The annual Rainbeaux Rush was back with more sparkles and colors than ever before, offering rambunctious music, free tie-dying and free hugs.
The event, held on Aug. 29, was intended to be a fun and interactive resource fair for LGBTQ+ students on campus that showcased all the organizations that are at their disposal. The festivities promoted wellness and created a welcoming community for LGBTQ+ students to come into when they walk on LSU’s campus. 
Tower Drive was lined with an assortment of tables, each representing either a club or organization which stands with and supports the LGBTQ+ community. One of the clubs, Spectrum, focuses on empowering LGBTQ+ students by providing social support, education, programming and opportunities to engage in campus activism.
Spectrum events coordinator Emilie Broussard said the club provides social supports for its members in various ways.
“We have social gatherings, potlucks, we go out to eat at local restaurants together,” Broussard said.
Other valuable aspects of club membership include panels and a program called First Contact. 
In these panels, Broussard explained that members of Spectrum will go into classes and speak about LGBTQ+ issues and what it’s like living as an LGBTQ+ person. The First Contact program is used when a student is having a hard time understanding their sexuality or gender. They are then matched with a mentor who has gone through similar obstacles. 
Student Health Center Wellness and Health Promotion Coordinator Crystal Loup said the Student Health Center participated in Rainbeaux Rush in order to support all students’ wellbeing. 
“We just wanted to show our support and continue to promote inclusion and wellness to all students,” Loup said.
The Student Health Center offered students flyers and pamphlets to educate them about topics like sexual health and mental and physical wellness. It also promoted all the resources available to students, including mental health education programs that teach students how to handle stress and relationships.
“[The Student Health Center] is a one stop shop because there are so many resources available to choose from,” Student Health Center Counseling Psychologist Tiffany McCaughey said. 
Alongside all the educational resources was a rock painting station where students could paint a rock showing their support for those in the LGBTQ+ community. They could choose to keep it or plant it somewhere in the community. The rocks were decorated with colors, rainbows and supporting words for the lucky people who stumble across it. 
While the students on campus were the primary focus of the event, there were also organizations like the LGBTQ+ Faculty/Staff Caucus which focus on supporting University staff and administrators who identify as LGBTQ+. 
The tie-dying station definitely stole the show at the event.
“I was definitely there for the tie-dying, the energy and the unity,” biology senior Katheline Ramos said.
Hundreds of students left campus after Rainbeaux Rush with vibrant shirts and even more vibrant hearts.