Queer News On Campus [QNOC] Articles Digest
For the week ending 2010.12.13
Brought to you by the Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals. http://www.lgbtcampus.org
Archives of the QNOC Digest can be found at http://queernewsoncampus.blogspot.com
Reminder: If you come across articles that should be included in the digest, please email a link to the article to articles@lgbtcampus.org
1. The Tennessean - Belmont policy that led to gay coach's ouster is not unique: Christian universities often oust gay faculty
2. The Providence Journal - For gay and lesbian students, bullying knows no bounds
3. The Michigan Daily - The next chapter: MSA president Chris Armstrong works to re-define his presidency after Andrew Shirvell
4. The Washington Post - Belmont under scrutiny for firing gay soccer coach
5. The Campus Chronicle (Des Moines Area Community College, Ankeny IA) - Open minds, open hearts, open doors at DMACC
6. NBC 2 News Online - Donor wants Tenn. university to rehire gay coach
7. Inside Higher Ed - Defending a Lesbian Coach
8. Omaha.com/World-Herald Bureau - Gay marriage backed at UNL
9. The Towerlight (Towson University) - Response on transgender rights
10. The Chronicle of Higher Education - Life’s Queer Unfairness
11. The Badger Herald (University of Wisconsin-Madison) - ASM endorses LGBT anti-bullying program
12. TwinCities.com/Pioneer Press - AD Joel Maturi's Gophers golf program accused of discrimination, nepotism
1. The Tennessean, December 5, 2010
1100 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20101205/NEWS01/12050355/Belmont-policy-that-led-to-gay-coach-s-ouster-is-not-unique
Belmont policy that led to gay coach's ouster is not unique: Christian universities often oust gay faculty
By Bob Smietana
Belmont University may not be Baptist-affiliated anymore, but it's still Christian.
So faculty and staff must do what the Good Book tells them to do. And at Belmont, it's telling them no sex outside of marriage.
"We do adhere to our values as Christ-centered, and we don't want to make apologies for that," said Marty Dickens, chairman of Belmont's board of trustees.
That stance became clear last week, when the university parted ways with a women's soccer coach who outed herself as gay, several team members said, because she and her partner are expecting a baby. The school initially said she resigned but reversed itself Friday, saying the school and coach Lisa Howe reached a "mutual agreement" for her to leave.
That's not an unusual move for Christian universities, and not the first time it happened at Belmont, but it left gay students concerned about their status at Belmont.
Dorian McQuaid, a Belmont sophomore, said the school has insisted in the past that gay students are welcome.
"As a queer student, I am afraid to be at Belmont right now," McQuaid said.
Erica Carter, one of Howe's former players, said she was hurt and confused by the decision.
"This changes my perception of Belmont as a Christian university that could accept everyone," Carter said.
The school severed financial and other ties to the Tennessee Baptist Convention in 2007 and sought to redefine itself as a diverse Christian community. It retained a written policy for students, faculty and staff that forbids any sexual relations outside of marriage.
Dickens said the expectations for faculty are clear.
Belmont won't apologize for its Christian values, he said.
"We expect people to commit themselves to high moral and ethical standards within a Christian context," he said. "That includes members of the board, faculty and administration."
Christian schools often require faculty and staff to refrain from sex outside of marriage, said Karin Maag, professor of history and vice president of the faculty senate at Calvin College, a Christian school in Grand Rapids, Mich. Gay relationships are often specifically banned.
Calvin faculty and the board of trustees clashed last year over a trustee-imposed ban on speaking in favor of gay marriage.
Maag said that Christian professors are expected to be good teachers and good examples of the faith. "We are supposed to be modeling virtues as well," she said.
Faculty members at Union University, a Tennessee Baptist school in Jackson, Tenn., are banned from drinking alcohol, having homosexual relations or any sex outside of marriage.
"All Union University faculty are expected to live an exemplary Christian life both on and off campus," reads a standards of conduct statement on Union's employment application.
A former Belmont professor said he understands why schools set those boundaries. Mike Burcham, a clinical professor of entrepreneurship at Vanderbilt University and president of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, taught at Belmont from 1997 to 2001. He left voluntarily after a student outed him.
Burcham said that it is no surprise that Belmont as a Christian school has a Christian culture. "You are either part of that or you are not," The former Belmont professor said he has no ill will against the school and believes it is moving toward being more accepting of gays. That may take years, he said, something that is hard for Belmont students to understand.
Schools Challenged
Others call Belmont's actions un-Christian. The Rev. Cindi Love, executive director of Soulforce, holds so-called Equality Rides to Christian schools, asking them to change how they treat gays. They've identified about 200 schools nationwide that specifically ban gay faculty, staff and students, but it was unclear late Friday whether Belmont was on the list.
Love said many Christian schools have a don't ask, don't tell approach to homosexuality. Having a baby with a gay partner would cross a line, she said, making someone's sexuality public.
"That pushes the envelope for a lot of people," Love said.
For staff members such as Howe, the end typically comes when someone off campus — such as a parent or donor — finds out about them. "It rarely comes from inside the academic community," she said.
Metro Nashville Councilwoman Megan Barry, who sponsored a nondiscrimination bill for Metro employees approved last year, said gay employees deserve protection. While she wouldn't comment on the Belmont case specifically, she reiterated the stance she took on her Metro bill.
"I believe that any discrimination in the workplace, including discrimination based on one's sexual orientation, is wrong, regardless of whether it occurs in the public or private sector," she said.
McQuaid and a group of about 20 other Belmont students are part of Bridge Builders, which is trying to build ties between gay and straight students. They've been trying to become an official student organization but have been turned down by the school. Organizers say they have collected 1,000 signatures in support of the group.
"We are not asking Belmont to hang up a sign saying gay sex and gay people are awesome," she said. "We are asking to form a student group where we can gather on campus. I don't understand why that is so difficult."
CLARIFICATION: An earlier version of this article should have made more clear statements attributed to Marty Dickens, chairman of the board of trustees for Belmont University. Dickens has defended the school's right to expect board, faculty and administration to adhere to high moral and ethical standards within a Christian context. He has not commented on why soccer coach Lisa Howe left the school or whether her departure was related to any of those standards. The Tennessean regrets any misunderstanding.
2. The Providence Journal, December 6, 2010
75 Fountain St., Providence, RI 02902
http://www.projo.com/news/content/LGBT_BULLYING_12-06-10_4NL8U73_v36.3272aba.html
For gay and lesbian students, bullying knows no bounds
By Gina Macris
SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. - The setting: the bucolic campus of the University of Rhode Island in the summer of 2010.
The action: Kevin Cruz and Justin Willner walk along holding hands. One of them also joins hands with a young woman, Riley Davis. Brian Stack, the president of URI’s undergraduate Gay-Straight Alliance, walks along with the other three.
A car drives by with the occupants shouting, “Faggots!”
Lesbian or gay students at URI do not take their physical safety for granted.
Of the summertime incident, Andrew Winters, point man on gender issues for the URI administration, says, “These kinds of thing happen all the time.”
The drive-by slurs prompted URI President David Dooley to hold a meeting to address anti-gay bias even before the fall semester began.
A 2009 survey of public high school students by the Rhode Island Departments of Health and Elementary and Secondary Education indicated that about 9 percent, or nearly 1 in 10, identified themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or questioning.
Almost 8 out of 10 in those categories had been bullied, according to a separate Education Department survey during the 2009-2010 academic year.
Those types of figures say “to me that we’ve got a giant problem,” says Winters, whose official title is assistant to the vice president for Student Affairs, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Programs and Services.
The death of Tyler Clementi of Rutgers University this fall has intensified concerns on college campuses and in elementary and secondary schools about bullying students who have identified themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or questioning.
At URI, the anti-gay climate — including the shouting of epithets in close quarters and the appearance of swastikas in the university’s Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Center — is not a new problem.
In the late fall of 2009, URI invited a conciliation specialist from the U.S. Department of Justice to campus to try help defuse the situation.
Last spring, two female students reported that used condoms and a pile of garbage had been left outside the door of their dorm room.
More recently, President Dooley said students have helped the university “sharpen our vision of what we need to do” to create an environment in which diversity “is a quality of excellence in education.”
Gay students — led by Brian Stack, Kevin Cruz, Justin Willner, Riley Davis and others — say the day-to-day climate has not changed. Stack said Friday the university has taken some positive organizational steps.
About a dozen others occupied the 24-hour room of the university library for eight straight days in September to raise awareness of safety and other issues, including the lack of an appropriate space for the GLBT Center.
Willner said, “It was over in a week, but it was not an easy thing to do.”
Cruz said the sit-in brought out numerous unexpected expressions of support, including pizzas sent over by the URI Multicultural Center and other food delivered by university dining services. All of those who sent “care packages” got thank-you notes, Cruz said.
There also were some tense moments during the protest. Someone left a greeting card under a door at the LGBTQ Center. The message inside was, “Shut Up, Faggots. We know where you live.”
After Stack was taunted in front of witnesses, the URI police provided escorts to students going to and from the library.
The students ended the protest when the university agreed to six demands, including the renovation of Ruggles House for a new center and the hiring of a high-level administrator to oversee diversity initiatives. Bullying-prevention training for resident assistants in dormitories and the first round of diversity training for faculty and staff is scheduled for January.
Dooley on Thursday promised to add a graduate student to the GLBT Centers, but Stack says the operation needs a full-time professional to assist Winters.
While Stack and other students on the receiving end of anti-gay slurs and threats may take little comfort from statistics, James Robinson, executive director of Youth Pride, said research shows that schools with gay-straight alliances are generally safer places for everyone.
There are about 40 gay-straight alliances in high schools and colleges throughout Rhode Island, said Robinson, whose organization provides services for young people grappling with issues of sexuality.
Brown University has a Safe Zone Program organized by its LGBTQ Resource Center. Members of the Brown community can wear ribbons or buttons to identify themselves as allies of those outside the heterosexual mainstream, and use stickers to signal their spaces on campus as havens for anyone in need of a secure place.
Meanwhile, young people are coming out at earlier ages, says Michelle Duso, a former Youth Pride director and Rhode Island-based consultant with InFOCUS who helps schools establish inclusive and protective climates.
Philip Rutter, a psychologist at Widener University outside Philadelphia, said the average age for coming out has dropped from 17 to 14 for men, and from 19 to 16 for women in the last several years.
But this can also mean that they encounter homophobia at an earlier age, he said.
At the same time, their teachers are often ill-prepared to talk to children and adolescents about gender in appropriate ways, says Duso.
“It’s not about having conversation about sex, but conversation about families and relationships,” Duso said.
In West Warwick, a third grader named Joseph once came to the principal, Donna Peluso of the Horgan Elementary School, and asked her to call him “Kim.”
Peluso responded by talking to the boy about relationships in and out of school.
“I would be honored to call you Kim. I think Kim is a beautiful name,” she said. “Outside of school, or with your parents, I’d be happy to call you Kim.
“But Joseph is your legal name. Is it OK if in school I call you by your legal name?”
“That’s OK,” he said.
About a third of Rhode Island communities provide counselors who are specifically assigned to shepherd the social and emotional well-being of elementary school children.
At the Gordon School, a private elementary and middle school in East Providence, third-grade students have put a poster in the hall outside their room, inviting adults and children to write personal comments to help define who they are. One side was for girls and women and the other side was for men and boys. The poster was entitled: “Gender Bender”.
A man wrote: “I teach preschool, and most people think only girls teach kids that young.”
A woman wrote: “At home, I am the person who mows the lawn and does house repairs and painting, outside on the extension ladder. Fun!”
One boy wrote that he loved the color pink.
A girl said she loved playing baseball.
The books for the youngest children at Gordon include a story about two male penguins who want to adopt a baby, as well as depictions of families that include a mom of one color and a dad of another color.
Teachers have been trained in ways to handle little children’s questions about the two moms or two dads who drop off their child at school in the morning.
Gordon is not utopia, says Ralph Wales, the head of school, but the kinds of cruelty that children can bring to the classroom or recess should not be ignored.
Educators who say their only purview is the academic realm are not doing their job, particularly in middle school, he said.
“An excellent middle school education saves children,” he said.
Resources:
Youth Pride Inc.
171 Chestnut St., Providence, R.I. 02903
(401) 421-5626
info@youthprideri.org
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)
South Central Rhode Island
Ed and Ann Bonetti,
(401)499-3278
info@pflagscri.org
gmacris@projo.com
3. The Michigan Daily, December 6, 2010
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109
http://www.michigandaily.com/content/chris-armstrong-profile?page=0,0
The next chapter: MSA president Chris Armstrong works to re-define his presidency after Andrew Shirvell
By Emily Orley
When Michigan Student Assembly President Chris Armstrong first applied to college, he had visions of becoming a video game engineer. His college essay was about the artistic merits of his favorite video game, and he only applied to colleges with excellent video game design programs.
But when this self-proclaimed nerd eventually came to the University of Michigan, he decided to take a different path. Armstrong immediately joined the University’s LGBT commission when he arrived on campus. He later became chair of the commission, and then ran for MSA president last spring.
Armstrong’s term as MSA president is halfway over, but his presidency has already received more publicity than most who serve in college student governments. Last fall, Armstrong gained national attention for the attacks he received from now former Michigan Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell. The incident has been front and center in Armstrong’s presidency, but he hopes to change that in the four months he has left.
Armstrong joined MSA as a freshman and quickly rose through the assembly ranks as a representative on the assembly’s LGBT Commission.
“I immediately wanted to get involved with LGBT groups on campus because I wanted to meet other gay people,” Armstrong said last week in the offices of The Michigan Daily.
Armstrong made a lot of progress on the commission. He helped plan a launch event for National Coming Out Week in fall 2009 and was integral in helping the University become the host of the 2011 Midwest Bisexual, Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, Ally College Conference.
“I started getting involved and it just sort of spiraled and spiraled,” he said.
That same year, Armstrong met Jason Raymond, a fellow MSA representative, and the two became good friends. Two-and-a-half years later, the pair decided to run for office together.
Both were interested in the top position, but it was ultimately decided that Armstrong would run for the presidential spot. Raymond explained that putting Armstrong in that position was viewed as an excellent opportunity to represent his issues and break down a lot of barriers within MSA, since Armstrong would be the first openly gay MSA president at the University.
“We’re very much a team and we didn’t really care about the titles,” Raymond said, “but we decided it would be a great victory for Chris’s community for him to be MSA president.”
Freshman year, Armstrong and Raymond also met Alex Serwer, who helped build their campaign when they decided to run. Once elected, Armstrong appointed Serwer his chief of staff. Like Raymond, Serwer said putting Armstrong in such a distinguished position sent a powerful message.
“It’s a big moment for LGBT individuals.” Serwer said. “Seeing another (LGBT) student in such a prominent position is a really big deal for that incoming freshman that doesn’t really know what the LGBT community is like on campus,” he said.
Armstrong and Raymond ran with the organization MForward — a party that stands on the platform of representing a diverse group of students on the assembly, which they founded.
MForward viewed Armstrong’s future legacy as the first openly gay MSA president as an important milestone, and the party’s platform focused on LGBT issues. However, the party didn’t try to use Armstrong’s personal story to their advantage, and the issue of his sexuality wasn’t brought up by either party during the election.
“We always had the same issues that we wanted to work on, and that was never something that we had to make special arrangements for or consider in a different light,” Raymond said.
Serwer emphasized that the platform of the campaign was built around issues, and not Chris’s personal decisions.
“We made sure that whatever we were preaching to the students as they were voting was what we stood for, rather than Chris’s sexual orientation,” Serwer said.
Armstrong grew up in a small town in Connecticut with a population of about 25,000. While he came out to his parents when he was 15 years old, he had only told a couple of close friends in his hometown, and was not openly gay until he came to the University. Armstrong said hiding that secret in high school made him want to do things differently when he went to college.
“My goal when I came to the University of Michigan was to live openly, to be out and to really see how my life could be being myself,” Armstrong said.
While he was not ashamed of his sexuality, he said he always knew running as an openly gay man would create obstacles. He explained that a lot of insecurities about how he was dressing and acting surfaced when he assumed the presidency.
“To a certain extent, I’ve had to try to project more of a sense of authority just because there’s always that sense people won’t take you seriously,” Armstrong said. “I think those insecurities are universal, but when it comes from a minority or a minority group sometimes it’s more augmented.”
The obstacles Armstrong predicted were particularly challenging to overcome last April, when Shirvell, a University alum, began harassing Armstrong and his friends and family. Shirvell launched Chris Armstrong Watch — a blog Shirvell ran in order to monitor Armstrong and to accuse him of promoting a “radical homosexual agenda” on campus.
Shirvell posted pictures of Armstrong on the blog and drew offensive symbols over his face, like a swastika on top of a gay pride flag. On another picture, he wrote “racist, elitist liar” across Armstrong’s face.
Shirvell first approached Armstrong at a counter rally to a protest hosted by the West Borough Baptist church over a production of “The Laramie Project” in May 2010. Armstrong was speaking at the event in defense of the production, and said he had never once spoken to Shirvell prior to the rally.
As news of Shirvell’s blog began spreading across campus and the nation, Armstrong tried to abstain from reading it and to remain unaffected by it. But he “wasn’t surprised” when he found out about it.
“When I was running for president, knowing the background I had and knowing I wasn’t going to be closeted — I was going to be out with who I was — I wasn’t surprised because I was waiting for it,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong said the accusations didn’t concern him until Shirvell began attacking his friends and family.
“It was certainly upsetting the things he was saying, but it hurt more when he would say things about the people around me because to a certain extent I signed up for this. I signed up to be criticized,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong remained publicly silent through most of the Shirvell incident, refusing to dignify the attacks with a response. And even when Armstrong did finally speak out, it was not a direct result of Shirvell’s actions.
Armstrong spoke out on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” — the first national media outlet to report the incident — after multiple gay adolescents committed suicide across the nation as a result of bullying.
“The only reason he went on Anderson Cooper was purely because during the week the Andrew Shirvell incident blew up in the media there had been a number of suicides across the nation with teens that were criticized by their classmates because they were gay or had been outed,” Raymond said.
Raymond said that no matter how hard Shirvell pushed him, Armstrong maintained a grounded perspective of the incident and refused to allow the blogger to prevent him from doing his job on the assembly.
“He could have engaged in a fight with this guy,” Raymond said. “He had many opportunities to do so over national media outlets. But instead Chris wanted to focus on the issues. He wanted to focus on his work on the assembly.”
Armstrong tried to serve as best he could during the controversy, using the position he had earned to push the improvements to campus he thought most necessary. But the episode did distract him from focusing entirely on MSA issues, which he says was the most upsetting aspect of the incident.
“I felt to a certain extent I was letting things get to me and had trouble refocusing,” Armstrong said.
Serwer also commented on the effects of the distraction, noting that many members of the assembly turned their attention away from the MSA issues they had wanted to focus on in order to deal with Shirvell’s attacks. But he said the distraction didn’t detract from the assembly’s overall goals.
“There were times when we were more focused on the incident at hand than we were with the latest MSA project and making sure whatever it was got done in the absolute strictest timeline,” Serwer said. “But it didn’t detract from our goals to any insurmountable point.”
In fact, many of the people that surround Armstrong on the assembly found the incident did the exact opposite. Raymond said Shirvell’s unjustified comments made the assembly want to pass more legislation dealing with LGBT issues.
“If anything, (the incident) gave us a little more fire when it comes to issues like open housing - issues that Andrew Shirvell targeted as a part of Chris’s ‘gay militant homosexual agenda,’ ” Raymond said. “I think it really empowered a lot of people on the assembly and really made us want to work harder.”
In recent months, MSA has been focusing their efforts on the issue of Open Housing which would allow students to choose to room in the dorms with students of the opposite sex.
Vice President for Student Affairs E. Royster Harper, who consults with Armstrong about student issues on a weekly basis, said she was impressed by his level of commitment to the assembly in the height of Shirvell’s attacks.
“Most of the time when I would meet with Chris during that period he would say, ‘I want to focus on what we need to get done on MSA,’ ” Harper said. “He would be the one that would make it clear that we needed to have a conversation related to MSA. And really, I’m not sure many people could have done that.”
But the rest of the student body wasn’t able to overlook the situation as easily. Students created a Facebook group in support of Armstrong and there were many pleas to the attorney general’s office to fire Shirvell for his actions. As of 8 p.m. on December 7, 19,469 people “like” the group on Facebook and have posted messages of encouragement and support of Armstrong.
Despite Shirvell’s bullying, Armstrong said that, in certain ways, the student body’s response to the situation made it worth enduring.
“It was really difficult to deal with all that, but I think at the end of it there have been so many reaffirmations about what this campus is, how we feel when someone outside our campus attacks someone inside our campus and that sense that we will respect each other no matter what,” Armstrong said.
As Armstrong tried to remain unaffected by the attacks, he said he was humbled by the student body’s outrage. Many students and organizations on campus took it upon themselves to rally for Armstrong and cry out against Shirvell.
“Seeing campus rally around bullying and LGBT issues the way that they did in reaction to the situation really showed how strong this campus is and showed how strong our values are,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong acknowledges that he was simply the focal point of a much larger issue.
He says he found the campus’s attitude regarding bullying toward the LGBT community a testament to the University’s commitment to diversity and acceptance.
“In a lot of ways, despite some of the issues that became national, I think for this campus, the pros have outweighed the cons,” Armstrong said.
While the Shirvell incident raised awareness for LGBT issues on campus, Armstrong said he doesn’t want that to be the only aspects of campus his administration improves.
“I wouldn’t say promoting LGBT issues is my main goal. That’s my background,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong said that his favorite part of the job is not furthering his own issues, but rather being able to help all types of groups on campus further their own goals.
“This University is so much bigger than you and the community you associate with. There’s a Michigan nation and there are so many different sects and parts of that,” Armstrong said. “Really the big challenge I’ve faced, and really enjoyed, is being able to be that face for as many of those issues as possible.”
Harper said Armstrong has intentions of making sure his sexual orientation doesn’t define himself, his agenda or his leadership.
“He could lead in such a way that one would think the only thing that matters are those things related to LGBT students but that has not been his leadership at all,” Harper said.
In fact, Armstrong said he hopes he is not just remembered for his work on LGBT issues. Armstrong laughed as he said the most impressive accomplishment that came to mind was the progress his administration made with the MSA website. Last March, MSA was heavily criticized for spending more than $9,000 on a website that didn’t function properly.
“The fact that we were able to revise the website after the whole debacle was such a motivating experience,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong has implemented a lot of changes during his 3-and-a-half years on campus — many of which have been overshadowed by the Shirvell incident.
In January 2009, Armstrong was integral in creating a task force that oversees organizations on campus and offers recommendations on how they can improve.
In February 2010, Armstrong was also the driving force on the assembly behind getting the University an offer to host the 2011 Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender and Ally College Conference, that it had been denied the previous year.
In October 2009, Armstrong helped plan a large event on the Diag to kick off National Coming Out Week. The event had a makeshift closet on the steps of Hatcher Graduate Library and people that attended the event were able to come out of the closet — literally and figuratively — and speak about their personal experiences.
This past March, Armstrong helped push through a resolution supporting Saturday night dinner in the dining halls on campus. He also helped to plan a trial run in three dining halls to demonstrate its effectiveness and spread awareness about the proposal.
But Armstrong and his staff’s biggest project to date has been working to get University Housing to adopt a gender-neutral housing option for students. The proposal, which was re-named the Open Housing Initiative, has made progress in recent months. The resolution was passed by MSA in December 2009. The Residence Hall Association passed a resolution in support of the option in April 2010.
“I’d say we’re right on our timeline. We set up goals that we would complete the proposal by a certain deadline and we met that deadline and now it’s being considered by administrators,” Serwer said.
Last week, the Open Housing Initiative submitted a proposal to several relevant administrators to be reviewed. According to Serwer’s understanding, there are many administrators, in addition to housing officials, who have jurisdiction on the issue.
The Open Housing Initiative won’t know any more details until they sit down with these representatives next week.
“The Open Housing Initiative and administrators have told us that students have done everything that possibly could have been done to show that there’s support behind this issue and logically argue for the implementation of open housing,” Serwer said. “The responsibility fully lies within the administration to implement this policy.”
So while it remains unclear if the option will be ready to implement this coming fall, Armstrong is working diligently to ensure it is put into effect as soon as possible.
“I have been devoting a lot of my time to open housing and it’s certainly been a struggle. And I want people to recognize that that issue made a lot of strides this year and emerged from some small conversations with housing to a large campus debate,” Armstrong said.
And Armstrong is working hard to ensure that these debates are not overshadowed by the Shirvell incident. Armstrong said that he hopes to take what he has learned from the incident and apply it to his life and the assembly.
“It’s certainly unfortunate that (the Shirvell incident) is the only thing that will be highlighted in some people’s eyes,” Armstrong said. “But I also think even though it was an unfortunate situation, I don’t think the outcomes were unfortunate.”
4. The Washington Post, December 8, 2010
1150 15th St. NW, Washington, DC 20071
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/08/AR2010120805829.html
Belmont under scrutiny for firing gay soccer coach
By Teresa M. Walker
Students at Belmont University protested the departure of the women's soccer coach again on Wednesday, calling on the school to make amends after her players say she was let go for telling them she is expecting a child with her same-sex partner.
A crowd that included some of Lisa Howe's former players held a three-hour protest Wednesday afternoon pushing for a change allowing for freedom of sexual orientation. Mike Curb, a music industry executive and major donor to the private Christian school, wants Belmont to rehire Howe and "act like Christians."
In a statement from her attorney, Howe told The Associated Press she misses her team and thanks Curb for his "powerful statement." She had not talked with Belmont officials directly and said her head is spinning.
"Coaching is my passion and my life's work," Howe said. "I do know that policies and attitudes would have to change for me to come back to Belmont and feel safe and welcome and for me to feel like my family would be safe and welcome."
Neither Howe nor Belmont have said why the coach left Dec. 2. Belmont issued a statement Friday calling her departure a "mutual decision." Asked Wednesday if she was pushed out for telling her players about her personal life, Howe declined comment through her attorney.
That hasn't stopped Howe's players from talking, or gay and lesbian students from objecting to her departure. About 50 students protested the decision on Sunday, a sit-in was held Monday outside the office of the university president and Curb made his statement Tuesday. Curb is a major donor whose name is on several buildings, including Belmont's basketball arena.
Sophomore Brandi Phillips said what happened to Howe is "really heartbreaking."
Her teammate, Laura Harris, also a sophomore, said the controversy has brought the soccer team closer together.
"There's nothing more we can do. We've got it all out there. All we can do now is hope for change," Harris said.
Belmont is seen as a progressive university that had been affiliated with Southern Baptists until it broke away in 2007, wanting to bring greater Christian diversity to its board of trustees. The university has thrived on its connections with Nashville's music industry and even hosted one of the 2008 presidential debates.
Curb made what students called a "game-changer" of a statement Tuesday.
"Belmont has to decide whether they want to be a national recognized university - particularly with their school of music business - or they want to be a church," Curb said.
A trustee emeritus, Curb issued a new statement Wednesday saying he spoke out because another board member spoke out on Belmont's behalf and that he had heard nothing from university officials for six days.
"President (Bob) Fisher has asked me as a member of the Board, now that I've made my statement completely, to hold off making any further statements to give him an opportunity to resolve these issues so that this type of injustice can never happen again," Curb said in his statement. "I promise you if the matter is not resolved, I will continue speaking out about this the rest of my life."
Fisher held a short news conference late Wednesday where he took no questions and said gay and lesbian students and faculty are welcome. He also said Belmont does not consider sexual orientation in its hiring or dismissals.
Howe had been coaching at Belmont the past six seasons, going 52-48-16 and winning the Atlantic Sun Conference regular-season title last year. Her players want her judged on her record and performance with her program.
Senior Erica Carter, days from graduation, wants state laws to provide protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation. She said coaches should be judged on their success and Howe's resume - which includes two championship rings in three years and an NCAA tournament bid - speaks for itself.
"Do they treat their players well?" Carter said of coaches. "Do they demand the best from them? Are they excellent at their jobs should be the only thing they're judged on."
Even though Howe hadn't shared details of her private life with her team before, players said they knew because it's impossible for details not to slip out. They said they never felt uncomfortable around Howe.
"She was, throughout her years, very professional," Harris said. "Completely kept her personal life to herself. Never showed anything to us."
Carter has taken the lead, along with her teammates, in sharing the news of what happened to their coach. More than 130 people took part in Wednesday's protest where students walked across campus before stopping at the main street in front of Belmont. Protesters came and went with passing cars honking in support.
One of the many signs read, "Is this what you wanted?"
5. The Campus Chronicle (Des Moines Area Community College, Ankeny IA), December 8, 2010
Building 3W, Room 2, 2006 S. Ankeny Blvd., Ankeny , IA 50021
http://media.www.campuschronicle.net/media/storage/paper1001/news/2010/12/08/Opinion/Open-Minds.Open.Hearts.Open.Doors.At.Dmacc-3965991.shtml
Open minds, open hearts, open doors at DMACC
By Allison Buckalew
Taylor Williams is now completely comfortable in her own skin. She is not afraid to be who she really is anymore.
Williams, a DMACC student studying science in the Liberal Arts program, finds the Ankeny campus to be much more accepting to LGBT students than high school was. LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. "It's like a fresh start. And now I am really comfortable with being open in all of my classes."
Things have gotten a lot better in college, Williams said. In high school, everyone knows everything about you. In college, no one really knows you until you start getting to know them in return, she said.
Williams said that she is one of the lucky ones. "Anyone that I've told here basically reacts like, OK, no big deal, or it's cool with people."
So far, DMACC does not have any support group or club that would help students who are afraid to come out, or those who have come out and need that extra support from people going through the same situations and feelings.
As far as recognition goes, Williams said she feels that DMACC is not very good at recognizing LGBT students, she said. However, she feels as though DMACC has been pretty open and accepting of her so far.
Williams had someone ask her in one of her science classes here at DMACC why she thought she was the way she was. "I don't believe being gay is a choice, especially when it's sometimes apparent from a young age. I also don't like when people call it a 'lifestyle.' Why would someone choose to live a life with adversity?" Williams asked.
So far, Williams has only had one serious relationship during college since being out. However, the girl she was dating wasn't comfortable with acting like a couple in public. "I kind of feel cheated out of the dating experience so far because we had to hide who we are. I really just want the kind of relationship my parents have."
When she needs support, Williams goes to her friends first. She knows she can talk to her mom because she says she is a great listener and supports her, but it isn't something her mom can really identify with.
"It's very liberating to be out," Williams said, "but it also takes a lot of courage to come out, especially to your parents and family." Williams urges other students to establish a good support system beforehand. "It makes all the difference in the world."
Jonathan Krueger, another gay student on the DMACC campus, recalled what it was like for him before he came out in high school. He knew as early as seventh grade that he was gay, but wasn't comfortable with it until about junior year. "I was bullied some. When people are staring or snickering, you know you are being talked about," Krueger said.
One day, in the middle of one of Krueger's classes, another guy stood up and in front of everyone asked him if he was dating a boy. Krueger felt bad because a few of his friends were in that same class and he hadn't told them yet. "I felt outted before I was ready."
Coming out to his parents was hard. Krueger remembered being scared to tell his mom, but afterwards, felt relief. When his dad first found out, his first words were, "How do you think Jeff (Krueger's brother) is going to be treated at school now?" The words stung, but after the initial shock wore off, Krueger's dad became supportive and is now very protective of him, Krueger said.
Krueger said that, if possible, it is better to talk with someone when you know. The stress of holding in that big of a secret definitely took its toll. "I developed anger issues, anxiety and problems with depression. It's just better to tell someone. It helps your relationships with other people and yourself," Krueger said.
Krueger has definitely seen improvement in college, though. He's been pleasantly surprised at how open people are. People are much more accepting. "DMACC has been amazing," Krueger said.
"Most university campuses around the country have developed support groups for LGBT students…where is ours?" asked Julie Simanski, a speech teacher on the Ankeny DMACC campus.
Simanski has been an advocate for gay rights for years now, especially because she has a personal connection to someone who is gay, her brother. "We came from a very small community and so he couldn't really identify with anyone else. It wasn't until he was a sophomore in college that he finally came out, even though he probably knew long before that, that he was gay," Simanski said.
In 2004, Simanski used a DMACC grant to hold a pride week for all of the DMACC campuses combined. She was able to get a portion of the AIDS quilt on campus, which is an enormous quilt made as a memorial to, and celebration of, the lives of people who have died of AIDS-related causes.
Simanski was also able to contact Matthew Shepard's mother, who did a reading and a question and answer session with the community. Matthew Shepard was a University of Wyoming student who was tortured and murdered because he was homosexual. Ever since then, his mother Judy has been an advocate for LGBT youth and helps run the Matthew Shepard Foundation, which supports diversity and tolerance in youth organizations.
In addition, during pride week, tables were set up by different organizations that support LGBT students, such as Wells Fargo and Principal, which handed out information to students interested in learning more about tolerance.
Simanski described the whole event as successful for LGBT students and allies alike. The reception for Shepard's mother and her Q&A were very well received, Simanski said. Judy Shepard wasn't the type of person to push her opinions on you, Simanski said, she just felt strongly about equality and treating everyone with respect.
Simanski says that having a personal connection to someone that is gay, or knowing someone who is, helps to defy stereotypes. "When teaching, I try to be inclusive with relationship definitions." Recently, faculty has had some LGBT support training, but Simanski thinks there is much more that can be done. "There needs to be a group, or a place for resources dealing with bullying, or brochures or any kind of literature, really," she said.
Other LGBT students on the Ankeny DMACC campus may not be quite as well received as Taylor Williams and Jonathan Krueger, and feel like they are alone in their struggles. According to the PFLAG organization, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays,"nearly a fifth of students are physically assaulted because of their sexual orientation and over a tenth because of their gender expression."
Laurie Wolf, the executive dean of Student Services, explained that it would be beneficial if students would want to create a club or support group for LGBT students. If so, they should go to faculty and find an advisor to help run it. "Most student-run organizations that are active are such because they have worked hard to be recognized." Wolf has found that students are less responsive to faculty organized groups than to ones they have created themselves. "We would be more than accepting if the idea of a club or support group would be brought to us," she said, adding that she is surprised that it hasn't happened on this campus yet.
According to Wolf, DMACC has a strong anti-discrimination policy that they adhere to no matter what kind of discrimination it involves. "We take any kind of discrimination very seriously, and we have absolutely no tolerance for it," Wolf said. She said she would hope that if any incidents were to occur, students would feel comfortable enough to come to her or any faculty members so they could put a stop to it immediately.
Faculty members have all had to take equal rights, discrimination and safety program training sessions, which includes anti-bullying. "I hope that we are an open enough community that we won't have to deal with any incidents like that," Wolf said.
For LGBT students dealing with a harsh environment on campus, a good place to start is with a counselor. Also, several instructors now have a pink triangle on their door, symbolizing they are a safe person to come to with any troubles or concerns. Simanski hopes that we can do more for this campus in particular. "Let's make this a place that's comfortable for everyone."
anyone else. It wasn't until he was a sophomore in college that he finally came out, even though he probably knew long before that, that he was gay," Simanski said.
In 2004, Simanski used a DMACC grant to hold a pride week for all of the DMACC campuses combined. She was able to get a portion of the AIDS quilt on campus, which is an enormous quilt made as a memorial to, and celebration of, the lives of people who have died of AIDS-related causes.
Simanski was also able to contact Matthew Shepard's mother, who did a reading and a question and answer session with the community. Matthew Shepard was a University of Wyoming student who was tortured and murdered because he was homosexual. Ever since then, his mother Judy has been an advocate for LGBT youth and helps run the Matthew Shepard Foundation, which supports diversity and tolerance in youth organizations.
In addition, during pride week, tables were set up by different organizations that support LGBT students, such as Wells Fargo and Principal, which handed out information to students interested in learning more about tolerance.
Simanski described the whole event as successful for LGBT students and allies alike. The reception for Shepard's mother and her Q&A were very well received, Simanski said. Judy Shepard wasn't the type of person to push her opinions on you, Simanski said, she just felt strongly about equality and treating everyone with respect.
Simanski says that having a personal connection to someone that is gay, or knowing someone who is, helps to defy stereotypes. "When teaching, I try to be inclusive with relationship definitions." Recently, faculty has had some LGBT support training, but Simanski thinks there is much more that can be done. "There needs to be a group, or a place for resources dealing with bullying, or brochures or any kind of literature, really," she said.
Other LGBT students on the Ankeny DMACC campus may not be quite as well received as Taylor Williams and Jonathan Krueger, and feel like they are alone in their struggles. According to the PFLAG organization, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays,"nearly a fifth of students are physically assaulted because of their sexual orientation and over a tenth because of their gender expression."
Laurie Wolf, the executive dean of Student Services, explained that it would be beneficial if students would want to create a club or support group for LGBT students. If so, they should go to faculty and find an advisor to help run it. "Most student-run organizations that are active are such because they have worked hard to be recognized." Wolf has found that students are less responsive to faculty organized groups than to ones they have created themselves. "We would be more than accepting if the idea of a club or support group would be brought to us," she said, adding that she is surprised that it hasn't happened on this campus yet.
According to Wolf, DMACC has a strong anti-discrimination policy that they adhere to no matter what kind of discrimination it involves. "We take any kind of discrimination very seriously, and we have absolutely no tolerance for it," Wolf said. She said she would hope that if any incidents were to occur, students would feel comfortable enough to come to her or any faculty members so they could put a stop to it immediately.
Faculty members have all had to take equal rights, discrimination and safety program training sessions, which includes anti-bullying. "I hope that we are an open enough community that we won't have to deal with any incidents like that," Wolf said.
For LGBT students dealing with a harsh environment on campus, a good place to start is with a counselor. Also, several instructors now have a pink triangle on their door, symbolizing they are a safe person to come to with any troubles or concerns. Simanski hopes that we can do more for this campus in particular. "Let's make this a place that's comfortable for everyone."
6. NBC 2 News Online, December 8, 2010
WBBH-TV, 3719 Central Avenue, Fort Myers, FL 33901
http://www.nbc-2.com/Global/story.asp?S=13639027
Donor wants Tenn. university to rehire gay coach
Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A major donor to Belmont University in Nashville wants the Baptist-affiliated school to rehire a coach who resigned shortly after revealing she is gay.
Mike Curb is a prominent Nashville music executive and former Belmont trustee who gave the university $10 million for an event center bearing his name.
Belmont officials deny that former women's soccer coach Lisa Howe was forced to resign, but several team members and Curb said she was.
Curb told The Tennessean newspaper that "Belmont has to decide whether they want to be a national recognized university - particularly with their school of music business - or they want to be a church."
Howe didn't say in a statement if she felt forced out, but she hopes gay issues at the school will now be openly discussed.
7. Inside Higher Ed, December 9, 2010
1320 18th Street NW, 5th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20036
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/12/09/belmont
Defending a Lesbian Coach
By Allie Grasgreen and Scott Jaschik
The departure of Belmont University women’s soccer coach Lisa Howe — who was reportedly pushed out after revealing that she is a lesbian and her partner is having a baby — has been anything but quiet, even though Howe has not been speaking out.
In a single week, on a campus not known for its protests, students have organized multiple rallies, the Faculty Senate has passed a resolution supporting gay university employees, and a major donor has condemned the way Howe was treated. Many critics charge that Belmont, a Christian institution, has acted in ways that have left gay students and employees fearful for their ability to remain at the university.
Responding to the growing criticism, Robert Fisher, the president, called a press briefing late Wednesday in which he said that the university has "done a poor job of communicating" in recent days, and that he was sorry for "the pain, the hurt and the fear this has created among some of our students and the rest of our community."
Fisher cited standard practice of not discussing personnel matters in noting that he would not say anything about Howe (a point he reinforced by not even naming her). He said that Belmont is "a safe and welcoming place for all," and that there are "many gay and lesbian students" enrolled as well as gay faculty and staff members. In 10 years as president, he said, repeating himself for emphasis, sexual orientation has never been considered with regard to hiring, promotion, salary or dismissal decisions involving employees or "in any manner" with regard to students. Fisher did not take any questions at the event — and Belmont declined a series of requests Wednesday to make an official available for an interview about the disputes there.
The statement that Belmont does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation appears to contradict a statement made several days ago by Marty Dickens, chair of the board of the university, who told The Tennessean that Howe had to leave because she violated clearly stated expectations requiring conduct consistent with the university's values. "We expect people to commit themselves to high moral and ethical standards within a Christian context," he told the newspaper. "We do adhere to our values as Christ-centered, and we don't want to make apologies for that."
Belmont's code of conduct for everyone on the campus states that persons who commit sexual misconduct are subject to disciplinary proceedings — and the code's first example of sexual misconduct is "sexual behavior outside of marriage." (Tennessee law does not allow same-sex marriage.) Belmont's anti-discrimination policy bars bias based on race, color, gender, national origin, age or disability but does not mention sexual orientation.
Accusations of hypocrisy were rampant on the campus this week — with many arguing that their view of Christianity is offended by Howe's ouster, not her presence. One sign at a protest Wednesday said: "Jesus Had Two Dads And He Turned Out OK.”
For Belmont, Howe's departure was the second incident this fall forcing discussion of how gay people there should be treated. Last month, the university defended a decision not to recognize a group of gay students and allies (and to instead sponsor discussions on the topic of sexuality). At that time, the university again stated that it does not discriminate, issuing a statement that said: "Mistreatment or harassment of anyone because of a personal characteristic or belief is contrary to the mission and values of the university and will not be tolerated.”
Members of the group Bridge Builders were angry at being rejected for recognition — and the treatment of Howe now has many more people questioning Belmont's policies.
“No matter what your beliefs are, no matter what your beliefs aren’t, people should be treated fairly and justly, and in this situation that wasn’t demonstrated,” Belmont senior Erica Carter said in an interview. A four-year veteran of the women’s soccer team, Carter worked closely with Howe and said she is an ideal coach for Belmont because of her caring nature and emphasis on academic performance. “[Administrators] are not acting the way that Christ says that we should act…. All Christians should try to treat each other with respect and decency because that’s what the Bible teaches us.”
Bridge Builders organized some of the campus protests this week, which have thus far included a sit-in at the Belmont president’s office and two outdoor protests – the second of which drew more than double the previous crowd, with 100 people marching across campus Wednesday. Some of those students have Facebook profile pictures declaring their support for Bridge Builders; others have pictures with “Christians don’t discriminate” stamped over the Belmont Bruins logo.
Max Ellis, a Belmont freshman and social chair of Bridge Builders, said Wednesday that the group is protesting the administration, not the university. "I'm convinced that this is no more than a few powerful people with this ideal in their head of what Belmont is and they're trying to force that sort of morality on us. They're trying to tell us what our morals are and what our ethics should be," he said. "The administration is making decisions that are not representative of the student population. And it's not representative of the vast majority of what we believe to be Christian morals. We're protesting against them on the basis of Christian morality."
In 2007, Belmont had a tense separation from the Tennessee Baptist Convention to gain more autonomy — and its students clearly take seriously the idea that it remains a Christian university.
“Prior to this I thought that all Christianity was one and the same, and it’s not really seeming like that right now,” Carter said. “It has made me just question what type of Christianity Belmont practices.”
At a Monday meeting, the Faculty Senate unanimously approved a resolution recommending that “the sexual identity of individuals should not impact that person’s standing on campus,” and urging the university to lead an open dialogue around Belmont and homosexuality. The resolution also noted the necessity for Belmont to act “in a moral and legal manner.” (Tennessee has no state law barring discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.)
The senate also tabled a second resolution asking the university to define its policy on gay employees.
Nathan Griffith, associate professor of political science at Belmont, voted on the first resolution and sponsored the second one. He said the Senate ultimately decided — "rightly so" — to postpone calling for policy change in order to allow time for a more thoughtful discussion with administrators. He also said the meeting drew a larger crowd than usual, with more non-Senate faculty attending.
Interim Provost Pat Raines issued a subsequent statement on Tuesday that essentially acknowledged the Faculty Senate’s right to make such recommendations. “As an ecumenical Christian university, we value and affirm the worth of every member of our community,” the statement said. “Members of the Belmont community — our students, employees, administration and board — represent a wide array of diverse perspectives on this issue, and we welcome hearing their voices in this ongoing dialogue.”
Mike Curb, a Belmont trustee who donated $10 million for the university to help build the Curb Event Center, sent a congratulatory letter to the Faculty Senate president after the resolution passed. In it, he said he hopes Belmont will offer to re-hire Lisa Howe. “Even though it’s been reported that the board has backed this, I can tell you that no one from Belmont or the board has contacted me regarding this issue,” he wrote. “I will do everything I can to try to get the Board of Trustees to reconsider their position based on the fact that this is a basic civil rights issue.”
The board backing Curb refers to alludes to the controversial comments of Dickens, the board chair.
Howe’s only public statement was in response to Dickens; she said, “This is an educational experience for all of us — including Belmont University. I respectfully ask members of the media to turn their attention away from me and toward the broader issues at stake that affect so many people in the Belmont community — such as what it means to be a diverse Christian community and how we can support and respect each other despite our differences.”
8. Omaha.com/World-Herald Bureau, December 9, 2010
604 Fort Crook Rd N, Bellevue, NE 68005
http://www.omaha.com/article/20101209/NEWS01/712099844
Gay marriage backed at UNL
By Robynn Tysver
LINCOLN - Parents and many others in Nebraska might oppose gay marriage, but their college-age children appear to embrace the idea.
Students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln also overwhelmingly support a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants, according to a political survey by UNL students.
About 58 percent of the 2,500 students who responded to the e-mail survey said they supported gay marriage. By comparison, about 48 percent of likely voters nationwide said they supported same-sex marriage in an October Pew Research Center poll.
