Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Alumni Association

Reaching Out

An e-Newsletter by the IU Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Alumni Association


Almost Summer!
May, 2015
In This Issue
Connect with us!

   

 

 

 

   

   

IU South Bend
IUPUI
             

 

 

The GLBTAA was formed on June 13, 1997 by a small group of strong, visionary individuals and has since been supported by many committed members, leaders and IUAA staff. All have worked tirelessly to continue fulfilling the GLBTAA important mission of improving "the quality of life for GLBT students, faculty, staff and alumni of Indiana University on all eight campuses." Each year the GLBTAA builds on that historical vision and commitment. Thank you! With your continued support, we will continue to build on our 18-year legacy.

 

        Mike Shumate, Past President

[email protected] 

  

 1. Roberta Kaplan

 

With Steve Sanders

The GLBTAA, along with the Maurer LGBT Alumni Advisory Board, Maurer OUTlaw and others, co-sponsored a lecture at the Maurer School of Law on March 26 by Roberta Kaplan, litigation partner with Paul Weiss in New York. Kaplan was the lead attorney in U.S. v Windsor in defeating the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Steve Sanders, Maurer professor and GLBTAA board member, introduced her. Kaplan spoke about Windsor, her arguments before the Supreme Court, the future of marriage equality, and briefly about Indiana's own Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Earlier in the week, she also participated in launching the Harmony-Meier Institute for Democracy and Equity in Education at IU's School of Education in Bloomington. Here is a video of her lecture. 

2.  bloomingOUT 
 

 

bloomingOUT crew outside WFHB, from left to right: Carissa Barrett, Hayley Bass, Megan McCullough, Andrew Sims, Jeff Jewel, Olivia Davidson, Ryne Shadday, and Jeff Poling. Not pictured: Erica Dorsey, Jorge Guillen, Frankie Salzman and Arielle Soussan.

If you love good conversation with fascinating guests, care about relevant issues, enjoy music, poetry or books, or happen to be a news junky, bloomingOUT is the place for you! BloomingOUT is Indiana's only LGBTQ+ public affairs show and works to cover all aspects of LGBTQ+ life. The show features interviews with members of the LGBTQ+ and ally community, music, news, event calendar, and original segments, including "First Year Out," "Out on Campus," "Dear Straight People," and many more features to come. BloomingOUT airs every Thursday 6-7 p.m. (Eastern) on WFHB and is available anytime online at

http://wfhb.org/news/bloomingout or on iTunes.

 

For more information, please see http://bloomingout.wordpress.com ,or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/bloomingoutonwfhb

 

 

 3. GLBTAA Scholarship Campaign

  

Please continue to "spread the word" about our ground-breaking Campaign, which will help to endow our GLBTAA Scholarship Program. We awarded eight academic scholarships for the 2015 spring semester. Each recipient will be featured in one of our Newsletters. One is covered in paragraph # 7 below. After reviewing another heart-breaking story, we also awarded emergency funds to an IUB student. Since 2005, we have granted 57 scholarships (44 academic scholarships and 13 emergency scholarships) to IU students. Because of your generous support, we will be able to continue providing scholarships well into the future.  

    

Cody D Allen, an academic scholarship recipient, has commented, "I am eternally grateful for the generous scholarship from the IU GLBT Alumni Association. Costs of education are rising as fast as the need for higher education and the scholarship reduced that burden, allowing me to focus on scholarship and community service this semester. The Alumni Association is playing a crucial role on campus in promoting diversity and I am proud to be a part of the Association!" Cody is a junior pursuing a degree in Finance at the Kelley School of Business in Bloomington. 

   

Contributions can be made online at Campaign Contributions 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 Clarence Boone at 800-824-3044. Again, heartfelt gratitude to everyone for supporting our Campaign.

 

THANK YOU, IU alumni, faculty, staff, students, allies and our many friends!

