Venetian.  You didn’t expect us to spend all of our time working did you?

Cruisin' in a convertible with LGVMA President Dr. Sandy Hazanow

Sin City!

Las Vegas: Where you never know if it's day or night

Amanda with the wizard of all street performers!

After a majority of the hard work was done, some of us also took a trip into the desert on Sunday afternoon (Red Rock Canyon Park) to go on an “easy” hike.  The views were beautiful and totally worth it. It was nice to spend the afternoon outside in the sunshine.  We were lucky to have excellent weather while we were there.  It was chilly for certain people who go to vet school in the southern USA, but it was heavenly compared to Ithaca in February.

Student leaders at Red Rock Canyon Park.  Hiking in business casual and flip flops, NBD. 

Taking a lunch break at Red Rock Canyon Park

The work isn't done.  We are still putting time into developing the new and improved LGVMA website and discussing how to improve the organization's structure.  I am so glad that I went and met more like-minded colleagues and hopefully lifelong friends.  I’ll be seeing some familiar faces at SAVMA Symposium in less than a week, and hopefully I’ll be meeting some new people as well.

All in a weekend's work

BSVSA in The Vet Gazette

On November 9th, The Vet Gazette published Sonia Fang's response to Dr. Larry Fisher's letter in DVMNewsMagazine.  We are including it here.  See our previous post for other student reactions, and be sure to go to the link to add your comments!



Support for Discrimination and Marginalization? Not Surprising
Friday, November 9, 2012 at 06:00AM

Op Ed
Sonia Fang, Western University


On March 14, dvm360.com posted an article entitled “Minority students report strong support from veterinary schools, but racism and sexism remain, study says”.  The article provided preliminary results from the [American] Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) climate study conducted by Lisa Greenhill (Associate Executive Director for Institutional Research and Diversity at the AAVMC).  Some of the results included that one in five female veterinary students reported hearing sexist language at their school, and LGBT students reported they did not have a faculty or staff member to confide in at higher rates than those students who did not identify as LGBT.  In response to the article, DVM NewsMagazine published a letter from Dr. Larry Fisher of Topeka, Kansas.

I was disappointed and disturbed by the letter printed in DVM NewsMagazine.  On a purely factual level, the statements leveled against LGBT students are not founded in current historical analysis, and the myth that homosexuality has lead to society’s decline has been debunked repeatedly.[1]  Not to mention, even if there were civilizations for which an increase in homosexual activity coincided with a society’s purported decline, there would still be the classic issue of confusing correlation with causation, a definite and basic no-no in evidence-based research.  There isn’t evidence for homosexuality correlating with the destruction of civilizations, much less any research performed demonstrating its causation.

Regardless of the factual inaccuracies, I was taken aback because the printing of this letter was, in itself, telling of the problems that we as LGBT veterinary students face on a systemic level.  LGBT students have to contend with knowing that established veterinarians, editors of professional magazines, professors, faculty, staff, and potential employers are capable of possessing the same opinions as those that were printed.  There is not just a difference of opinion here, but a difference in the level of power and the level of outreach a student has in comparison to established veterinarians and editors of professional magazines.  As LGBT people, we know very well that “different values will always elicit different reactions.”   For example, I can be of the opinion that gay people deserve to be treated as equal members of society.  Anyone else is free to hold the opinion that gay people do not deserve to be treated as equal members of society.  The problem is that while we are both free and able to hold differing opinions, LGBT people are the ones to suffer when power dynamics are at play, and when a differing opinion becomes coded as discrimination into our institutions and the law.  For example, as of 2011, only 8 veterinary schools in the US, Canada, and the Caribbean explicitly protected students from being discriminated on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.[2]  In 29 states, veterinarians can be fired just for being LGBT.[3]  For example, in Kansas, an executive order bans employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, but only in public employment.[4]  So for employees of private veterinary clinics in Kansas, one can be fired for being LGBT and have it be completely condoned by state law.

