The LGBTQIA+ BU Student Task Force—active February 2022 to April 2023—was a student and alum-led initiative whose mission was to ensure BU’s LGBTQIA+ students receive the institutional support and visibility they deserve.
The Task Force was not affiliated with any BU student organization, government, or other entity.
​
Charge of the LGBTQIA+ BU Student Task Force
​
In 2018, Boston University charged a Task Force on LGBTQIA+ Faculty & Staff with facilitating University-wide discussions & making recommendations for how BU can accelerate its progress to becoming more inclusive for LGBTQIA+ faculty & staff. However, no official group was created that focused on evaluating & addressing the climate for LGBTQIA+ students.
​
Thus, in Spring 2022 we took charge to recommend ways for BU to:
​
-
Improve the quality of life for LGBTQIA+ students in environments, including but not limited to: classrooms, student organizations, campus healthcare, & interactions with faculty, staff, administrators, & peers
-
Foster holistic inclusiveness for LGBTQIA+ students, especially those with intersecting marginalized identities
-
Better identify & address institutional gaps in LGBTQIA+ student support
Members & Advisors of the Task Force
Members
​
Michael Arellano (they/them), CAS/GRS 2024, Majors in Political Science and Philosophy, Minor in Core Independent Studies, 2021-2023 IMPACT BU At-Large Student Government Party Leader
​
Sergio Aguirre (they/them), CAS 2025, Major in English, Minors in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Political Science, 2022-2023 Vice President of the Queer Activist Collective, 2022-2023 CAS At-Large Student Government Senator
Kris Berg (ask my pronouns), CAS 2022, Major in Psychology, Minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, 2020-2022 Vice President of the Queer Activist Collective
Savannah Majarwitz (ask my pronouns), CAS 2022, Major in International Relations, Minors in Holocaust, Genocide, & Human Rights and Persian Cultural Studies, 2019-2022 Student Government Mental Health Committee Co-Chair
Christa Rose (she/her/c/c's), CAS/GRS 2022, Major in Neurobiology, Minor in Psychology, MS in Biology, 2020-2022 President of the Queer Activist Collective
Leonardo Ruiz (ask my pronouns), CAS 2024, Major in English, 2022-2023 President of the Queer Activist Collective
Lara Werneck (she/her), CAS 2023, Major in Political Science, 2021-2023 IMPACT BU At-Large Student Government Party Senator
​
Faculty & Staff Advisors
​
Sarah Miller (she/her), Director of Undergraduate Studies and Full-Time Lecturer, BU Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program
Mae Petti (she/they), (Former) Violence Prevention Program Manager, BU Sexual Assault Response & Prevention Center
​
JAKE Small (he/him), (Former) Assistant Director, BU College of Communication Career Services, Vice Chair of the BU LGBTQIA+ Faculty & Staff Community Network