This year Stevenson University will host the “B’more Proud” leadership summit, “Between the Lines,” on March 25, 2017, in which colleges and universities in the Baltimore area will come together to develop and promote a stronger community for individuals who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community.

The B’more Proud summit conference began 10 years ago with a goal to promote social networking, leadership development, and personal and professional growth. The group’s members “seek to create a more inclusive and supportive community for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and allied college students,” according to their website, bmoreproud.org.

The Q group at Stevenson hosts an event each year, and this year they chose to host the B’more Proud conference. Four committees created to insure that this event would be successful include marketing, fundraising, programming, and budget logistics.

Twelve other schools in the Baltimore area will attend the conference, and information is being disseminated through the B’more Proud Facebook page. Schools that are members of the B’more Proud coalition include Morgan State University, Johns Hopkins University, Coppin State University, Goucher College, UMBC, Towson University, MICA, Stevenson University, and CCBC.

“It is important to have such an event like this at Stevenson because you are able to meet, share ideas, teach each other about communication, and build stronger communities,” said Dr. Laura Smith, chair and associate professor of the English department. Smith hopes that along with the 12 other schools, Stevenson students, faculty, and staff will also join the Q group for this event.

The vision of the B’More Proud coalition’s summit, according to the website, is to “create a competent and empowered population of LGBTQIA student leaders, engaged in a formal city-wide LGBTQIA student leadership alliance that creates a welcoming and supportive environment for LGBTQIA college students and promotes service within the larger Baltimore community, someday expanding to include all colleges and universities in the Mid-Atlantic region.”

The event will take place in the Brown School of Business and Leadership, from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. There will be a guest speaker, and lunch will be provided. Registration for the conference is still open at bmoreproud.org.