These things have weighed heavily on my mind throughout my education, but weigh heavily especially now in my final year of school.  I would love to live and work in a world where only my qualities as a capable, competent, and caring veterinarian play into my ability to be employed, but it is apparent that there are more forces at work.  I live, day in and day out, with the understanding that I can be fired just for being who I am.  I live, day in and day out, with the knowledge that there are veterinarians out there who would gladly attribute my existence to the fall of modern-day society.  I live, day in and day out, with the uncertainty of knowing when I’ll be treated as a full member of society.  Science has shown that living with these burdens of discrimination negatively impact LGBT people, and that an environment of anti-LGBT stigma, prejudice, and discrimination results in higher rates of stress, alienation, depression, and mental health problems.[5],[6],[7],[8],[9]  In addition, research has shown that those who are not “out” experience more adverse effects than those who are.[10],[11]  

These are the very reasons that groups like the LGVMA and Broad Spectrum Veterinary Student Association are important, and these are the very reasons that support for LGBT students is critical.  I am disappointed and disturbed that this inaccurate and discriminatory statement was found to be fit for publication in DVM NewsMagazine, in the very face of an article referencing lack of support for LGBT students.  I am glad, however, that the response was published because it gives LGBT students and allies an idea of how much more progress needs to be made.  I am grateful that student publications like The Vet Gazette provide a platform for advancing the dialogue.

Here are some more helpful articles for debunking gay myths:
http://www.examiner.com/article/the-top-five-most-common-antigay-arguments-debunked
http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2010/winter/10-myths
http://www.residential-life.unh.edu/diversity/15questions.pdf
http://scholar.valpo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2224&context=vulr

[1] Lesbian Resource Center, YWCA of University of Washington, Seattle.  “Beyond Tolerance: Gays, Lesbians and Bisexuals on Campus.”  Accessed 12 July 2012.  < www.residential-life.unh.edu/diversity/15questions.pdf>
[2] Fang, Sonia.  “How LGBT-friendly is your veterinary school?”  Broad Spectrum Veterinary Student Association.  Accessed 9 Sept 2012.  < http://broadspectrumvsa.blogspot.com/2011/07/how-lgbt-friendly-is-your-veterinary.html> 2 July 2011.
[3] Hunt, Jerome.  2012.  “A State-by-State Examination of Nondiscrimination Laws and Policies.”  Center for American Progress Action Fund.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Hatzenbuehler ML, McLaughlin KA, Keyes KM, Hasin DS.  2010.  “The Impact of Institutional Discrimination on Psychiatric Disorders in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Populations: A Prospective Study.”  American Journal of Public Health 100(3): 452-459.
[6] Meyer IH.  2003.  “Prejudice, Social Stress, and Mental Health in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Populations: Conceptual Issues and Research Evidence.”  Psychological Bulletin 129(5):674-679.
[7] King M, Semlyen J, See Tai S, Killaspy H, Osborn D, Popelyuk D, Nazareth I.  2008.  “A systematic review of mental disorder, suicide, and deliberate self harm in lesbian, gay and bisexual people.”  BMC Psychiatry 8(70).  < http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-244X/8/70>
[8] Hatzenbuehler ML, Nolen-Hoeksema S, Dovidio J.  2009.  “How Does Stigma ‘Get Under the Skin’?” Psychological Science 20(10):1282-1289.
[9] Bogart LM, Wagner GJ, Galvan FH, Landrine H, Klein DJ, Sticklor LA.  2011.  “Perceived Discrimination and Mental Health Symptoms among Black Men with HIV.”  Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol 17(3): 295-302.
[10] Hatzenbuehler et al, 2009.
[11] Bogart et al, 2011.

For more posts by Sonia Fang, go here.

Guest Post - AVMA Convention Recap!

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We are very excited to share a guest post written by Joseph Hicks, a student who attended the AVMA Convention and LGVMA National Meeting this summer. If you have any experiences or events at your school you'd like us to share email us at broadspectrumoutreach@gmail.com.

Thanks Joe for sharing this wonderful experience!

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Let’s start with some introductions, shall we?  I’m Joseph Hicks, a third year vet student at Texas A&M University and president of my school’s chapter of the Lesbian and Gay Veterinary Medical Association.  This summer our dean Dr. Eleanor Green was generous enough to fund my trip (along with two other A&M representatives) to San Diego to attend the AVMA Convention and the LGVMA Annual Meeting.  Let me back up though and explain a bit.

            First of all, Texas A&M has had a LGVMA chapter for a few years now.  The only problem: the organization had no members or officers.  Last spring when some of the data from the AAVMC’s Climate Survey was released, our college’s Council on Diversity and Professionalism met and discussed areas that needed improvement in our own school.  The Council’s first action after reviewing the data was to invite Dr. Mike Chaddock from the AAVMC to speak on sexual diversity in our profession.  Inspired by his talk and emboldened by our administration’s obvious support of these issues, the Texas A&M LGVMA chapter was reborn.

