college campuses
“At, the same time that I've gotten a lot
of harassing calls, I’ve also gotten a lot of
calls from people who needed someone to
talk to,” he said. “I pretty much don't
worry but i think it’s hard for a lot of peo
ple to make that kind of choice.”
Pippa Holloway, U. of North Carolina,
Chapel Hill Lesbian/Gay Alliance co
chair, said she often was harassed verbal
ly when she lived in a dorm. “Rut I don’t
feel physically threatened," she said.
“That atmosphere of violence is designed
to keep gays silent.”
But the atmosphere of harassment
isn’t keeping all gay students silent.
Across the nation, with varying degrees
of success and failure, they are calling for
equality on a number of issues.
One area where gay students are being
more vocal is with the recognition and
funding of gay and lesbian student groups.
In 1974, the courts first ruled in a U. of
New Hampshire case that public univer
sities had to allow gay student organiza
tions on campus. In 1987, the courts ruled
“I think campuses are an arena
where some of the most significant
progress is being made."
— Nan B. Hunter,
Director of ACLU’s
Lesbian and Gay Project
similarly granting a gay student orga
nization equal access to facilities in a
case involving Georgetown U . a private
1 atholic institution.
There are a long line of rulings from
the 1970s that universities must afford
recognition to gay and lesbian student
croups," said Nan B. Hunter, director of
’he Lesbian and Gay Project of the
American Civil Liberties Union. "1
thuik campuses are an arena where
-nme of the most significant progress is
I'tung made.”
The latest in these successes involves
the issue of funding. Two out of three
vears during the mid- 1980s, the Gay and
lesbian Student Association of the LJ. of
Arkansas, Fayetteville, was denied fund
ing by the student senate. The GLSA was
the only group asking for funds in 1985
to be denied. Appeals to Lyle Gohn. the
■■ ice chancellor for student services, were
fruitless.
“The student senate refused to fund it
t>ecause they felt it was morally wrong,”
-aid Linda Lovell, GLSA president dur
ing the controversy. Lovell, along with the
ACLU’s Hunter, filed suit against Gohn
and the university in April 1986
In 1988, the Eighth Circuit Court of
Appeals reversed a district court deci
sion and ruled in favor of the GSLA
Although thi' ruling does not explicitly
order universities to fund gay and les
bian organizations, the ruling estab
lished that tlie groups must be treated
the same as other student orgamzatnms.
"It simply says they must treat us equal
ly and not refuse us funds on ideological
grounds," Lovell, a UA Fayetteville
graduate student, said.
Gohn said he did not reverse the stu
dent government’s decision because it
was not evident it was the pn xiuct of anti
gay sentiments. He also said he had a
long-standing tradition of not reversing
student government decisions. Hut, he
said, had he been able to discern that dis
criminatory attitudes were part of the
debate, his decision probably would have
been different.
Although the ruling only applies to the
seven states in the Kighth Circuit,
Hunter said she hopes it takes on
national prominence “1 would hope that
legal advisers at other universities
would simply advise administrators
that a circuit court has already ruled on
this instead of having to litigate this in
every circuit.
Funding problems have arisen at sev
eral other schools in the last few years,
including U of Nebraska, Lincoln, and
Duk(> l ’ But all indications are that stu
dent governments at both universities
have allocated funds for the organiza
tions for the next year.
“1 think the new student government is
making an effort to really know the
issues,” said David Whitaker, chair of
Nebraska’s Committee Offering Lesbian
and (lav Kvents.
The last couple of years have been ones
of change for the Duke I Gay and
Lesbian Association After 17 years of
existence, the DGLA asked for funds for
the first time last year
The student government denied the
group funds, but it was because of the gov
ernment's own financial difficulties. All
other groups applying for funds for the
first time last year were also denied.
This year, despite some haggling over
the DGLA budget, the group expects to
receive about $950. “There was never any
question that the organization as a whole
is legitimate and valuable,” said
Jonathan Rosenzweig, chair of the stu
dent government's budget committee.
Another change at Duke within the last
two years was the amendment of the uni
versity’s non-discrimination policy to
include sexual orientation. The policy was
adopted without much controversy during
a 1988 Chnstmas-break board meeting.
