NEW YORK— To celebrate all the “allies” who support the LGBT community, Columbia Business School held its annual Ally Week Nov. 14–18.
Ally Week provided an opportunity for all students to appreciate the richness and benefits of being such a diverse community, and to share what everyone has in common rather than focus on what separates them. Ally Week, which also educated others about issues faced by the LGBT community, was organized by Cluster Q, Columbia Business School’s LGBT Business Association.
Ally Week activities included:
- “Ask a Q Anything” Supper Club, an on-campus dinner in which members of Cluster Q answered questions submitted by allies about the coming-out process, politics, and identities within the LGBT spectrum.
- Cluster Q “CBS Matters,” a school-wide discussion featuring members of Cluster Q sharing their personal stories.
- “How to be an Ally” workshop, a moderated panel on the definition and importance of Ally-ship.
“Ally Week is a tradition that began several years ago, and one that has really taken off within Columbia Business School,” said Annie Kurdziel, co-president of ClusterQ. “It’s been amazing to see the Ally community come out to support, engage, and learn from Cluster Q, and to see the intersectionality of how members of Cluster Q can be strong allies to other affinity groups.”
“The events range from educational to purely fun, but the fundamental purpose of the week is to deepen ties and understanding between the LGBT and Ally communities,” says Nic Perfetti, co-president of ClusterQ. “The strength of the programming during Ally Week is a testament to the culture of inclusion at Columbia Business School.”
Ally Week builds on Columbia Business School’s robust activities to build a diverse and inclusive community. Columbia Business School is committed to promoting diversity in all its forms by making sure that those from different racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and professional backgrounds are represented within the community. With more than 100 student organizations, the student-led groups provide opportunities throughout the semester for all students to celebrate the many different cultures present at Columbia Business School.
“We believe that diversity strengthens any community and brings it greater success,” says Zelon Crawford, Dean of Student Affairs at Columbia Business School. “Here at Columbia Business School, we take that to heart and continue to find ways to further promote diversity. The events of Ally Week provide increased awareness, conversation, and inclusion.”
Cluster Q is an open and welcoming community for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer students, faculty members, and administrators. Cluster Q’s membership is one of the largest and most diverse LGBT groups among the world’s top business schools and also boasts the largest representation of straight allies among all business schools. Cluster Q provides its members networking opportunities and an extensive LGBT community, as well as a variety of social and professional events, and also works actively with the Office of Admissions to host events for prospective LGBT business school students. For more information about Cluster Q at Columbia Business School, visit cbsclusterq.com.
