Virginia McClatchy (C’21) and Maria Trejo (C’20) throw color as Allison Bruce (C’19) nears the finish line. Photo by Nellie Fagan (C’20).
By Caroline Nixon
Staff Writer
Spectrum recently hosted a ‘Run for Love’ Color Run to raise money for the Rainbow Fund. Runners had the option of participating in a 3k walk or a 5k run. The walk looped from the Quad around the football field, while the run included a detour down Brakefield Road.
The Rainbow Fund is a Sewanee specific scholarship for LGBTQ+ identifiers which was recently endowed this past summer. The fund provides financial support for non-tuition related expenses like books and supplies. The Fund is important as it provides additional financial support to those who, due to their sexual orientation or gender identity, may not have help from their family members in covering the expenses associated with attending Sewanee.
“This is important because up until very recently, nothing like this existed in Sewanee’s range of scholarships and it’s very important to encourage this type of diversity and make Sewanee’s intellectual and social experience more diverse and more accessible to intelligent and hardworking people,” Spectrum member, Virginia McClatchy (C’21) said.
“The color run is one of my favorite events. I think it is a great way to bring together people from all different parts of campus. A fun run provides a casual setting for non-LGBTQ+ identifiers and those of the LGBTQ+ community to break down barriers,” Spectrum co-director, Hannah Habit (C’19) explains. The winner of the 5k run, Thomas Young (C’22), echoes Habit’s sentiment: “It’s great to run for an important cause.”
Spectrum is the GSD Alliance’s “Direct Impact Branch.” Spectrum is dedicated to creating “tangible changes, both locally and nationally. Committed to ensuring that inclusivity and the celebration of diversity do not stop simply with discussion, Spectrum’s ultimate goal is to secure these ideals through direct action,” according to their mission statement.
The run raised over 700 dollars between run registrations and promotional stickers sold at McClurg Dining Hall. Over 50 people registered. “It is always amazing to see students, faculty, staff, and community members come together to show their support both for the Rainbow Fund and Sewanee’s LGBTQ+ community as a whole,” Habit said.
“Visible support is extremely important to promoting an inclusive campus as it communicates that not only do the members of Sewanee’s larger community value and respect its LGBTQ+ identifiers, but also that they are here for them if they ever need someone to lean on,” Habit added.
CORRECTION 3/12/19: While The Purple originally reported that “Spectrum is the Queer and Ally’s house’s ‘Direct Impact Branch,'” it has come to our attention that Spectrum is the GSD Alliance’s “Direct Impact Branch.” The story has been updated to reflect this change.