            When John Scroggs, Chief of Staff of our college and advisor to the organization, proposed that a couple of the officers attend the LGVMA Annual Meeting at the AVMA Convention, I immediately recognized this great opportunity.  This would be a chance to meet the leaders on a national level with whom I had been in contact when trying to get our chapter back on track.  It would be a source of inspiration for the officers and our members and a method to get ideas for what our chapter could do here at A&M. 

            So with the financial support of Dean Eleanor Green and the school administration, John Scroggs, Elise Jemmott (secretary of our new chapter) and I headed to San Diego.  After settling into our hotel rooms, we headed to our first event, the LGVMA Annual Meeting.   Here we not only covered the usual business of budgets and board members, but we also discussed current LGBT issues in our profession, new ideas to get members more involved and how to keep a group like this connected.  Dean Green, John, Elise and I all helped to describe to the veterinarians, students and technicians in the room what we were doing at Texas A&M to promote LGBT issues and diversity.  (Yes, you read that correctly.  The dean of Texas A&M’s vet school attended the LGVMA Annual Meeting.)  I left the meeting feeling energized and excited for the rest of the convention.

            Saturday and Sunday were spent in CE seminars, browsing the exhibit hall and working the LGVMA booth.  During this time we met and got to know veterinarians and vet students from across the nation.  As Sunday night was to be my last in San Diego, the LGVMA General Meeting that evening wrapped up my experience at the AVMA Convention.  Brad Sears of the Williams Institute spoke on current studies in LGBT demographics, legal issues and the community’s economic value.  I think many in attendance were surprised with some of the numbers and figures he produced.  The highlight of the night for me, though, was when Dean Eleanor Green received the LGVMA’s Achievement Award for her support of the LGBT community at Texas A&M.

As the weekend progressed, I soon became accustomed to a certain look of astonishment fellow convention-goers gave whenever any of us from Texas A&M explained our situation.  Not only had our administration offered financial support to get our LGVMA chapter started and for officers to attend the LGVMA Annual Meeting, but the Dean herself attended both LGVMA events while at the AVMA convention.  And the words these incredulous listeners always sputtered?  “And you’re from Texas?!”  Those words always filled me with pride and joy.  Yes, we’re from Texas.

Successful Events: Schools Celebrating National Coming Out Day!

Tuskegee University

"Tuskegee School of Vet med LGVMA chapter sold cupcakes as a yummy fundraiser for our chapter and gave out nifty rainbow ribbons to our classmates that wanted to show their support as well as talking to the various classes about what the day actually meant. Some of the ribbons had tags attached with quotes like "love is love", "No H8", and some had a space where u could sport the number of months/years "out and proud". We always have tremendous support from our TUSVM family. We're very proud!!!!"

Audrey Weaver, Class of 2013

Photo from Baking Bites Blog
http://bakingbites.com/2009/05/rainbow-cupcakes

From http://onekissworldwide.com/community/?tag=noh8

Purdue University 

"Rain moved Purdue’s National Coming Out Day Celebration indoors but didn’t dampen the spirit. The afternoon was celebrated with booths representing academic units, Purdue organizations, and community organizations. University and community leaders, including the Mayor of West Lafayette, spoke. The keynote speaker for the evening, Katherine Miller, spoke about her experiences as a cadet at West Point under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy and her subsequent resignation."

Dr. Sandra Amass, Associate Dean for Engagement

 

 "Purdue Veterinary Medicine Booth at Purdue's National Coming Out Day Celebration!" Dr. Amass

"It was a great day with outstanding speakers!" Dr. Amass

Purdue's NCOD Poster

Western University of Health Sciences

Lambda and Friends distributed these new amazing shirts designed by Cynthia Ting.  We took our annual photo at noon on the lawn.  We also celebrated by going out for food and drinks!  Fun was had.

New shirts! Front.  Photo: S. Fang

Back Photo: S. Fang

Six of us representing four different colleges.  Photo: S.P

Penn 
Penn's LGBTQ Center hosted the "You Are Loved Project," an event for suicide prevention.  A suicide prevention presentation was followed by food and and hot cocoa.  All were invited to mingle.   Participants were encouraged to write positive messages in chalk across campus. The event raised awareness of the hurtful rhetoric used against those of the LGBTQ community, promoted tolerance, as well as an opportunity for students to get to know one another.

