Skip to content Skip to main navigation Report an accessibility issue

Getting Involved, Educated, and Paid

This section is about plugging into the Volunteer community and the world beyond UT. The title says it ALL!

  • oSTEM (Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is a student organization focused on promoting LGBTQ+ folks and allies in STEM. Check out their interest form here.
  • The Rainbow Collective is a student organization in the College of Social Work for LGBTQ+ and ally social work students of any level. Check out their interest form here.
  • Gaymerz: Gaymerz is a gaming (video and table table) group focused on creating an affirming space for the LGBTQ+ community within gaming. They meet weekly. Check out their Discord here.
  • OUTgrads: OUTgrads is a group for LGBTQ+ and ally graduate students. The club aims to support friendships and networking among graduate students while maintaining an active roll in the education and advancement of UT’s LGBTQ+ community, promoting unity, acceptance, and visibility. The current president of OUTgrads is Will Martinez, and you can email with any questions to: wmarti27@vols.utk.edu. Check out the OUTgrads Facebook page.
  • Lambda Law Society: Lambda Law Society is a student organization that is dedicated to promoting diversity education and awareness, fellowship, and discussion both in the UT Law community and in Knoxville at large. Our group is open to everyone and is completely free! Lambda Law Society includes members, friends, and allies of the LGBTQ community, and people who are interested in the issues of civil rights and gender and sexuality in the law. We believe that everyone has a diverse perspective to offer, and sharing these perspectives with one another strengthens us all as individuals and future attorneys. Check out the Lambda Law Society Facebook page.
  • volOUT (formerly the Lambda Student Union): volOUT is the undergraduate LGBTQ+ student organization. Due to lack of interested leadership, it is currently inactive. Do you have a passion for the community and want to gt it restarted? Please contact Joel Kramer (he/him/his), the organization advisor, at jkramer5@utk.edu.

If you have a new student organization you would like to add to the list, please contact us at pridecenter@utk.edu with more information.

  • The Commission for LGBT People: The Commission for LGBT People is a body appointed by the chancellor to advise on planning, implementation, and evaluation of university programs, policies, and services designed to improve the status of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people on the Knoxville campus. The Commission, in its role as an advocacy group, is committed to the protection and advancement of LGBT students, faculty, and staff at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. For more information, check out this link: https://cflgbt.utk.edu/
  • The Commission for Blacks: The Commission for Blacks (CFB) is a body appointed by the Chancellor to advise on planning, implementation, and evaluation of University programs, policies, and services as they relate to students, faculty, and staff who identify in the Black racial/ethnic group of the Knoxville campus. For more information, check out this link: https://cfb.utk.edu/
  • The Commission for Women: The Commission for Women is a body appointed by the Chancellor to advise on the planning, implementation, and evaluation of university programs, policies, and services designed to improve the status of women on the Knoxville campus of the University of Tennessee. For more information, check out this link: https://cfw.utk.edu/
  • Council for Diversity and Interculturalism: Appointed by the Chancellor, the council advises the campus administration on creating and sustaining a welcoming, supportive, and inclusive campus climate to all groups. Goals for the group include attracting and retaining faculty and staff from under-represented populations; attracting, retaining, and graduating students from historically under-represented populations and international students; and ensuring that undergraduate curricular requirements include significant intercultural perspectives. For more information, check out their website here: https://cdi.utk.edu/

We are updating this section. If you would like to share an opportunity, please email pridecenter@utk.edu

At UT/Distributed by UT:

  • Graduate Student Senate Travel Awards: The Graduate Student Senate Travel Award is administered by the Dean of the Graduate School in coordination by the Graduate Student Senate. Allocations from this fund provide travel awards for University of Tennessee graduate students attending professional meetings to present original research. The awards, distributed three times a year, are made on the basis of both need and merit, and allow for partial reimbursement of transportation, lodging, and conference expenses.

Distributed by external organizations:

  • The Rainbow Scholarship from Fund for Education Abroad: This scholarship is awarded to deserving LGBTQI students who aim to participate in a high-quality, rigorous education abroad program. The mission of the Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) is to provide scholarships and ongoing support to students who are underrepresented among the U.S. study abroad population. FEA makes life-changing, international experiences accessible to all by supporting minority, community college, and first-generation college students before, during, and after they participate in education abroad programs. For more information, check out their website linked above and consult the Programs Abroad office in the Center for Global Engagement.

The Pride Center hosts programming with the Center for Career Development and Academic Exploration on a semesterly basis. Stay tuned for more events as they appear.

We are revising this section–check back soon!

The flagship campus of the University of Tennessee System and partner in the Tennessee Transfer Pathway.