Rutgers Rainbow Alumni League Celebrates First Year
Rebranded Alumni Group Reconnects LGBTQIA+ Community From Across University
When Kyle Hartmann arrived at Rutgers-New Brunswick as an undergraduate in 2007, it was the first time that he could fully embrace his identity as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.
College was a period in his life that shaped who he would become as an adult, and he wanted to stay connected to a circle of friends he came of age with after graduating in 2013. But Hartmann found the LGBTQIA+ alumni group at Rutgers – the former RU BiGLATA – largely inactive.
“When someone graduates from the university, they lose ties unless there is something there to bring them back,” said Hartmann, who lives in Middletown, NJ. “For some of us, the university setting is the first place you are able to be fully out. A dedicated LGBTQIA+ alumni association allows you to be connected to that and all the memories and friendships you made there.”
In 2015, Hartmann, now working as a public relations specialist at Rutgers Equine Science Center, joined Zaneta Rago-Craft, former Director of The Center for Social Justice Education and LGBT Communities, and RUBiGLATA co-founder Bill Matthews to rebuild and rebrand the group.
“At that point activity and membership was low,” said Hartmann. “It wasn’t a lack of dedication on the part of Bill, who had put in so much effort over the years, but one person is only able to accomplish so much.”
After more than a year of organizing, writing bylaws and filling board positions, the newly formed Rutgers Rainbow Alumni League had their inaugural outing at New York City’s Pride March last June – a first for a Rutgers LGBTQIA+ group. This year, the League hosted holiday parties in New Brunswick and Newark, and were working with The Center for Social Justice Education and LGBT Communities to cohost New Brunswick’s first ever Pride march – until COVID-19 forced the state to shelter in place derailing their plans.
“We were in the works to do a lot for Pride this year, so that was a bit of a bummer,” said Hartmann, who added the group also planned to have a presence at Newark and Asbury Park Pride events. “It was exciting to see the possibility of a first New Brunswick Pride, but while it hasn’t happened this year, we have fantastic groundwork going forward.”
The League, which has a membership of 15, represents alumni at the university’s four locations. Hartmann oversees the group as chair; Rowen Kanj SAS‘18, GSE’19 is the Rutgers-New Brunswick co-chair; Andrew Moreira RBS’18 is the Rutgers-Newark co-chair and Frankie Lewis SAS/GSE’17 serves as treasurer and Zaneta Rago-Craft GSE’19 is recorder.
Each campus group meets every other month at their campus alumni house, with joint meetings held virtually on opposite months for all members. The League’s name is a nod to both the LGBTQ community’s rainbow flag symbol and the university’s first LGBT group, the Student Homophile League, which was started in 1969 by Lionel Cuffie after the Stonewall uprising.
“I think Rainbow Alumni League is a lot easier to understand than RUBiGLATA,” said Cook College alumna Kate Sweeny, who formed RUBiGLATA with Matthews and Rick Jung in 2009. After moving from New Brunswick to Spring Lake several years ago, Sweeny said she had less time to dedicate to the group, but is happy to hear others have taken over the reins. “I’m glad Kyle is there as a leader. It’s all about the older generation helping the younger generation.”
Taking cues from RUBiGLATA’s original mission, the League is committed to supporting LGBTQIA+ students at Rutgers by partnering with the Center for Social Justice Education and LGBT Communities at Rutgers-New Brunswick, the Intercultural Resource Center at Rutgers-Newark and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at Rutgers-Camden to promote programing, mentoring and fundraising opportunities.
“The original RUBiGLATA focused a lot on fundraising. That’s how the LGBTQA Leadership Scholarship came into existence,” Hartmann said. “Since then other funds have been set up to help students, such as the LGBTQ Emergency Fund. If a student is in crises or gets kicked out of their home for coming out or some other life-altering situation occurs and they don’t have money for things like housing, textbooks or food, this fund is there to help them.”
And when LGBTQIA+ students are poised to become alumni, the League is there to welcome them into the fold at the center’s Rainbow Graduation ceremony. This year, following the virtual celebration in New Brunswick, the League hosted a Zoom mixer for the graduates.
Having an active LGBTQIA+ affinity alumni organization should only enhance the strong LGBTQIA+ support network at Rutgers-New Brunswick, which has been ranked among the top 25 gay-friendly campuses by Campus Pride and Best Colleges for eight years running.
While organizations such as Hartmann’s fraternity, Delta Lambda Phi (an international social fraternity for gay, bisexual, transgender and progressive men), foster community among LGBTQIA+ students on campus, the League is equally important for its ability to help sustain those relationships long after graduation.
“Some of my most memorable moments at Rutgers were the time I spent with my fraternity brothers, and other students from the LGBTQIA+ community,’’ Hartmann said. “I wanted to build the Rainbow Alumni League as something that helps reconnect graduates to their roots.’’