Even more UNL students — 73 percent — said they supported the idea of giving illegal immigrants a path to citizenship. By comparison, 63 percent of likely voters in a national Pew poll in April said they supported providing illegal immigrants with a way to earn citizenship.
The student survey was conducted in early November by a second-year elections class taught by professor Michael Wagner. It was the first survey of its kind undertaken at UNL by a political science class, he said.
The students surveyed were not randomly selected, which is the procedure used in professional political polls to ensure a representative sample. Instead, students chose whether to respond to a campus-wide e-mail survey request.
The idea was to learn more about students’ political opinions and their attitudes toward issues facing the nation and the state, Wagner said.
About 10 percent of the student body — graduate and undergraduate students — responded to the survey.
Sophomore Riley Johnson, 20, of Ellsworth, Wis., helped conduct the survey. He said he found the results on gay marriage and immigration “surprising.” He also said he thinks many students are attuned to both issues based on news coverage.
In Nebraska, Republicans and others have campaigned against policies that they say would grant amnesty to illegal immigrants. In addition, Fremont, Neb., voters have passed an ordinance — which is on hold — prohibiting property owners from renting to illegal immigrants.
The students’ opinions on immigration stand in sharp contrast to what others in Nebraska might be expected to think, Johnson said. “We’re in Nebraska, and immigration is obviously an issue that’s kind of hot right now.”
Not surprising in a GOP-leaning state, a majority of students identified themselves as Republicans — 37 percent.
Thirty-two percent identified themselves as Democrats, and 25 percent said they were independents. About 6 percent listed their affiliation as “other.”
Other findings in the survey:
>>About 58 percent of the students said they believed that the government was run by a few big interests. Seventeen percent said it was run to benefit all people.
>>Students identified health care, the economy, immigration, taxes and gay marriage as the top five issues facing the United States.
>>Students appeared to be divided on legalizing marijuana: 43 percent opposed it, 41 percent were in favor, and 15 percent were neutral.
>>A majority of students — 51 percent — opposed lowering the drinking age. Thirty-two percent favored the idea.
>>Christians, CNN newsman Anderson Cooper and President Barack Obama scored the highest in favorability ratings among the students surveyed. The lowest? TV and radio commentator Glenn Beck, GOP superstar Sarah Palin and reality television star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi.
Contact the writer:
402-444-1309, robynn.tysver@owh.com
9. The Towerlight (Towson University), December 9, 2010
8000 York Road, University Union, Room 309, Towson, MD 21252-0001
http://www.thetowerlight.com/2010/12/response-on-transgender-rights/
Response on transgender rights
By Art King and Debbie Seeberger
In response to the letter to the editor dated Nov. 29, 2010, entitled “Calling out administration for transgender student rights,” please note that Towson University is committed to providing a supportive campus environment that fosters the successful development of all of our students.
To this end, the university has established the diversity coordinating council, led by Provost and vice president of academic affairs, Marcia Welsh; with membership that includes Deb Moriarty, vice president of student affairs; Jim Sheehan, vice president of administration and finance; Art King, assistant vice president of student affairs for diversity; and Debbie Seeberger, special assistant to the president for diversity.
This body of representatives is responsible for establishing and maintaining an inclusive campus environment.
Additionally, the diversity action committee and its six work groups, with membership that spans a cross- section of the campus community (including three student representatives), is responsible for promoting awareness and acceptance of diversity and making recommendations for the success of institution-wide initiatives to the diversity coordinating council.
Members of the diversity coordinating council and the diversity action committee, including its six work groups, remain steadfast to the goal of identifying and implementing initiatives to ensure the successful completion of their respective charges.
In 2007, Towson University secured resources and hired the university’s first director of LGBT student development. TU’s Center for Student Diversity is one of only two such centers in Maryland with a full-time LGBT professional. Under the leadership of the director of LGBT student development, TU has heightened awareness levels and improved support and protection for members of the university’s LGBT community.
Thus, the university remains committed to the continuous identification and implementation of measures that will foster the enhancement of its campus climate.
To that end and in support of this goal, the university is revisiting the possibility of including gender identity and expression as protected categories in its non-discrimination policy.
In conclusion, we want to thank you for expressing your concern regarding this issue. Please note that the institution is making every effort to address your concern in an expedient manner.
10. The Chronicle of Higher Education, December 9, 2010
1255 Twenty-Third St, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037
http://chronicle.com/blogs/brainstorm/lifes-not-fair/29648
Life’s Queer Unfairness
By Laurie Essig
Life’s not fair.
Isn’t that the ugliest lesson we have to teach our children? It’s one thing when it’s about the size of their ice cream cone; it’s quite another when it’s about how institutions will reward or punish them. And yet this lesson is one I find myself explaining again and again to the odd gang of queer-identified teenagers who tend to congregate at my house.
“But we’re not treated fairly at school,” they point out. They’re probably right. Like all non-heterosexual youth in the U.S., the queer teens in my life are probably unfairly targeted by their high school and other institutions of social control. Like Black and Latino men, nonheterosexual youth are 40 percent more likely to be punished by schools and courts than their straight peers. And queer girls are even more likely to be punished than queer boys.
These appalling and yet not surprising facts come from a study based on the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The study tracked students across time to show that nonheterosexual youth were far more likely to be stopped by the police, be arrested, face sanctions as adults, and be expelled from school than their heterosexual peers.
In other words, life is unfair, which is exactly what I say when the queer teens tell me about a teacher who insisted that punishment in the U.S. has nothing to do with race. When one of the queer kids raised her hand and pointed out how many more black and Latino Americans are in jail than whites, her teacher, a white woman, blithely told her that “race has nothing to do with it” and that “the criminal justice system is fair.” Then this incredibly optimistic teacher said she was “sick of your attitude” and sent the queer girl out of the room. A trip to the guidance counselor’s office didn’t really resolve the problem. Because, after all, life is unfair and this loud, obnoxious, and yes in many ways dykey young woman is not going to be embraced by the very institutions that systematically discriminate against her.
Female students are expected to be docile, which by definition means easily taught. This is why within the current disciplinary regimes known as public schools, girls tend to be more successful than boys. But when girls act in an unruly manner, when they question, think critically, or otherwise refuse to submit, they become hyper-visible as unruly bodies. Not that differently from black and Latino men in this country. They require stricter sanctions and increased control.
In some ways this entanglement of black and Latino men with queer women of whatever race makes sense. Within the cultural logic we have inherited from Victorian times, certain bodies are too masculine and therefore excessively sexual, violent, and aggressive. Women who desired other women were imagined by the early sexologists as gender inverts, as really men. Black (and later Latino) men were imagined as overly sexual and aggressive and therefore in need of excess force from without to control their bodies. Lesbians and black men were always suspected of wanting to rape “innocent” white women.
The Lesbian Menace and the Black Rapist got twisted together in a way that can only be described as perverse. Unruly bodies and desires in need of excessive control. So the fact that these bodies get treated unfairly and are subjected to increased levels of institutional force should not really surprise us. Life may not be fair, but sadly life does play out in the most overly rehearsed ways.
11. The Badger Herald (University of Wisconsin-Madison), December 9, 2010
326 W. Gorham St., Madison, WI 53703-2017
http://badgerherald.com/news/2010/12/09/asm_endorses_lgbt_an.php
ASM endorses LGBT anti-bullying program
By Julia Birkinbine
The student government endorsed a new Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender anti-bullying action plan Thursday night.
Associated Students of Madison Shared Governance Committee Chair Kyle VandenLangenberg said the campus-wide action plan was developed and revised by students over the past few meetings to support the LGBT anti-bullying campaign.
The plan outlines actions, suggestions and agenda items that the Shared Governance Committee hopes the 14 ASM committees around campus will work on, VandenLangenberg said.
The action plan also outlines the group’s hope that the participating committees will include the LGBT anti-bullying campaign in their discussions as they do with other minority groups.
“This is a historic change for the way student Shared Governance operates on this campus,” VandenLangenberg said.
ASM Shared Governance Director Melissa Hanley said the action plan came as a result of a meeting among shared government leadership to discuss the committee’s semester plans.
The committee developed the anti-bullying action plan to support Dean of Student Lori Berquam’s campaign, as well as the national campaign against LGBT bullying, Hanley said.
“The development of this action plan has showed us just how eager students are to get involved in campus-wide issues,” Hanley said.
VandenLangenberg said the ASM committee chairs would continue work over winter break to encourage different student organizations on campus to adopt the anti-bullying action plan.
He added the campaign will also continue in the spring semester.
On Jan. 27, the LGBT Campus Center will be holding a presentation on its anti-bullying efforts featuring students offering personal accounts and statistics of bullying prevalence.
“The vote to pass this action plan shows just how much unprecedented student support this committee has. So many students who are active and involved on this campus really want to see a culture change,” Hanley said.
The meeting also featured a presentation by the University of Wisconsin Registrar’s Office teaching students about the new course guide feature of the UW student website.
Coordinators from the Student Advisory Board also held discussions with students on several other topics, including the effectiveness of the UW Student Center and the new UW iPhone application that launched earlier this week.
12. TwinCities.com/Pioneer Press, December 10, 2010
345 Cedar Street, St. Paul, MN 55101
http://www.twincities.com/ci_16821676?nclick_check=1
AD Joel Maturi's Gophers golf program accused of discrimination, nepotism
By Brian Murphy
University of Minnesota athletics director Joel Maturi, already under attack for his choices to coach the Gophers football team, now has a scandal brewing in his golf program. A former women's coach claims discrimination and nepotism prevented her from doing her job because of the high-profile leader Maturi hired to manage a low-profile sport.
Katie Brenny alleges first-year director of golf John Harris, a professional seniors tour player and former Gopher, would not let her instruct players or travel with the team this fall because she is a lesbian.
Moreover, Brenny claims Harris circumvented university hiring practices by creating a token position for his son-in-law Ernie Rose to perform her duties despite not having at least a bachelor's degree as required to be a head coach at Minnesota.
Brenny, the 1998 Minnesota state high school champion out of Little Falls, resigned in October after only two months on her "dream job," initially because it was not what she had signed up for. She later charged the university with violating her employment rights based on her sexual preference.
Settlement negotiations that began last month have stalled this week, according to Brenny's attorney, Donald Mark Jr. If a deal cannot be reached, Mark said, his client is prepared to sue the university in Hennepin County for allegedly creating a hostile work environment when Harris learned she was gay, which led to Brenny quitting.
"We think it's related to discrimination," Mark said. "Our hope is to resolve this matter without litigation and that our client is fully and fairly compensated for what she has had to go through these past several months — a person who was hired for one position and then not given that position.
"From our investigation," Mark continued, "the discrimination began in the golf program, but as we continue to learn things, the facts may well lead beyond the golf program and into the athletic department."
Harris, whom Maturi hired July 30, did not respond to requests for comment, nor did the athletics director. Maturi was asked Monday after introducing new football coach Jerry Kill whether he had any response to Brenny's allegations.
"No, not at this time," he said.
Asked whether he still had confidence in Harris hiring Brenny's replacement, Maturi said, "Certainly."
University spokesman Daniel Wolter acknowledged the settlement talks Thursday but declined further comment.
"University lawyers are in discussions with Ms. Brenny's lawyers about the matter. We're hopeful a lawsuit can be avoided," Wolter wrote in an e-mail. "Should a lawsuit be filed, we would likely have more comment at that time."
Brenny's resignation and allegations have roiled the Gophers golf community, including several prominent alumni who criticized Harris' hiring from the start.
In August, Phil Ebner resigned as president of the Minnesota Golf Booster Club, frustrated that Maturi did not heed his pleas and those from several members of the 2002 NCAA championship men's team to hire longtime associate coach Andrew Tank, who left to become head coach at Iowa State.
"The way that he handled the hiring of a new coach said one of two things: He didn't give a rat's you-know-what about the golf team, or he's an idiot," Ebner said this week.
During the search last summer to replace outgoing golf director Brad James, Ebner warned Maturi in a series of e-mails that Harris, who has earned $3 million on the Champions Tour since 2002 and has no coaching or recruiting experience, had ulterior motives for returning to Minnesota, where he played hockey under Herb Brooks and was a two-time All-America golfer from 1971-74.
Harris, 58, is under contract for $110,000 at Minnesota.
"John has donated little or no money to the golf team and has shown very little interest in the team," Ebner wrote Maturi on July 12. "His main objective is to hire his son-in-law (Ernie Rose) as men's coach, and eventually have Ernie take over.
"Although Ernie is a good guy, he has very LITTLE experience in recruiting and coaching Division I college golf. I might add that John has no experience in it as well. Why does someone almost 60 and very wealthy, that has never showed interest in college golf (except that he played for the Gophers in the '70s), want to become coach now?"
According to the e-mail chain Ebner provided, Maturi responded: "Phil, appreciate your e-mail. John Harris is a candidate and many believe a very viable one. If hired he will getvtodetermine (sic) his staff but not his successor."
Rose, an instructor at Windsong Farm Golf Club in Independence, Minn., spent the 2009-10 season as an assistant coach on James' staff. He caddied for Harris on the Champions Tour after playing professionally on the PGA Tour of Australasia starting in 2001.
Ebner, a former Gophers assistant coach who captained the 1994 men's team, believes Maturi ignored boosters because he was star-struck by Harris' cachet as a former Gopher, three-time Minnesota State Amateur champion and renowned professional who would be a boon for fundraising.
"It's not just John Harris, it's Maturi, Harris and the way it's been handled," Ebner said. "Every alum is frustrated. I know of at least 10 people who won't donate anymore."
To be fair, the Gophers women's team under Harris' stewardship recorded four of the lowest 54-hole scores in the program's history this fall, and the squad finished no worse than eighth in any tournament.
Maturi hired Harris after learning he planned to scale back on competing on the Champions Tour.
"John had expressed interest in the position, and it became clear to us that it was a great match," Maturi said in a statement released when Harris was hired. "John understands Minnesota and is committed to achieving success with both of our golf programs."
One of Harris' first tasks was hiring a replacement for associate women's coach Kristine Wessinger, who left to start the women's program at St. Catherine University in St. Paul.
Brenny, 30, played collegiately at Wake Forest before winning the 2007 Minnesota State Amateur championship. She was an instructor in North Carolina when she applied for the associate head coach's job, assuming she would teach and lead the entire 10-woman roster.
Instead, according to a person close to Brenny, she was allowed to work only with the freshmen, prohibited from talking about golf with upperclassmen and spent the majority of her time running early-morning conditioning drills and doing paperwork.
Brenny, a coaching novice who was hired at a salary of $44,000, did not travel with the team on their four outstate trips. But Rose did accompany the team on the road after being moved into the newly created position of director of instruction. Harris, whose contract allows him to compete on the Champions Tour, played three tournaments in the fall and did not travel with the teams.
Rose is earning $49,500 as an independent contractor not subject to the university's hiring standards, Ebner said.
In September, Brenny wrote a letter to associate athletics director Liz Eull complaining about her vague status, which led to a contentious meeting with Harris, Eull and associate athletics director David Crum, according to a person close to Brenny.
That led to Brenny being reassigned to a sales job at TCF Bank Stadium, that person said.
After tendering her resignation in late October, Brenny allegedly was told by a team member that she had been prevented from coaching because of her sexual preference, according to a person close to Brenny. And she decided to retain a lawyer.
Brenny hired Mark, whose Eden Prairie firm in May won a $1.25 million judgment in Hennepin County for Jimmy Williams after Gophers coach Tubby Smith misrepresented a job offer to the longtime assistant coach.
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