From https://www.facebook.com/PennLGBTC

http://chalkmessages.org/

Did your school celebrate National Coming Out Day?  Send us an email about it with photos if you have any, and we'll update this post!  broadspectrumoutreach [at] gmail [dot] com.

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
Follow our blog (Followers Panel to the right)--->
Subscribe to our Twitter!  twitter.com/#!/BroadSpectrumVS
Like us on Facebook!  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Broad-Spectrum-Veterinary-Student-Association/214877861871259

Support Organizations for LGBTQQIA Veterinary Students

As the summer months are winding down and many school terms are about to begin, Broad Spectrum Veterinary Student Association is covering the different support systems available to LGBTQQIA veterinary students on their campuses.  The resources we're gathering include student-run groups as well as school-supported LGBT Resource Centers.  This information should provide yet another gauge of acceptance and tolerance on campuses.

However, it is important to note some caveats and nuances that come with this topic.  First, student clubs are as diverse and dynamic as the students of which they're composed.  Especially in the context of graduate schools, leadership and interest can wax and wane, resulting in clubs that are very active some years but inactive the next.  In addition, LGBTQQIA clubs can have very different objectives: some may be geared towards the social aspects (e.g. hosting parties and mixers); others may address education (e.g. bringing in speakers, highlighting inclusive language, hosting events that raise awareness); while others may focus on the political (e.g. encouraging student activism, protests, petitions).  Furthermore, some of the clubs and groups listed here comprise only veterinary students (such as student chapters of the LGVMA) while other clubs comprise students of different health professions (such as Lambda and Friends of Western University), while other clubs represent students in both graduate and undergraduate programs.

In the context of graduate schools, the concept of student groups requires further consideration.  In my (SF) experience, I've found many graduate students are less inclined to participate in LGBT groups (and groups in general) due to their busy schedules and the idea that they are in graduate school for professional training.  Similarly, others have expressed they've received a lot of support or have participated extensively in student groups in their undergraduate education and do not feel the need to participate in student organizations in graduate school.  For those who DO choose to participate, busier schedules often hinder a group's ability to maintain consistency to the level of support/activities the group is able to provide.  Finally, some schools have the benefit of having both an undergraduate and graduate student population, which can translate into a greater ability to provide infrastructural/institutional support, such as through LGBT Resource Centers.  On the flip side, schools with both populations may not have clubs that are able to address both groups, and some LGBT groups may be more targeted towards undergraduates.

With ALL this in mind, check out 
the list
for current support organizations at your school.
Is your organization/club not represented?  Are the contact links outdated?  Are there glaring errors?  Shoot us an email at: broadspectrumoutreach@gmail.com

Here are some screen shots for quick reference (we recommend the actual list for access to the links):
USA:  Schools in Alabama and California

 California continued-Florida

 Georgia-Illinois

Illinois cont-Iowa

 Iowa cont-Massachusetts

 Michigan-Minnesota

 Mississippi-New York

 New York cont-Ohio

 Ohio cont-Pennsylvania

 Pennsylvania cont-Tennessee

 Tennessee cont-Washington

 Washington cont-Wisconsin

 Wisconsin cont-CANADA

 Canada-cont to CARIBBEAN

**** Edited 10/2 to include Ontario Veterinary College's Diversity Club****
**** Edited 8/2 to correct the information for the following
1.  Changed Iowa State University and University of Pennsylvania contact information
2.  Included VOICE (Veterinary Students as One in Culture and Ethnicity) contacts from their officer website; however, it's unclear when the roster was last updated.
3.  Included Broad Spectrum Veterinary Student Chairs at their representative universities.
Broad Spectrum Chairs
Secretary-Audrey Weaver, Tuskegee University
Outreach Co-Chairs-William Gilles, University of Wisconsin; Sonia Fang, Western University of Health Sciences
Webmaster: William Gilles
Blogger: Sonia Fang
LGVMA Student Representative: Allison Gutwillig, University of Wisconsin
Intern/Resident Chair: Nikki Wright, University of Pennsylvania
Alumni Relations: Ruthie Parsley, UC Davis
Legislation Chair: Jillian Zientek, The Ohio State University*****