For Alumni

February 12, 2009

Dear Bowdoin Alumni,

Greetings from Brunswick on a cold and beautiful February day.  As the first Director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Resource Center, it has become clear that I am here because of your work in support of LGBTQ issues and students.  Thank you for all that you have done.

I have worked in the non-profit world for 15 years, most recently as a trainer for the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence based in Portland, ME.  My partner is a '92 Bowdoin alumna, and with our 3 year old son, we are enjoying being part of the Bowdoin community.

In just three short months, I have been amazed at the energy and interest in LGBTQ issues.  In the past semester, we have:

  • held weekly LGBTQ dinners with 15-25 students coming together for food, fun and conversation;
  • lunched with the head athletic coaches to discuss how to best support LGBTQ athletes who are out and not out;
  • celebrated with players from the Men's Hockey team who have begun to rout out homophobic language in the rink and in their social scene;
  • trained Residential Life Staff on how to create an accepting environment on their floor for LGBTQ and questioning students;
  • organized monthly Men's Dinners facilitated by out staff and faculty; and
  • started planning two spring retreats, one intercollegiate Men's Retreat and one mixed gender Bowdoin retreat. 

Lastly, let me know if you are interested in having a LGBTQ event at reunion.  If there is interest, we'd love to host something.

This fall, a first-year student said to me, "When I visited Bowdoin last year, I got the message that this was a place where I need to come to school, come out, stop living a lie, and be myself."  Again, thank you for laying the groundwork that is shaping Bowdoin to be a place where students can feel safe and supported, but maybe more important, just be themselves.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Take good care,
Kate Stern
Email:  kstern@bowdoin.edu or Tele:  (207) 798-4223