YOUARK

On our final episode of the season, our hosts Summer Johnson and Xit Gonzalez deep-dive into the experience of the LGBTQ+ community on the University of Arkansas campus. Our guest this week is Toby Klein, a second-year PhD student in the Public Policy program with a concentration in Social Justice. She is the president of the Lavender Society, an organization dedicated to celebrating graduating LGBTQ+ students at the Lavender Graduation and queerness on our campus overall. In this episode, our hosts speak with Toby on what the University is doing wrong and right in relation to the LGBTQ+ students on campus, the challenges LGBTQ+ students face during their time in college, and how we as their peers can work together to make our university a welcoming space for them and those who follow. To learn more about the LGBTQ+ on the University of Arkansas campus, check out the following links:Get involved in the Lavender SocietyCheck out UARK PrideInstagram Get involved in UARK Pride

*TRIGGER WARNING: Sexual Assault will be discussed in this episode. If you feel this topic will be distressing to you, we invite you to join us in the next episode. In America, 13% of all college students- male and female- experience some form of sexual violence. Although this may seem like a small percentage, each person that makes up this number has experienced life-altering trauma, and it doesn't even begin to encompass those who were too afraid to speak about their experience. It also doesn't encompass the 23.1% of TGQN (transgender, genderqueer, nonconforming) college students who have been sexually assaulted either. Those who are hesitant have a good reason for their feelings: many are conditioned to believe their experience is a personal matter and must be dealt with on their own or they don't feel anything will come out of going to the police besides pain or retaliation. With issues like this affecting so many of our fellow students and many who feel it's too taboo to discuss, we wanted to bring light to this topic in hopes it will spark a conversation that will bring change not only to our campus but also to others across the country. We have two very special guests for this episode: Grace Stoops, President of SHOO (Sexual Health Organization and Outreach) and senior sociology major and biology minor, Meghan Varner who is involved in No Woman Left Behind, "a bystander intervention program created by women for women and the men who care about them". In this episode, our hosts Summer Johnson and Xit Gonzalez uncover truths about sexual assault at the University of Arkansas and how our university has handled this situation. They speak with Grace and Meghan to spread awareness of the issue and discuss possible solutions that can bring justice and solidarity to past and present victims while also thinking of ways to prevent sexual assault altogether in the future. Check out the resources offered by both SHOO and No Woman Left Behind.SHOONo Woman Left BehindAll statistics were found on rainn.org. RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization. It operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline, which can be found on their website. It is free, 24/7, and 100% confidential. https://www.rainn.org/Thank you for listening. We'll see you in the next episode!

This week we join our Hosts, Summer Johnson and Xit Gonzalez, in continuing the conversation around the viral hashtag, Black at UARK. Junior Biomedical Engineering major, Breanna Kilgore, speaks about her experience being a black student at the University of Arkansas and her connection with #BlackatUark. In the thread of the hashtag, a flood of personal stories shed light on the struggles of black students at the University of Arkansas. This made the campus- students, faculty, and all- question their current state and how to fix things. Many initiatives were put in place to address the problem of exclusion, racism, frustration, and anxiety black students faced on campus, but did these initiatives actually spark change? Check out the #BlackatUark stories here.

In June of 2020, black students shared their testimonies on Twitter about what it was like being a student of color on the University of Arkansas campus in the form of the hashtag #blackatuark. This Twitter hashtag carried a lot of weight as it uncovered many scathing truths about racism and feelings of exclusion among the Black community on campus. Not only did it immediately start trending on Twitter, but it also got the attention of other minority students, non-minority students, and even the Chancellor who penned a letter stating he understood the frustrations of black students and wanted to make an effort to make the campus more inclusive. Since then, the University of Arkansas has implemented programs and advisory groups to make a necessary change, but have these things actually improved the state of our campus? In this episode, Business graduate student Ontario West speaks with our hosts Summer Johnson and Xit Gonzalez about his involvement in #BlackatUARK and how he is faring today.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we do everything, from grocery shopping all the way to going to college. It's no secret that students struggled during the pandemic and these struggles showed themselves in multiple ways. In this episode, Host Summer Johnson and Co-Host Xit Gonzalez chat with senior Special Education major, Leen Abochale about her experience as a student during this tumultuous time.