SQUAB: Society of Queer & Undergraduate Allies in Business

What was the inspiration behind your club?

Eryne Boyle initially had the inspiration to start SQUAB in her Intermediate I Accounting class, when leaders of diverse student-clubs, including NABA (National Association of Black Accountants) and ALPFA (Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting) would promote their events in class. Eryne thought of the idea of establishing an LGBTQA business organization and using this club as a platform to discuss issues relevant to the LGBTQA community and other pressing issues in the workplace regarding diversity.

What is your club’s role both on and off campus?

SQUAB’s mission is two-fold: we want to provide resources and outlets for LGBTQ individuals while educating the larger campus community about diversity issues in the workplace; we also want to continue having conversations with the Lehigh community about issues of campus climate in a professional and academic way.

Why should students join your club? And how?

As mentioned above, our club provides a platform to all students to discuss important issues that take form in the workplace that are not built into our curriculum. As student leaders, we promise to use SQUAB to help others develop their skills in understanding and accepting diversity.

SQUAB does not collect dues, nor will we ever take money from our students. Our goal is to provide beneficial, enriching, and unique events to the Lehigh community.

Where can students find out about your club?

Following our Student Senate full recognition, we have been in the process of creating a Facebook page, Twitter account, and Lehigh email for students to remain regularly updated with our emails. For now, we have been promoting our events via social media, specifically using Facebook to advertise to the different cohorts within the Lehigh community, which has been very successful.

Are there any events that your club will be hosting this semester?

Our kick-off event this semester was a Celebrating Diversity Panel in February, wherein minority professionals representing a diversity of races, ethnicities, genders, and sexual orientations, from the Big 4 accounting firms (EY, KPMG, Deloitte, PwC) discussed their experiences in their respective firms, the resources and affinity groups they are a part of, and the value of diversity. This event brought in 70+ students, 15+ faculty, and 10+ staff, as well as two Brown & White reporters, and a reporter from Inside Lehigh. This event proved to be the culmination of what we want SQUAB to be: a resource for minority students to utilize, but also a way to have larger scale discussions surrounding diversity in the workplace. We truly believe that through this event, students were made aware—not by the same faculty and staff—by professionals the value of having a competency and literacy in diversity when entering the workforce. This event gave SQUAB the momentum we need to continue creating change. The rest of this semester will be dedicated to raising awareness about our organization and celebrating with all those who have made it so successful.

On March 28, SQUAB will be co-hosting an LGBTQIA Faculty/Student/Staff Mixer with Spectrum, LGBTQIA Services, and Student Affairs, to bring together various community members who either identify on the LGBT spectrum or are allies. We want to celebrate the successes of the LGBT community in this past semester, including the formation of SQUAB and the addition of Trish Boyles, the new LGBTQIA Director. Additionally, we feel that, as queer students, we aren’t always aware of the resources provided and work being done by other faculty and staff members who are also a part of the LGBT community. We hope this event will give all LGBTQIA people within the Lehigh community the opportunity to learn more, share experiences, and grow as a community.

Find out more about the event here.

SQUAB has just gained full recognition from Student Senate and will continue to create change and push boundaries within the College of Business and Economics and the larger Lehigh community. Next semester, we will be starting new Lehigh traditions, including a business conference that will bring in Lehigh’s top inclusive employers to present on their diversity and inclusive initiatives as well as their social and community engagement efforts. As business students who also care about corporate social responsibility, we feel it is important for all students to see the side of corporations that we often don’t get the chance to when we interact with recruiters and professionals. Additionally, we will be revolving many of our campus efforts next semester around LGBT History Month in October and will be partnering with various organizations, student clubs, and academic departments to shed light on the growing importance of LGBTQ issues, both on campus, in the workplace, and on a national scale. We will be collaborating with wonderful student leaders who lead diverse organizations, such as NABA, ALPFA, and Women in Business. Next semester will be a big step for the campus community. SQUAB has some great ideas up our sleeves. 

Executive Board Bios:

Eryne Boyle, ’15 – Co-Founder & President

Eryne Boyle is a junior Accounting major who has used her personal experiences and passions to make Lehigh University a more inclusive place. Eryne’s vision of SQUAB includes establishing relationships with firms and students who value diversity in the workplace, as well as partnering advocacy and business. In addition to her role within SQUAB, Eryne is the Vice President of Spectrum, Lehigh’s LGBTQIA student-run organization. Eryne has promoted awareness of not just LGBTQ issues on campus, but also issues involving intersections between other identities—gender identity, race, ethnicity, and class. Her current project involves partnering with LGBTQIA Services, the Office of Multicultural Affairs, and the Women’s Center to bring Laverne Cox, an African-American transgender actress who appears on Orange is the New Black, to Lehigh for LGBT History Month in October. In addition to these roles and projects, Eryne is an Accounting tutor, a Features writer for the Epitome Yearbook, and a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma and Beta Alpha Psi academic honor fraternities. To contact Eryne Boyle, email elb415@lehigh.edu. 

Elizabeth Pines, ’16 – Co-Founder & Vice President

Elizabeth Pines is a sophomore Accounting major and Communications minor, dedicated to diversity, inclusion, and equality. Throughout her various roles at Lehigh University, she promotes social change and activism. In addition to her involvement in SQUAB, she is the Treasurer of Spectrum. She is very active in educating the Lehigh community about transgender and gender nonconforming issues and is currently working with various administrators and staff members to convert all single-occupant bathrooms across Lehigh’s campus into gender-neutral bathrooms. This change, to be implemented for the Fall 2014 Academic year, will build inclusion into Lehigh’s facilities and will be followed by extensive trainings for faculty and staff on gender identity, as well as workshops for students to begin having conversation about different gender identities and expressions. Aside from her LGBT-related roles on campus, Elizabeth is also a Finance & Accounting tutor, a Leadership Consultant, and a Writing TRAC Fellow. To reach out to Elizabeth Pines, email elp216@lehigh.edu.

Patricia Sittikul, ’17 – Treasurer/Secretary

Patricia Sittikul is a first year prospective Computer Engineering major. Apart from her role as Treasurer of SQUAB, she is also an Admissions Ambassador, a member of the Intersecting Identities Council, a student representative for the new Committee for Equitable Community, dedicated to establishing a more diverse and welcoming environment on campus at Lehigh, and a member of Spectrum. Aside from programming and design, Patricia is also passionate about social issues and facilitating conversations regarding gender, sexuality, and race, particularly relating to how they are seen on campus. She has been working on many projects, including an app geared towards making the college application process more accessible to first-generation and traditionally underrepresented college applicants, and a prospective summer research project building a smart home. To reach out to Patricia Sittkul, email pas217@lehigh.edu.