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 | | Crimson Clock by IUB's Woodburn Hall |
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What a wonderful celebration weekend attended by faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends from across the nation!. A short summary of each of our four main events is contained in paragraph #2 below. Especially gratifying is the fact that many University officials attended the Neal-Marshall reception or the Grazie silent auction, or both. We enjoy, and are grateful for, the strong public support from the administration. What a positive message this sends to our LGBT students and other young people! Please feel free to contact any Board member with your comments or suggestions. We welcome all input as we start to plan for next year's celebration.
Mike Shumate, GLBTAA President
[email protected]
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1. GLBTAA Scholarship Campaign
The results of our GLBTAA Scholarship Campaign are gratifying. As of January 17, 2014, we have raised a total of $629,187.20 in cash and written pledges.
Please continue to help "spread the word" about our ground-breaking Campaign which will help to endow our GLBTAA Scholarship Program. Since 2005, we have granted 39 scholarships (28 academic scholarships and 11 emergency scholarships) to IU students, and our hope is to increase the amounts and number of these scholarships.
Contributions can continue to be made online at:
http://alumni.indiana.edu/affiliates/glbt/supporting-community/index.html
If you have any questions or need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact Mike Shumate at [email protected] or 858-922-6105; or IUAA Alumni Relations Officer Jennifer Gentry at 800-824-3044. Again, heartfelt gratitude to everyone for helping to support our Campaign.
Our Campaign continues to receive national media coverage. An article recently appeared on page 8 of the January/February 2014 Insight Into Diversity Magazine. Insight Into Diversity is the oldest and largest diversity magazine and website in higher education today. http://www.insightintodiversity.com/
THANK YOU, IU alumni, faculty, staff, students, allies and our many friends!
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2. Sixth Celebration Weekend
 | | Fun at the Grazie! |
The GLBTAA hosted its sixth annual Celebration Weekend January 24-26 Coinciding with the Bloomington PRIDE Film Festival, the weekend provided several diverse and fun-filled events. Especially for those who could not attend, below is a summary of our four main events:
Reception at the Neal-Marshall Center
The weekend was launched on Friday, January 24 with a reception at the Neal-Marshall Black Cultural Center. Admission was free with complimentary hors d' oeuvres, along with a cash bar. Mike Shumate, President of the IU GLBTAA, welcomed everyone, and we were then entertained by the Quarryland Men's Chorus. Mike next turned the program over to Doug Bauder, Coordinator of the GLBT Student Support Services Office, who presented the GLBTSSS Spirit Award to Freedom Indiana, a bipartisan, statewide organization fighting to defeat HJR-3. For the first time, the GLBTAA Distinguished Alumni Award was presented to two recipients, Kim Davis and Bill Shipton. Doug Bauder presented the Award to Kim Davis, and Dean Pete Goldsmith, Dean of Students, presented the Award to Bill Shipton. Biographical profiles of both Kim and Bill were included in paragraph #6 of our November, 2013 Newsletter, which can be accessed by clicking "Newsletter Archive" in the left margin. Later that evening, Mike, Doug and Sara Julian, GLBTAA director, greeted everyone at the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre, as part of the PRIDE Film Festival, and promoted our GLBTAA membership drive. Member volunteers signed up 23 new members. We have now surpassed 1,640 members nation-wide - and we're growing!
GLBTAA Annual Board Meeting
The Board held its annual meeting at the DeVault Alumni Center on the following Saturday at 10:00 a.m. which was open to everyone. A slate of directors was presented, and four directors were re-elected to the Board for additional two-year terms. A full agenda was also addressed.
Grazie! Reception and Silent Auction
Our main event was the silent auction and reception at the Grazie that Saturday evening, January 25. We continued the weekend's celebration with a record crowd and record proceeds from the silent auction! We welcomed faculty, staff, alumni and students, as we joined old friends, made new ones, discussed the latest developments in the State and beyond, shared in the joy of the significant strides we've made in recent years.....and had a blast! Sara Julian, a former member of the "Marching 100" brought out her Big Red horn to lead us in some good Hoosier songs, which had to contribute to our win over Illinois the next day.
Bagels and Coffee at the GLBTSSS Office
We wrapped up the weekend over coffee and bagels (compliments of Bloomington Bagel Company) at the GLBT Student Support Services Office on Sunday morning.
 | | More fun! |
 | | Cindy Stone (left) and Sara Julian and her Big Red horn! |
 | | Quarryland Men's Chorus at the Neal-Marshall reception. |
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3. Pride Night
The GLBTAA was proud to host PRIDE Night at the IU Women's Basketball game against Northwestern on January 30. An article was published in IUB's Indiana Daily Student on January 31st. With permission by student journalist Suzanne Grossman, the article is republished below. Additionally, here is a short video reflecting on IU's welcoming environment:
The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Alumni Association celebrated progress Thursday night.
That's progress for the GLBT community and its relationship with IU athletics, specifically since IU Coach Curt Miller, an openly gay man, began coaching the women's basketball team.
Chair of the Pride Night event and member of the GLBTAA Cindy Stone said ten years ago, a Christian college played IU and the rival athletes publicly told their stories of previously living sinful gay lives where they slept with other women.
"That was 10 years ago, and here we are today throwing a Pride athletic event," Stone said. "We don't have those people come here anymore. Things have changed."
Stone and the GLBTAA planned the event for around 70 people, but by starting time, only standing room was left for attendees. As guests shuffled in from the cold, Stone greeted them at the door. She said she hopes the event could be the first of many GLBT events with IU athletics.
"We are trying to put a welcome mat on Cook and Assembly Hall," Stone said. "IU athletics is inclusive of everyone no matter whose hand you hold."
Miller spoke at the event to thank the community for their support of him and his program. He also expressed his hopes for this Pride Night to become a source of inspiration for other Division I Athletics.
"You hear about pride nights in professional sports like hockey, but not very often in Division I athletic events." Miller said. "I hope we're a trend-setter and get the word out. It's wonderful to see the momentum here."
Miller spoke about always wanting to do a pride night in his previous job to gain support, but his marketing directors were hesitant to do so, he said.
He said the event was personal to him, as he and his partner of almost 19 years are welcome at IU because of the great support from the athletic administration and Athletic Director Fred Glass.
"Not everyone would take a chance on me as a new basketball coach," Miller said to the audience. "Not because of my successes or failures, but because of my personal story. And I can't thank you all enough."
Senior Andrew Johnson attended the event because he has volunteered for the GLBTAA since his freshman year. "It was nice to see athletics and GLBT overlap," Johnson said. "You don't see that often. It's a good bridge to build."
Since Miller started coaching last season, the team has made huge progress: it started the season off 14-0 and were ranked in the top 25 early on.
In his short speech, Athletic Director Fred Glass commended Miller on his hard work with the team. "You can tell in the last year there's a new approach to the women's basketball here at Indiana," Glass said. "It's building and building to be the best it's ever been."
Through the team facing injuries and other hardships, the GLBTAA wants to show support for Coach Miller and the team, Stone said. "We are proud of what the team has done this year," Stone said. "But we say our best days are still to come."
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4. Did You Know?
The IU Bloomington Health Center is making significant changes to its information management policies, staff education and health care services to be more accommodating to IU's transgender population. Before policy changes, all health center patients were required to choose between "male" and "female." Now, they can choose between male, female and "transgender." Transgender students, faculty and staff can now also confidentially share both their preferred name and preferred gender status via a secure web-form on the health center's website. This information will then be added to the health center's electronic medical record, which is viewed only by medical staff.
Additionally, the health center will require staff to undergo educational workshops. Medical assistants, cashiers, nurses and receptionists will learn how to address the specific needs of transgender patients, such as using gender-neutral pronouns and preferred names. For more information, please see:
http://inside.iub.edu/headlines/2014-01-30-iniub-head-transhealthcare.shtml
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5. Facebook
The GLBTAA has had a Facebook page for some time now, but some of you may not be aware of it. If you haven't already done so, check out our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/iuglbtaa. "Like" our page and then you will automatically get our Facebook posts regarding news, updates and information of our events.
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6. Marriage Equality
 | | Evan Wolfson |
As the Indiana General Assembly continues to debate an amendment, known as HJR-3, that would inscribe marriage discrimination in the state's constitution, the Maurer School of Law hosted two recent events designed to stimulate dialogue on this important issue.
Evan Wolfson, founder and president of the national organization Freedom to Marry, spoke about HJR-3 and the State of Indiana's role in the larger national debate over marriage equality. Wolfson told the audience of students, faculty, and community members, "You have an opportunity to thwart this desperate, last-ditch effort to push Indiana away from the direction the rest of the country is going. Right now the eyes of the nation are on Indiana. Americans have been on a journey. Americans have opened their hearts and their minds. It's our job to give people the stories, the conversation, the engagement and the time to take that journey." Video of the full program is available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iptwbeGmLPU&feature=youtu.be
Wolfson was introduced by IU Bloomington Provost Lauren Robel, who underscored IU's opposition to HJR-3. The event was co-sponsored by the Maurer chapter of the American Constitution Society, OUTLaw, the Maurer LGBT Alumni Advisory Board, and others. Wolfson has been a leading voice in the fight to win marriage equality for more than two decades. He is the author of Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality, and Gay People's Right to Marry. Time magazine named him one of the "100 most influential people in the world," and in 2012, he won the Barnard Medal of Distinction alongside President Barack Obama.
The day before Wolfson's lecture, Maurer law professor and GLBTAA board member Steve Sanders debated author Sherif Girgis on the topic "What Is Marriage?" in a program sponsored by the law school's chapter of the Federalist Society. The program explored "natural law" arguments about limiting marriage to one man and one woman. Video of that event is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j0Ao43U3T0
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7. Academic Scholarship Recipient
Congratulations are extended to Annalyssa N. Long, one of our 2014 Spring Academic Scholarship recipients! Annalyssa is a Bloomington premed sophomore, majoring in Psychology. While her course work is rigorous, she still has found the time to benefit the LGBT community, principally by volunteering with the IU GLB Speaker's Bureau. "Being a part of these panels allows me direct contact with hundreds of students... [I]t is one of the best ways to promote understanding because it allows students to ask any questions that they may have and get an answer that is right from the source" says Annalyssa. She has earned a number of scholastic achievements, including Hutton Honors College, Founders Scholar and Alpha Lambda Delta. And she was a member of a Little 500 team this past year! She has accomplished all this while maintaining an impressive 3.843 GPA. Her aspiration is to become a specialist in pediatric oncology and hopes to be able to participate in the outreach of Doctors Without Borders someday.
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8. GLBTAA Scholarships
GLBTAA Academic Scholarships Academic Scholarships are awarded to IU students enrolled at any IU campus, who are academically strong, as well as active in promoting diversity, tolerance and social justice. Scholarships are awarded to students based upon academic achievement, career goals, financial need, leadership experience, community service and extracurricular activities. Involvement in activities promoting diversity and raising awareness of GLBT and related issues on the student's campus or in his or her community is carefully reviewed by the Board. The maximum award for an Academic Scholarship is $1,000 per semester. An individual student may not receive more than $2,000. The deadline for the Fall 2014 semester is April 15, 2014.
IU GLBTAA Emergency Scholarships
Emergency Scholarships are awarded to those students who experience the loss of financial support when they make the courageous decision to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity to their families. Emergency Scholarships help to ensure that students need not choose between their education at IU and living life openly and honestly. Emergency Scholarships are awarded to students attending any IU campus. The maximum award for an Emergency Scholarship is $1,500 per semester, and a student may not receive more than $3,000.
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9. Membership
Encourage your friends to join the GLBTAA. They can visit our website here and join. There are no membership dues, and you do not have to be a member of the IUAA, or an IU degree-holder. We are approaching 1,600 members nation-wide, and we're growing! We appreciate your continued commitment! It is because of you that the GLBTAA is in existence, continues to grow and continues to serve our important mission on all eight of IU's campuses. If you are a member and wish to continue receiving our e-Newsletters, please make sure we have a current e-mail address for you. You can visit https://alumni.indiana.edu/my-iu/index.html to see if your official record, including your e-mail address, is current. Thank you for your support through your membership. We look forward to serving you now and in the years to come. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Jennifer Gentry, Alumni Relations Officer, at: [email protected] or Mike Shumate at [email protected] .
If not already a member, please consider joining the IUAA by visiting https://alumni.indiana.edu/membership/index.html, by [email protected] or calling (800) 824-3044. By joining the IUAA, among many other things, you help fund the various GLBTAA programs, along with gaining access to IUAA member-only events.
If you would like to unsubscribe and terminate future communications from the GLBTAA, please respond to: [email protected].
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