According to NGLTF figures, there
omiuonis. 'mi ,:v.::iahc SixJHWf misss H.SUITU
The home of Brad Evans, a senior theater and performance ma|or at Southwest Missouri State U.,
was destroyed In a fire on Nov. 15. 1989. Fire department officials classified the blaze an arson
and linked it to Evans support of a university production of a play about gay men. The whole
situation was just boiling and ready to blow up in some way," Evans said
are about 100 universities that include
sexual orientation in their non-discrim
mation policies, although Herrill
admits this is probably only a partial
list. Still, he pointed to the existence of
only 400 gay and lesbian student
groups compared to about 3,000 cam
puses natiowuie as evidence of discrim
ination. "A vast number of universities
do permit discrimination on the basis of
sexual orientation.” Berrill said
Boston U., U. of Virginia and U. of
Oklahoma are a few schools where
amendments to include sexual orienta
tion have failed In contrast, efforts at
Western Illinois U. led to the enactment
of sexual orientation clauses at four other
schools 'Passing that kind of clause is
regarded as one of the most basic rights
to grant,” said Nickel, co-president of
Boston IJ.'s organization
Boston U President John Sillier, a candi
date for governor of Massachusetts, is
known for lus opposition to such an amend
ment. In a Boston Globe article, Sillier was
quoted as saying, They wanted us to put in
the phrase, 'no discrimination according to
affectional preference.' Well, 'affectional
preference1 can involve bestiality and it can
involve abuse of children."
“He’s kind of fostering these negative
stereotypes, exactly the kinds of things
that we are fighting against," Nickel said
Silber did not return three phone mes
sages left with the Boston U. office of pub
lic relations.
While gay students have made some
progress, altitudinal changes are coming
about more slowly "That's why we need
to do a lot of educating and revealing to
people what we already know our com
mon humanity," said Michael Ramsey
Perez, director of Student Organization
Services at Stanford l' That’s the hard
est and one of the most exciting tasks of
student affairs work ”
Most gay rights leaders are optimistic
about the future. They point to the
Rutgers report, and other victories, as
models for dealing with gay students’
needs But they also admit the college
movement is still m its early stages "The
fact that so many things are first time and
unique talks about how early in the pro
cess this is,” Nieberding said.
"In general it is an ever-improving sit
uation,” Hunter said “There's far more
concern paid now to conditions on campus
that would tend to make lesbian and gay
students uncomfortable.”
And if gay students adopt an attitude
similar to that of U. of Virginia govern
merit professor Dante Germino, progress
will continue. “The problem is a fear of
rocking the boat and an unwillingness to
see these matters as political. There has
to be more action on the political front.
“As a gay person, I’m tired ofjust sitting
in the back of the bus.”
Anyone interested m a copy of the Rutgers U
report on gay anc estxan concerns should send
a $10 check to Rutgers U 301 Van Nest Hall.
Old Queens Campus, New Brunswick. NJ 08903
Rotc
Exclusion of homosexuals spurs campus debate... Despite
a U. of Wisconsin, Madison, faculty-wide vote calling
for a phase-out of ROTC if it does not change its policy
excluding homosexuals from service, the schools
Board of Regents opted in January for a milder plan
that allows ROTC to remain on campus but also com
mits to lobbying efforts to change the military policy.
The UW debate is representative of what is going on
at several universities nationwide and, coupled with
an incident involving an ROTC cadet at Washington
U. in St. Louis, has focused increased attention on
ROTC programs.
Jim Holobaugh. a senior civil engineering major,
was the second-highest ranking Army ROTC cadet
at U. of Missouri before he transferred to Washington
U. in fall 1988. He was the recipient of a prestigious
four-year ROTC scholarship and appeared in a
nationwide advertising recruitment campaign for
ROTC But when Holobaugh admitted his homosex
uality to his superiors, they started proceedings to
have him disenrolled from ROTC and have since
asked Holobaugh to repay his scholarship. The case
is now on administrative appeal within the Army.
“We have a policy that we don’t enlist homosexuals
in military service,” Department of Defense
spokesman Bill Caldwell said. "The presence of a per
son who is a homosexual in the military impairs the
accomplishment of the military mission.”
Holobaugh disagrees. "It's a policy that’s based on
prejudice, not performance. In a war situation, you're
going to follow the person who is most competent, and
you’re not going to care what the person’s sexual orien
tation is.”
Washington U. Provost Edward S. Macias sent a let
ter to ROTC officials denouncing their policy, making
Washington the eighth major university in the nation
to speak out against the ROTC. Harvard U. and Yale U.
were two of the first schools to ban ROTC from campus
in the early 1970s In December, the Harvard
Undergraduate Council reaffirmed its position by pass
ing a proposal that prohibits ROTC from returning until
its policies are changed. Debates about whether the
ROTC, and other government organizations with simi
lar policies, should remain on campus have surfaced at
the universities of California, Iowa and Minnesota, and
Dartmouth College.
The Supreme Court recently refused to hear two cases
involving two military members and the DOD’s policy
on homosexuals, an action that has no real legal signif
icance, said ACLU attorney Jon Davidson. It shouldn’t
affect how campuses decide to deal with the ROTC.
“Eventually, 1 think our actions are going to force a
change of policy," said Steve Boland of Minnesota's
Student Association Forum, which has called for the
school to lobby against the military’s policy. “I don’t see
that happening in the real near future, but it's certainly
possible within the next few years." Abigail Goldman,
The Daily Cardinal. U. of Wisconsin, Madison, and ITV