 4. Student Member Note 

 

Jason Sprinkle

Congratulations are extended to Jason R. Sprinkle for his recent receipt of the William M. Plater Civic Engagement Medallion for 2015. http://mckinneylaw.iu.edu/news/current.cfm?nid=1974  The award is designed to honor graduating IUPUI students for their commitment to the community through volunteer service at a non-profit agency, participation in service learning courses, voluntary service abroad or involvement with a faculty member on a community-based research project. This honor was bestowed, in part, for Jason's involvement with the IU GLBTAA, IU McKinney Lambda Law Society, and as a mayoral appointee to the Equal Opportunity Advisory Board for the City of Indianapolis. Jason will soon graduate from the IU McKinney School of Law this month. He earned his BA, magna cum laude, from IU Bloomington in May 2012, double-majoring in English and Political Science. Jason served as President of the McKinney Lambda Law Society and as a Student Director for the GLBTAA Board throughout his third and final year in law school. Additionally, he regularly volunteers with local nonprofit organizations such as Indy Pride, The Damien Center, and Step-Up, Inc. Jason has recently taken a position with the IU Foundation in Bloomington as Assistant Director of Gift Planning. He would like to thank his friends, family, and Indiana University for their continued love and support.

5. Sigma Phi Beta

Sigma Phi Beta Members

 

Sigma Phi Beta sponsored its third annual philanthropic drag show on February 19th. Drag for Cause featured twelve performers and raised funds for Positive Young People, a nonprofit organization whose focus is to impact the conversation about HIV and AIDS for young people ages 18-30. One of its missions is to change the stigma involved with HIV/AIDS and to reduce new HIV infections through the means of education, prevention, and awareness. "We really wanted an event that not only benefitted a cause that was important to us but also educated the general public about Drag culture in a fun way." said Jacob Samples, the Fraternity's spokesperson. "It's always a great event and even with the cold weather our turnout was significant."

 

Sigma Phi Beta is IU's only queer and allied fraternity, providing a unique social and educational environment for its members within the traditional Greek system on the Bloomington campus. It strives to build character in LGBT male college students through social and meaningful activities that will empower them in their future endeavors. Each semester the members plan and complete community service and philanthropic events for area causes and organizations. Earlier this year, Sigma Phi Beta was awarded a Spirit Award, presented by IUB's GLBT Student Support Services Office for embodying the strength, character and spirit of the GLBT Office. The Beta Chapter will be conducting rush this coming fall. Contact Jacob Samples at [email protected] or check out Sigma Phi Beta's Facebook page if you're interested in getting involved. The Facebook page is at: https://www.facebook.com/SigmaPhiBeta  

 


A Few Members Around Doug Bauder at GLBTAA Neal-Marshall Reception
6. 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 follow our Facebook posts regarding news, updates and information about our events.

 

Like us on Facebook

7. Academic Scholarship Recipient 

   

Congratulations are extended to Jedidiah Anderson, one of our 2015 Spring Academic Scholarship recipients! Jedidiah is near completion of his PhD in Bloomington in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures with minors in Gender and Jewish Studies. His project is a study of LGBTIQ identity and activisms in Lebanon, Iraq and Israel and the Palestinian Territories. An OIF veteran who did his Master's Degree at the American University of Beirut after serving in the US Army, Jedidiah has worked in Helem, the first official LGBTIQ rights group in the Arab World, and returned to Iraq after his service to work as an English teacher while doing his dissertation fieldwork. "I have sought both through my research and through my community involvement to raise awareness of GLBT issues, and in my fieldwork have always aspired to improve the place that I did my research," says Jedidiah. His IUB GPA is 3.868, and he aspires to work as an academic after finishing his Ph.D. We're proud of you, Jedidiah! 

 

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 Spring 2016 semester is November 15, 2015.

  

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.
  
You can learn more about the GLBTAA Scholarship Program and apply online at: http://alumni.indiana.edu/affiliates/glbt/supporting-community/scholarships.html

 

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 Clarence Boone, 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].