After a year of being disbanded Marian Alliance had its first call out meeting on September 28, 2024. It was held in the Unity Center in Clare Hall. It was organized to reintroduce the Marian alliance to let students of the LGTBQ+ community at Marian know it is back and ready to serve the community with more resources and services.
The Marian Alliance was originally created in 2017. It had a working ward and organization up until the spring of 2023 which was when it disbanded. It was stagnant due to lack of commitment from the board.
The board did not prioritize the organization enough for it to be successful and make an impact on the community.
“It was a dysfunctional board, they didn’t quite get along,” said Tori Williams, Vice President, and Treasurer. “Also, Covid kind of took a hit on them.”
Marian is a PWI catholic school, most LGTBQ+ students do not completely feel safe this is where alliance comes in. Its mission is to create a safe space for LGTBQ+ students on Marian’s campus. For them to feel comfortable at their own school.
According to Williams, alliance will help people open their minds about the LGTBQ+ community. It is here to stay, there are always going to be LGTBQ+ students whether people know it or not. Alliance will influence people to see the LGTBQ+ community and hear their voices. It will give students the opportunity to express themselves on campus.
There were about 7 people who showed up for the call out meeting, which was more than what the Alliance expected. The callout meeting was used as the first step to get students to understand what this organization is trying to accomplish.
“Honestly we are still in the process of getting it back now, as of right now we don’t have a budget, we don’t have a full board, we still have places on our board that needs to be filled,” said Williams.
Alliance plans to do collaborations with other organizations on campus. It is more difficult for the Alliance to do collaborations because not all organizations are eager to collab with the LGTBQ+ organization on campus.
It is focusing on having a foundation so next semester it can be up and running, flowing smoothly, according to Williams.
Alliance wants to encourage LGTBQ+ students to go to them and know they are welcome and safe.
