I'm going to start this off by saying that I'm just a student at UMBC involved in the LGBTQIA community and have no affiliation with the GWSTCOMM or (seb). Yes, I am a GWST major, but I am not affiliated with the COMM, and have friends in both organizations that will be affected by this posting. I cannot claim to be unbiased, but I would like to point out that I regularly attend (seb) events and have no personal issue with the organization.

The Third Annual GWSTCOMM Puppy Picnic is being held Wednesday, May 14th on the Quad. This event has been a successful one over the past few years, bringing out students of all majors and serving as a helpful source of getting the name of the GWST major more well-known on campus. This is a huge event coming from a small major and an even smaller COMM.

Just a few days ago, while on myUMBC, I noticed that there was an event called the Puppy Party happening on Friday, May 2nd at 12pm. I was puzzled because I knew the details for GWSTCOMM Puppy Picnic and knew that none of the information posted on the event, including the name, was correct.

It was then that I realized that this was an event being hosted by (seb). Initially, I was excited. Puppies on two different days after I'd missed all of the baby goats and ducks and turtles? It was like a dream come true. Then, I started to think of things from a more organizational standpoint, and my excitement quickly faded. This was an event of nearly the exact same nature as the GWSTCOMM event, and it was happening less than two weeks before the GWSTCOMM event. Sure, this may not seem like an issue to most, but to me, I find it disrespectful that (seb) would find the need to detract attention from the GWSTCOMM event with a similar event of their own, especially after the successfully planned QuadMania that occurred just a week before (during which, I might add, most student organizations avoid planning events of their own).

On the UMBC campus, I feel as though there is a level of respect that student organizations have upheld in ensuring that their large events aren't planned at the same time or aren't practically the same event. To (seb), the Puppy Party may not be as large of an event as their QuadMania, but to the GWSTCOMM, the Puppy Picnic is one of their largest and most popular events of the year. I find that if the (seb) Puppy Party had happened in the fall, or even in a different month, I would have had no issue with the event. Even if (seb) had planned the Puppy Party to occur after the GWSTCOMM Puppy Picnic or as a summer event, I would not have had as much of an issue. The issue lies within the fact that their event occurs merely twelve days before the GWSTCOMM event and has the potential to make the GWSTCOMM event look like a knock-off of the (seb) one.

In reality, the GWSTCOMM event came first and has been a tradition on UMBC's campus for three years. The lack of respect for the event planning of the GWSTCOMM as shown by (seb) in this situation is damaging to the potential for collaboration between UMBC students. In no way do I mean to attack (seb) or the hardworking students who devote their time and energy to making events happen on our campus, but I think that it is important that the nature of planning on the UMBC campus be called into question. It is time that we collaborate with other student organizations to make sure that we respect and appreciate the effort that goes into event planning on the part of all UMBC student leaders.