Celebrating and supporting every member of our community is central to who we are — and it’s why we were the first of the Seven Sisters to adopt a trans-inclusive admissions policy. We’re committed to advancing resources for students who identify as LGBTQIA+ along with allies so that everyone can be their authentic selves. Because when each of us thrives, our community does too.
Campus Voices
Across our campus, many communities offer space and support for LGBTQIA+ students to engage with individual experiences and explore shared identities.
The Gloria Anzaldúa, Lyon’s Legacy and the Mary Woolley Living-Learning Communities are safe, supportive and celebratory environments with a heightened focus on the historical and contemporary experiences of LGBTQIA+ students and allies.
The Marks center serves the College’s LGBTQIA+ community with weekly open hours, monthly programs and meetings sponsored by affiliated student organizations and staff.
Gender + is a student organization that fosters a positive and purposefully intersectional community for transgender, nonbinary, gender non-conforming, questioning individuals and allies.
Familia is a student organization that offers community and support to queer-identified people of color on campus.
CFAA provides a safe space for students who identify on the asexual and aromantic spectrum and their allies to convene, share stories and build community.
The Lavender Committee seeks to celebrate the ways in which the LGBTQIA+ community has navigated their unique experiences on campus and beyond.
The Division of Student Life seeks to build and support a strong and thriving community at ÓûÂþɬ. Student life includes departments whose staff provides resource services for all students, parents, faculty and administrators from diverse gender and sexual identities.
The Office of Community and Belonging focuses on understanding our multiple identities through the lenses of social justice education, ally development and identity development, recognizing that no member of the ÓûÂþɬ community brings just one aspect of their identity to the classroom, cocurricular activities or personal relationships.
LGBTQIA-focused programs and services sponsored through the Office of Community and Belonging include:
The Counseling Service is committed to providing support, resources and referrals to students of all identities and backgrounds and our clinicians are sensitive to the added stressors facing LGBTQIA+ students. Although students seeking a clinician with a particular identity are welcome to make requests at the time of scheduling, all of our staff clinicians have experience working with a range of gender and sexual identities. For students seeking longer-term care, we are also available to assist with off-campus referrals.
The health center at ÓûÂþɬ serves students of all genders and sexual identities with quality primary and preventive health care, including transgender or gender nonconforming students.
We know students seeking trans- and gender-affirming health care can face significant barriers when trying to receive the care they need. At ÓûÂþɬ Health Services, we break through those barriers to offer quality, confidential care for our community. Please contact Health Services with specific questions or for more information by calling 413-538-2121. All services and conversations with health center staff are considered personal health information and thus require a specific release of information to be shared with anyone outside of College health services.
Gender-affirming hormones
The informed consent model is used to evaluate and initiate gender-affirming hormones. This will typically require multiple visits to provide for the time to review key information and establish goals of this therapy.
Laboratory testing
If a provider outside of MHC Health Services is managing your hormones, lab work can be done at the health center.
Assistance with injections
The nursing staff is available to assist students with learning how to self-inject hormones as prescribed.
Letter writing for hormone therapy, gender marker changes, or gender-affirming surgeries
Health Services clinicians can write letters of reference or support to specialists to support both hormone therapy and surgical procedures.
**Counseling Service can also provide letters of regard.
The Office of Residential Life’s main focus is to provide housing in which all ÓûÂþɬ students are safe, secure and supported. Community advisors and senior community advisors receive training in supporting the LGBTQIA+ community and about campus resources. Students can also contact the office’s professional staff directly. We recognize that LGBTQIA+ students may have specific housing needs or concerns, and we welcome questions or conversations about how we can best support you.
There are several Living-Learning Communities that you may choose to apply to that center LGBTQIA+ students: