April 21, 2010<\/b><\/p>\n
Miami Student: I\u2019m A Hate Crime Victim.<\/span><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.wcpo.com\/news\/local\/story\/Miami-Student-Im-A-Hate-Crime-Victim\/GNIyb1tgbka2R3lpJYHyQA.cspx.<\/span><\/p>\n OXFORD, Ohio \u2014 Police continue to investigate a fight that started at a gay and lesbian student organization event early Saturday morning. One of the victims told 9News he believes the attack was a hate crime. The Miami University Queer\/Straight Alliance hosted a drag show to raise money for Operation Smile at StadiUm Bar and Grill in Oxford. The co-president of the student group SPECTRUM said the group holds four shows a year to raise money for a variety of charities. Ben Collings, a Miami University junior, attended the event with his boyfriend. He says when he was in the restroom, he overheard others using derogatory words for homosexuals. Collings pointed out the event was in the upstairs portion of the StadiUm bar, required a secondary cover charge to enter, and the second floor restrooms were not accessible to those who were on the first floor. He says he overheard some saying, \u201c[Expletives] do not belong in society\u201d. \u201cTensions escalate, I go to use the restroom, I get pushed, a fight breaks out in the restroom and it kinda filters outside, more people get involved,\u201d said Collings. Collings said his boyfriend ran across the street to the Oxford Police Department to alert them to the attack while he followed the individuals where a fight ensued. Collings suffered a broken cheek bone, broken nose and receive two black eyes. After the fight, he was taken to the hospital for treatment and underwent numerous tests. He says his injuries may require reconstructive surgery. Oxford Police say it was Collings who initiated the fight, and so far, they have not labeled the crime as a \u201chate incident\u201d or \u201chate crime,\u201d but they continue to investigate. \u201cI was assaulted because of my sexual orientation, if you want to define it as that \u2013 if you want to define it as assault, that\u2019s what it\u2019s going to be defined as,\u201d said Collings. Collings also told 9News he believes if the incident involving him is not labeled a hate crime, he believes an attack on his boyfriend inside the bar is a hate crime. The student group SPECTRUM said this isn\u2019t the first time something like this has happened in Oxford. \u201cEvery time it has happened, it has never been labeled a hate crime, most people react with frustration or anger, so we just at this point are trying to bring more public attention to the problems on campus,\u201d said co-president Mat Hall. Collings said despite his injuries, he hopes his experience will help others. \u201cIf this little bit of injury prevents someone being beaten to death later on, then of course, this was worth it,\u201d he said. A silent protest is scheduled Thursday night starting at 7 p.m. outside Shriver Center on the campus of Miami University as a response to Saturday\u2019s incident. The event is open to the public.<\/span><\/p>\n April 22, 2010<\/b><\/p>\n Miami students rallying against hate.<\/span><\/p>\n By Meagan Engle, Oxford Press.<\/span><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.oxfordpress.com\/news\/oxford-news\/miami-students-rallying-against-hate-665886.html.<\/span><\/p>\n OXFORD \u2014 Miami University students are organizing a town hall forum and silent Rally Against Hate on campus today, April 22, in response to allegations that two (sic) gay students were assaulted Uptown on Saturday night. Miami\u2019s Student Senate issued a resolution this week condemning violence and discriminatory behavior against Miami students. The resolution came in response to two male students\u2019 claims that they \u201cencountered verbal and physical degradation regarding their sexual identities\u201d Friday, April 16. According to Oxford police, the two 21-year-olds got into a verbal confrontation with another man in the bathroom of bar around 12:45 p.m. The students followed the man outside the bar, where he punched and kicked one student in the face, according to reports. Oxford police are investigating the assault, but aren\u2019t considering it a hate crime because the students followed the man out of the bar. The suspect is described as less than 6 feet tall, with brown spiked hair. He was wearing a salmon polo shirt and charcoal shorts at the time, according to police. The silent rally will follow a town hall meeting on how themed parties such as \u201cGhetto Fest\u201d \u2014 an off-campus bash put on by local residents \u2014 affect the student body and Miami\u2019s image. The town hall meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Heritage Room at Shriver Center. The rally will start immediately following on the west patio, said student Alex Schaefer, who is helping organize the event. Rally participants will be asked to wear a piece of duct tape over their mouths. They are also asked to wear Miami gear and bring signs with slogans about intolerance, discrimination and hate. Buttons with the words \u201cNo hate on my campus \u2013 Miami\u201d also will be distributed, Schaefer said.<\/span><\/p>\n October 25, 2010<\/b><\/p>\n Miami continues gender-neutral housing.<\/span><\/p>\n By Ethan Carey<\/span><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.miamistudent.net\/news\/miami-continues-gender-neutral-housing-1.1726699#.T2NCnsxVvH0<\/span><\/p>\n In an effort to promote a more inclusive environment for students, Miami University has implemented a gender-neutral housing option for those who are uncomfortable in the sex-segregated housing model. According to Demere Woolway, assistant director of the Office of Diversity Affairs and coordinator of GLBTQ Services, the gender-neutral housing option allows more students to feel comfortable with their living arrangements on campus. \u201cAt Miami, (gender-neutral housing) is an option for students who are in their second year or older who want to live on campus and who want to choose a roommate not necessarily on the basis of their legal sex,\u201d Woolway said. \u201cThis is a good option for some transgender individuals whose legal sex may not be the sex with which they identify. It may also be an option for whom sex-segregated living is not a good option, so for example a gay man who is more comfortable living with heterosexual women.\u201d The gender-neutral housing option is in its first year of implementation, according to Woolway, who said there is a limited amount of space for students seeking this type of housing situation. This year\u2019s program has allotted 12 beds within Heritage Commons and Hahne Hall, while plans for next year will provide 16 beds for students showing need. \u201cThis is the first year of implementation,\u201d she said. \u201cLast year was the year that the policies were written and it was designed, and this year it has been implemented on a very, very small scale.\u201d Woolway said gender-neutral housing situations typically include suite-style living where students have four people and they all use one bathroom. According to Vicka Bell-Robinson, associate director of the Office of Residence Life, limited space requires students have a legitimate reason to request gender-neutral housing. \u201cThere is not a lot of space so there must be a good reason,\u201d Bell-Robinson said. \u201cThis program is really geared specifically towards people who are uncomfortable living in traditional corridors.\u201d The major reason this option has been offered is to help those students who feel sex-segregated living arrangements are not the best option, Bell-Robinson said. According to Coordinator of Residence Life Jamie Workman, 12 students have requested gender-neutral housing in its first year of implementation, but only 11 of them chose to live within the suite-style living arrangements. Junior Matt McCandless, a former resident assistant in Morris Hall, said offering a gender-neutral housing option is an easy way to promote diversity and ensure all students are comfortable with their on-campus housing arrangement. \u201cI think that this is a good idea because members of the GLBTQ community are treated differently and I have seen it up close as a resident assistant,\u201d McCandless said. \u201cI think the gender-neutral housing option will offer students more security in their living arrangements and will promote a more positive environment at Miami.\u201d Woolway said while gender-neutral housing is becoming a nationwide trend, it has only been implemented on a small scale. \u201cI can tell you that nationally many of my colleagues at different universities have programs like this in place and it has remained a very small number of students who take advantage of it,\u201d Woolway said. \u201cThe wide majority of students are comfortable living in sex-segregated housing, that\u2019s what they\u2019ve grown up with, that\u2019s what their expectations are.\u201d Bell-Robinson said while the program is still young, the university hopes to continue offering a gender-neutral option into the future.<\/span><\/p>\n November 14, 2011<\/b><\/p>\n University alumnus marks LGBT Alumni Association\u2019s founding with two scholarships.<\/span><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.miamistudent.net\/news\/campus\/university-alumnus-marks-lgbt-alumni-association-s-founding-with-two-scholarships-1.2698488#.US0RQRl2Ds8<\/span><\/p>\n The 15th anniversary of the 1809 LGBT Alumni Association\u2019s founding marked more than just a milestone for the organization. A new scholarship for LGBT students will be offered thanks to alumnus William Manchester. Manchester graduated from Miami University in 1959. As a member of the 1809 LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) Alumni Association, Manchester wanted to give back to the school and show his support for the LGBT community, according to Demere Woolway, assistant director to Office of Diversity Affairs and Coordinator of LGBT Services. Manchester has pledged $185,000 to help make the scholarships possible. From this money, two scholarships will be created; one of which will be need-based offered for any student and the other for the LGBT students, Woolway said. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing to think Miami made that much of an impact on someone that after they leave they still continue to give back in more than just one way,\u201d sophomore Margret Allard said. \u201cIt really shows how much support and love the school has.\u201d Manchester\u2019s first gift to the school will support the 1809 LGBT Alumni Scholarship. Students are nominated for the scholarship by the LGBT alumni board and the coordinator of the office of GLBTQ, according to Michael Kumler, director of development in Student Affairs. \u201cIt\u2019s wonderful that we have alumni who love Miami and who want to celebrate the changes,\u201d Woolway said. Although Manchester himself experienced some negative times at Miami, the progress that has been made encouraged him to give back according to Billy Price, president of Spectrum. \u201cI think it\u2019s great coming forth and setting up scholarships, it shows support not just through the administration but from the alumni as well,\u201d Price said. The second scholarship Manchester donated will go towards the university\u2019s general need based program. Students are eligible to receive the need-based scholarship based on their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form completed as part of the application process, according to Kumler. The two scholarships provided by Manchester will be set up for $1,000 each.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cGenerally, [the scholarships] are $1,000, but depending on availability of funds they may be more,\u201d Kumler said. \u201d Because both gifts are being endowed by other donors, Manchester\u2019s gift doesn\u2019t actually affect the timeline of the scholarships being awarded.\u201d Both scholarships support the university\u2019s For Love and Honor campaign. The campaign is designed to enhance student learning opportunities, student financial aid and faculty support along with improving the campus.<\/span><\/p>\n March 15, 2012<\/b><\/p>\n Miami officials face discrimination lawsuit.<\/span><\/p>\n By Adam Giffi.<\/span><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.miamistudent.net\/news\/miami-officials-face-discrimination-lawsuit-1.2820669#.T2NDesxVvH1.<\/span><\/p>\n Kaeden Kass is a transgender male student who is facing a difficult decision with potential legal implications for Miami University. After applying to be a resident assistant (RA) Kass received a job offer. The complication: Miami is requiring Kass to reside with female roommates because his birth certificate states he is a female. Kass feared this would happen when he sought the job. \u201cI knew I would be stirring the pot if I applied, but I didn\u2019t want to not take opportunities just because I thought I might run into controversy,\u201d Kass said. \u201cI was very clear with Residence Life from the start that if they wanted to put me in a sex-segregated corridor it would need to be a male one because living in a female corridor would not be acceptable for me and they assured me this was fine.\u201d According to Kass, he was reassured when he saw on the general application form every candidate fills out there was not a line for \u2018sex\u2019 but rather \u2018identified gender.\u2019 Kass explained why he did not wish to be placed in a female dorm. \u201cI\u2019m just as male as any other guy walking around Miami,\u201d Kass said. \u201cAs soon as I am forced into an all-female space, my [male] identity gets erased. I just cannot handle being invisible like that anymore.\u201d However, a few weeks into the process Kass said he was informed that the Dean of Students, Susan Mosley-Howard, representatives from the Office of Residence Life and others were meeting to discuss his application. Shortly thereafter, Kass met with Mosley-Howard, where he was informed they were going to house him on the basis of his legal sex. \u201cI was told that they have to go by my legal records and they kept informing me repeatedly that legally I\u2019m a female,\u201d Kass said. \u201cI felt that I was treated like a delusional person who doesn\u2019t know I\u2019m trans and who is not aware of the complexities of my situation. It felt condescending.\u201d Kass said he has filed an official charge of discrimination with the Office of Equity and Equal Opportunity against Mosley-Howard as well as against Robin Parker, general counsel in the Office of the President and against Jerry Olsen, director of the Office of Residence Life. Demere Woolway, Miami\u2019s coordinator of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (GLBTQ) Services, was involved in the talks about Kass\u2019 case. She said she is displeased the university has been unable to accommodate Kass thus far. \u201cI think it\u2019s really unfortunate that we weren\u2019t able to find a housing situation that was what was appropriate for this student,\u201d Woolway said. \u201cI personally feel that we should be able to house people on the basis of their gender identity and not just their sex.\u201d Not only has the process made Kass feel uncomfortable, he said ha feels it is in violation of university policies: the University Statement Asserting Respect for Human Diversity and the University Statement of Non-Discrimination. Both of these contain language stating that all at Miami must work to ensure everyone feels comfortable and the latter states: \u201cMiami University is committed to providing equal opportunity and an educational and work environment free from discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, military status, or veteran status.\u201d Kass sees his case as directly contradictory to these statements. \u201cI don\u2019t see how this is not discriminating against me,\u201d Kass said. \u201cAt Miami we have all this rhetoric about embracing diversity and not discriminating against anyone on any basis and Miami is not living up to these values.\u201d Woolway agreed that on some level the statements are not being adhered to. \u201cIt gets complicated,\u201d Woolway said. \u201cI do think at the very least the decision is not respectful to the spirit of those policies. The spirit is that we are going to pay attention to people\u2019s gender identity and fully respect their gender identities. But I\u2019m not a lawyer and don\u2019t know if that language is legally binding.\u201d According to Associate General Counsel in the Office of the President Chris Wilson, the university cannot provide any information regarding whether such a complaint has been filed. \u201cI can tell you that the university takes all reports of discrimination seriously and has policies and procedures in place for investigating complaints of discrimination,\u201d Wilson said. Kass said President David Hodge has notified him that an investigation by an outside party will begin now and could go until May 5. Mosley-Howard was unavailable for comment and Olsen declined to comment. First-year Katie Tank explained why she feels university officials took the position they have. \u201cMiami has probably chosen to take this stand to try to eliminate controversy,\u201d Tank said. \u201cThey probably thought sticking to a legal definition of gender would be the easiest way to do this, but it looks like there will be controversy anyway.\u201d Kass is nearing a decision on his job offer. \u201cI feel like I\u2019ve already lost,\u201d Kass said. \u201cThey\u2019ve already basically said they aren\u2019t going to respect my gender identity and so I pretty much have no choice but to deny the job.\u201d Both Kass and Woolway expressed a desire to raise awareness of these issues and encourage a greater level of acceptance on campus. \u201cTrans students are members of our community here; we should be working to make our residence halls and other places on campus open and inclusive for anybody that is a part of our community,\u201d Woolway said.<\/span><\/p>\n March 28, 2012<\/b><\/p>\n Attack On Gay College Students Investigated.<\/span><\/p>\n Police Seek Public\u2019s Help Finding Attackers.<\/span><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.wlwt.com\/news\/30789872\/detail.html#ixzz1qqoUODrR.<\/span><\/p>\n OXFORD, Ohio \u2014 Two college students were left bloody and battered [on March 24th], and investigators said they believe the two were attacked because they\u2019re gay. Miami University student Michael Bustin was walking from one of the establishments on the campus with a man he\u2019d met, talking and minding their own business, when he said they were blindsided with blows. \u201cI was just walking my friend back from the drag show that was being put on,\u201d Bustin said. \u201cWe were both holding hands for a few seconds. There was nothing to it. We were just holding hands.\u201d Bustin said he heard someone yell a derogatory slur before four men walked up to his friend. \u201cOut of nowhere, he started punching (my friend). I got in the way of the two, saying we wanted to go home. We didn\u2019t want any harm. Then, I got sucker punched twice in the face,\u201d Bustin said. Bustin said he remembers the four men giving him several more swings before some students stepped in. \u201cIf they weren\u2019t there, I\u2019d probably by lying in the hospital right now,\u201d Bustin said. The university responded swiftly, sending a bulletin to the community, and Bustin said the dean reached out to him immediately. \u201cIt actually made me feel humbled that the university looked into my matter,\u201d Bustin said. \u201cI just want this to be a message. Just stop hate.\u201d Oxford police said they\u2019re still working on sketches of the attackers.<\/span><\/p>\n March 29, 2012<\/b><\/p>\n Spectrum holds summit to facilitate GLBTQ action.<\/span><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.miamistudent.net\/news\/campus\/spectrum-holds-summit-to-facilitate-glbtq-action-1.2833726#.US0QuRl2Ds8<\/span><\/p>\n After holding the first Love, Honor and Pride Summit last week along with many other events to celebrate LGBT Awareness Week, Spectrum has put together a course of action to further build a sense of community within the GLBTQ community.With almost 40 people coming together for the event, including two volunteers from IBM to help lead, ideas were generated to figure out a way to garner a greater sense of community with each other and within the entire Miami University community. Billy Price, co-president of Spectrum, said he greatly appreciated the IBM members and their influence on the summit. \u201cThey were great facilitators,\u201d he said. \u201cHaving them lead us and learning from their strategic planning, we were really able to figure out what we as a group thought were the most important steps to take for Spectrum in the future.\u201d The Coordinator of GBLTQ Services, Demere Woolway, described the event as a much needed opportunity to bring people together to flush out and plot a five-year plan to help better create a welcoming and encompassing GLBTQ community at Miami. \u201cWe generated so many good ideas of where we could go in the future,\u201d Woolway said. \u201cWith the help of the IBM volunteers we were able to prioritize ideas, narrow them down and pick five specific actions we plan to fulfill in the near future.\u201d These five actions included encouraging outreach toward high school Gay Straight Alliance groups to help ease students\u2019 fears of taking the next step into a college community, improving training for faculty and staff, having the alumni create an \u201cIt Gets Better\u201d video to help show how far the GLBTQ community has come and where it can go from here, creating a special dinner or banquet at the beginning of each semester to welcome and bring together GLBTQ students and improving and expanding on gender-neutral housing and restrooms. Co-President of Spectrum, Mark Noviski, said he believes Miami has successfully made a place for the GLBTQ community, but there are still steps it must take to encompass everyone. \u201cMiami hasn\u2019t really fully developed a place for the transgender community,\u201d Noviski said. \u201cThey need to have a tough conversation and flush out their policies to make everyone feel more accepting on this campus.\u201d Sophomore Gabi Jellison, one of three students currently living in gender-neutral housing on campus, agreed with Noviski. \u201cMiami has the potential to be a fantastic place for the GLBTQ community,\u201d Jellison said. \u201cI\u2019ve met many members of the faculty and staff who are wonderful, passionate people that make a point to celebrate diversity. However, so much could be improved within the university structure alone. Many of my friends in the GLBTQ community are surprised that I live in a gender neutral suite and had no idea that it was even an option for them.\u201d Woolway said she also believes there is room to grow, and with the success of the summit under their belts, Spectrum now has a foundation of how they plan to create an encompassing sense of equality throughout the Miami community in the future.<\/span><\/p>\n April 5, 2012<\/b><\/p>\n UC and Miami to Host Rallies Against Hate Crimes.<\/span><\/p>\n Coinciding events are in response to recent assault on gay students in Oxford.<\/span><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.citybeat.com\/cincinnati\/blog-3230-uc_and_miami_to_host_rallies_against_hate_crimes.html.<\/span><\/p>\n University of Cincinnati and Miami University student organizations will hold rallies at 5 p.m. Thursday in response to the March 24 assault of two students \u2014 one from UC and one from Miami \u2014 on the Miami campus. The events are meant to show support for GLBT people and call for an end to hate crimes. Miami University student Michael Bustin and a male friend were reportedly walking home from a drag show when someone yelled a derogatory slur at them. Bustin\u2019s friend was then attacked by four men who also reportedly assaulted Bustin when he tried to help, according to WLWT-TV. The two men had been holding hands during their walk home. Miami University sent a memo to the community and reached out to Bustin soon afterward. The rallies\u2019 Facebook page says the other man was a University of Cincinnati student. The police have released a sketch of one of the accused attackers and are seeking the public\u2019s help to find those involved. Both events will begin at 5 p.m. Those attending the Miami rally are encouraged to wear \u201cLove is the New Label\/White Out Hate\u201d shirts or just white T-shirts or tops. After the rally, participants will line up holding hands in a demonstration of solidarity and to show that \u201cno one deserves to be hurt for showing affection.\u201d More from the rallies\u2019 Facebook page: \u201cWe, the students of the LGBTQA alliances of Miami University and University of Cincinnati, stand united in our demand for a safe places to live, learn, work and show affection. It is unacceptable for anyone to be assaulted, but it is especially repulsive for the victims to be targeted because of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or any other classification.\u201d The Miami rally will take place at the Phi Delt Gates on the Miami Campus, while the UC event will take place at the corner of Martin Luther King Drive and Clifton Avenue. The events are being organized by Miami Spectrum and UC Alliance. For more information, click here or search on Facebook: \u201cEmergency Action: Miami & UC Unite Against Hate!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n June 1, 2012<\/b><\/p>\n The passing of Religion Professor, Roy Bowen Ward.<\/span><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.miamialum.org\/s\/916\/index-social.aspx?sid=916&gid=1&pgid=4421&cid=8777&ecid=8777&ciid=33021&crid=0.<\/span><\/p>\n To Our Miami University Family, It is with great sadness that the 1809 LGBT Alumni Board announces the passing of Religion Professor Dr. Roy Bowen Ward on Sunday, May 20, 2012. With his death we have lost a great person and family member\u2014a critical catalyst who propelled the Miami University LGBT Community forward, making it much stronger today than would have been imagined possible back in the 1980s when GLA was first founded. Jeff Logel \u201989, member of the 1809 LGBT Alumni Board, voices the sentiment of the Board. In citing Audre Lorde, Jeff says what many of us feel: \u201cI have come to believe over and over again that what is not important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood.\u201d Roy Ward challenged Jeff and others to find their voice. \u201cHe challenged me to speak up, strongly and loudly, even when I knew the consequences would be \u2018bruising or misunderstood.\u2019 I will never be silent. Silence equals death. The personal is political. A strong voice and even stronger politics destroy the vacuum allowing others to blaze trails of justice. Let me be clearly understood\u2014Roy taught me never to fear again.\u201d A small summary of Roy\u2019s commitment to Miami includes the following: In August 1986, Linda Singer and Roy Bowen Ward taught the first course directly and explicitly about gay and lesbian issues on the Miami campus. The course, entitled \u201cThe Homosexual and Lesbian Experience,\u201d championed a campus of inclusion and a voice for LGBT acceptance. In September 1986, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance (GLA), which now exists as Spectrum, formed on the Miami University campus and was recognized as a student group. Roy Bowen Ward, Professor of Religion, affiliate in Women\u2019s Studies, and History, served as the first faculty adviser to the newly formed group. Roy was the only faculty\/staff member willing to serve in this role\u2014for which he received much verbal and written harassment. His bravery ensured a vibrant LGBT student group from 1986 to the present\u2014we owe so much to Roy! He was always such a force for social justice and will be missed by so many. In his honor, the Miami University 1809 LGBT Alumni Association annually awards a $1,000 scholarship in his name. There will be a memorial service on Sunday, June 3, 2012 at 1:30 p.m. in the Sesquicentennial Chapel on Miami\u2019s campus. Roy\u2019s four children will be attending. Please spread the word, and hopefully you can join Jeff Logel and other members of the 1809 LGBT Alumni Board at the memorial. The 1809 LGBT Alumni Association will also be honoring Dr. Ward during our reception on Saturday, June 16, 2012 during Alumni Weekend. The reception will be from 2-4 p.m. in the Resource Room of the Women\u2019s Center and Office of GLBTQ Services in 206 MacMillan Hall. If your plans include returning to Miami for Alumni Weekend\u2014and we hope they do\u2014please join us to pay tribute to Roy through pictures, stories and spending time with friends. If you are unable to attend, please feel free to share your stories and\/or memories of Roy with Co-Chairs Andy Zeisler (zeisleja@muohio.edu) and\/or Amy Greenbaum (amy@amygreenbaum.com), and we will make sure that your voice is shared. In shared grief, 1809 LGBT Alumni<\/span><\/p>\n September 7, 2012<\/b><\/p>\n Discussing diversity: Lawyer rules actions of Miami officials non-discriminatory.<\/span><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.miamistudent.net\/news\/discussing-diversity-1.2894645#.US0S1Bl2Ds8<\/span><\/p>\n Discrimination charges filed last school year by Kaeden Kass, a transgender male student, have been dropped. School policies go unchanged, but discussion continues. According to Kass, controversy arose after he applied and received a job offer as a resident assistant (RA) last year and was denied his request to live in a male residence hall. Kass said discussion began between Dean of Students Susan Mosley-Howard and representatives from the Office of Residence Life. According to Kass, he was informed shortly after he would be housed according to the gender listed on his birth certificate\u2014female. Kass said he was assigned to Flower residence hall in a suite with females, but turned it down. According to Kass, he now lives off campus with another male. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to be a part of a system that was rejecting me,\u201d Kass said. \u201cIf they\u2019re not going to really stand up and think critically about what diversity means and challenge themselves to live up to their values then I don\u2019t want to be a part of it.\u201d Kass filed a charge of discrimination with Miami University\u2019s Office of Equity and Equal Opportunity against Mosley-Howard as well as Robin Parker\u2014general counsel in the Office of the President\u2014and Jerry Olson, director of the Office of Residence Life. \u201cI had to name specific people who I thought were discriminating against me, but it\u2019s really not a people thing; it\u2019s a system thing,\u201d Kass said. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to change the system.\u201d According to Kass, the system in place does not accommodate certain students, including but not limited to homosexuals and transgender individuals. \u201cWe\u2019re ignoring their identities and making them live with people that they can\u2019t identify with\u2014a situation which can more often than not be alienating and hostile,\u201d Kass said. According to Olson, Parker\u2014who declined to comment\u2014is the school official that would normally handle such cases but could not oversee Kass\u2019 after being named in the complaint. Olson said as a result an outside party was brought in to do the investigation. According to Kass, the investigation ended in May after being ruled non-discriminatory by a lawyer from Columbus, Ohio, Betty Stanton. Kass said school policy remains unchanged aside from the RA application, which now asks for students\u2019 \u2018sex\u2019 rather than \u2018identified gender\u2019. According to Mosley-Howard, there is no flaw in the system as Kass believes there to be. \u201cThere are no other changes because the issue was not the policy or the process, so those things are still the same,\u201d Mosley-Howard said. According to Olson, if a similar situation arose it is impossible to know if it would be handled the same way. \u201cI think every situation winds up being unique, and we want every student to have the opportunity to serve in leadership roles,\u201d Olson said. \u201cWhether [a different case] would wind up being exactly the same is hard to tell because every case is different, but there is no interest on the part of our department to limit who is eligible to apply, and who is accepted to be an RA.\u201d Though he did not comment on the outcome of the case, Olson said he acknowledges Kass\u2019 feelings. \u201cI don\u2019t want any student to ever feel as if he or she has been treated unfairly\u2014that\u2019s awful,\u201d Olson said. \u201cI believe that Kaeden had felt he had been discriminated against, and we have to be able to respond well to students who feel that\u2019s what occurred here at the university.\u201d According to Mosley-Howard, Kass was treated just as any other student would be. \u201cEach time a student applies to be an RA we look at the set of circumstances that they present, and then of course the process is exactly the same for every student,\u201d Mosley-Howard said. \u201cThe process is very consistent across the board.\u201d Along with frustration over the outcome, Kass said the controversy got a lot of unexpected media attention, which led to hurtful comments that had a damaging effect on him. \u201cWith the media, it\u2019s so easy for people to de-personalize stuff,\u201d Kass said. \u201cIt\u2019s so easy for people to forget that I\u2019m an actual human being.\u201d According to Demere Woolway, Miami University\u2019s coordinator of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (GLBTQ) Services, negative reactions like the ones Kaeden experienced often stem from peoples\u2019 lack of familiarity with transgender individuals. \u201cWhen you\u2019re born, \u2018is it a boy or is it a girl?\u2019 is the very first question you ask and it continues in elementary school,\u201d Woolway said. \u201cGirls line up here and boys line up there. We grow up in a world that says this is the way things are, and it\u2019s hard to question something like that.\u201d Kass said he thinks people may have reacted differently if they understood his motivation behind filing the charges was not to hurt anyone, but to fight for his rights. \u201cI\u2019m just a person who\u2019s trying to live the best life I can, and who\u2019s trying to be the happiest that I can be,\u201d Kass said. \u201cI think that everyone deserves that right\u2014that\u2019s why this is so important to me.\u201d According to Woolway, Kass\u2019 case was not in vain. \u201cThe end result was obviously not what he was hoping for,\u201d Woolway said. \u201cAt the same time it has allowed us to have a conversation about how we are serving transgender students. We have been able to talk a little more publicly about how we as a university can serve students who don\u2019t fit gender binaries very well.\u201d Woolway said she is in touch with colleagues across the country whose universities are also looking for alternative ways to accommodate students in similar cases. According to Woolway, even before she came to Miami in 2009 there was discussion of expanding gender-neutral housing on campus, which would allow male and female students to choose to live together. According to Kass, this option should be in place in existing residence halls. \u201cHow do you maintain a binary sexed system when the lines between sexes and genders are blurred?\u201d Kass said. \u201cYou really can\u2019t. That\u2019s where a gender-neutral approach comes in.\u201d There are a number of gender-neutral housing openings currently available in Hahne Hall for students with substantial reason to opt into it, but Kass said he does not feel that is acceptable. \u201cThe \u2018substitute\u2019 that we\u2019ve put in place to \u2018deal\u2019 with trans students is inadequate and virtually unknown,\u201d Kass said. \u201cThe fact [that] it\u2019s so underground is stigmatizing. It\u2019s shoved in the corner of the university and is only available to second-year students and up.\u201d According to Vicka Bell-Robinson, associate director for the Office of Residence Life, last December the idea of offering gender-neutral housing in Heritage Commons was brought up prior to\u2014not in connection with\u2014Kass\u2019 case. Bell-Robinson said a survey was sent out Aug. 1 to Miami students asking their opinion on gender-neutral housing options being available in the future. According to Bell-Robinson, the survey results should be in by the end of September, and will hopefully help determine whether the option should be offered. According to Kass, though this option will help accommodate transgender students, it does not address the bigger issue. \u201cWe need to acknowledge trans students\u2019 identities and stop treating them like freaks,\u201d Kass said. \u201cWe also need to break down the sex-segregated system as a whole, which is the larger culprit that leads to discrimination like this.\u201d Kass said his case is not the focal point of the issue at hand. \u201cMy case was a symptom of the real problem,\u201d Kass said. \u201cPeople can\u2019t forget about it. It will change if people keep talking.\u201d According to Woolway, the bigger issue is peoples\u2019 refusal to accept and respect the identity of transgender individuals. \u201cRegardless of the decision in this particular instance, GLBTQ Services is going to continue talking about the needs of trans people\u2014continue to push people to examine their policies and practices to make sure that we are doing our best to include everybody on this campus,\u201d Woolway said. According to Kass, changes to the system are necessary, and he realizes it will be a slow process. \u201cI know the issue is complicated and it\u2019s hard to see where the problems are and what exactly should be done about them,\u201d Kass said. \u201cBecause just as the issue is two-fold, the solution must be.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n October 25, 2012<\/b><\/p>\n Brotherhood urges respect on and off ice.<\/span><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.miamistudent.net\/news\/brotherhood-urges-respect-on-and-off-ice-1.2937500#.US0PvBl2Ds8.<\/span><\/p>\n Over the past year and a half, through hours of practice and travel for games, the Miami University men\u2019s hockey team has stood united behind more than just their love for the game. The team has been spreading the message that athletes should be judged by how well they play their sport, rather than irrelevant factors such as race or sexual orientation. On Oct. 15, the You Can Play campaign, a project supporting respect and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender athletes, released a video featuring Miami hockey players as they talked about openly gay student manager, Brendan Burke, who was killed in a car accident in 2010. According to Senior Curtis McKenzie, Burke\u2019s death spurred the inception of the You Can Play campaign by Brendan\u2019s father Brian Burke and brother Patrick Burke. The video is a tribute to the legacy Burke left on the team and its message is very simple: \u201cIf you can play, then you can play.\u201d Head Coach Rico Blasi said Burke\u2019s attitude was one to admire. \u201cOne of the things Brendan always talked about was that it doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re gay, or black, or green; if you can do a certain job it shouldn\u2019t matter.\u201d Blasi said. \u201cHe was genuine, compassionate and just himself. He didn\u2019t try to hide anything or be somebody that he wasn\u2019t. Just that alone is a great message for everybody.\u201d Blasi said that although the You Can Play campaign got its start in hockey, due to the Burke family\u2019s strong ties to the sport, the message is directed at athletic teams of all types, and further\u2014at society. \u201cWe\u2019re all in this together \u2013 who are we to judge?\u201d Blasi said. \u201cIf everyone could just learn a little of this [message], and be aware of it, I think our society would be better.\u201d Blasi said he is deeply upset that gay slurs, fliers and other displays of insensitivity continue to be evident on Miami\u2019s campus. Still, Blasi and the team are focused on all of the positive progress that has been made through the project so far, and the hope is that any negative feedback can be changed. According to McKenzie, the project has grown rapidly since its inception, reaching the NHL and college sports teams of all types across the country. \u201cSo far it\u2019s been a great success, but its still developing, I think, as well,\u201d McKenzie said. Senior Brian Mattison said he feels the campaign is a step in the right direction. \u201cI think that the campaign will bring sports teams closer to their teammates. In terms of Miami\u2019s campus, I think it can have a big influence on helping people feel more comfortable expressing their sexual orientation.\u201d More videos and information about the You Can Play campaign can be found online at youcanplayproject.org. Anyone, and any team, can get involved by taking the online pledge to promote equality and respect in sports. In regards to getting more athletic teams and students at Miami on board, Blasi said it is not for him to decide. \u201cIf they want to do it because they feel strongly about it then I would encourage them to do it,\u201d he said. \u201cEverybody has to do things for themselves, we\u2019re just trying to deliver the message.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n November 29, 2012<\/b><\/p>\n LGBTQ group Spectrum hosts first \u2018Queer Prom\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.miamistudent.net\/news\/lgbtq-group-spectrum-hosts-first-queer-prom-1.2963684#.US0R-xl2Ds8<\/span><\/p>\n On Nov. 29, a small group of students gathered at the Goggin Ice Center Lounge to attend an event that was the first of its kind on Miami University\u2019s Campus. Queer Prom, hosted by Spectrum, is a semi-formal event for LGBTQ students and allies at Miami University. Spectrum is Miami\u2019s undergraduate LGBTQ-straight alliance and is known for sponsoring events that promote activism, awareness and acceptance according to Co-President senior Billy Price. Spectrum often hosts drag shows as its primary fundraiser and social event. The Queer Prom event is part of a push to refocus Spectrum\u2019s efforts to host more social events on campus, according to Spectrum Co-President junior Matt Metzler. \u201cThis event was small this year, in part because we spent such a short time planning for it,\u201d Metzler said. \u201cFor the first time ever putting it on, I think we had a great turnout and it has set us up for many more great events in the future.\u201d Sophomore Jacob Turnbow, the social chair of Spectrum and the main planner for Queer Prom, said the event was tough to pull off on such short notice. \u201cA lot of Spectrum members have been asking for an event like this one for a long time and I\u2019m glad we were able to get it together,\u201d Turnbow said. \u201cI am very proud that Miami is accepting enough to host a potentially provocative event like this one.\u201d Couple Connor Wilkinson and Kendal Keiser met in their small-town high school and said the event was particularly special for them. \u201cI have never been around this many gay people in one place before,\u201d Wilkson said. \u201c[Queer Prom] has been fun and a great experience.\u201d \u201cIt is great to see people out and being themselves,\u201d Keiser said. \u201cOne of my favorite parts of being [at Queer Prom] is that every type of couple and every person is welcome.\u201d First-year Lilly Barger compared Queer Prom to her high school\u2019s prom. Barger said she would have loved to be out in high school especially for prom. Barger said she wore a suit to prom when she would have felt more comfortable in a ball gown. \u201cMany of us weren\u2019t out in high school or couldn\u2019t be very outgoing about it if we were,\u201d Barger said. \u201cThis event can\u2019t replace the high school experience, but it does remind us that there are places where we can be ourselves.\u201d Senior Dylan Mosley was an attendee who had been out for his high school proms. He said the biggest difference that he felt between the events was the size. However, according to Mosley and a number of others at the event, the small size was not necessarily a negative point. \u201cMost of the people here (at Queer Prom) already know each other, the event is really small, but I think it is more comfortable for some people,\u201d Mosley said. Queer Prom was included in the Spectrum sponsored \u201cOut Week\u201d activities and marked the last major event of the semester. According to Turnbow, Spectrum has already begun planning for its largest and most visible event \u201cAwareness Week\u201d which is scheduled to begin March 19.<\/span><\/p>\n June 25, 2013<\/b><\/p>\n Miami University Makes Strides Toward Acceptance of Gay Students<\/span><\/p>\n By Katie Chaffee & Chelsea Davis & Lauren Smith & Megan Walsh.<\/span><\/p>\n http:\/\/wyso.org\/post\/miami-university-makes-strides-toward-acceptance-gay-students.<\/span><\/p>\n Students and alumni say that Miami University has created a climate of acceptance for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer students, despite the school\u2019s longstanding conservative reputation and location in a deeply conservative part of the state. \u201cI think the biggest obstacle hindering Miami\u2019s accepting of the LGBTQ community is the campus\u2019s tendency toward conservative values,\u201d said Matt Metzler, an English education and English literature double major and co-president of the campus LGBTQ group Spectrum. \u201cThere is a long-standing conflation of conservative values and anti-gay views.\u201dMiami University was awarded 4.5 out of 5 stars on the LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index compiled by Campus Pride, an advocacy group for LGBT students. The score was based on Miami\u2019s LGBT resource center and course offerings, among other factors. By comparison, Campus Pride gave Central State University 1 star, Wright State University 3.5 stars, University of Cincinnati 4 stars, and Ohio State University a perfect 5 stars. The University of Dayton is not included in the listings. LGBT resources and events at Miami include pride parades, galas, awareness week and a number of organizations. Miami also holds a yearly Lavender Graduation. Scheduled the day after graduation, the ceremony honors LGBTQ and allied graduates. Metzler said one of his proudest moments at Miami was in October 2011, when gay and straight students joined forces for a Unite Miami rally to protest the planned appearance of members of the anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church on campus. \u201cThey were originally coming for a class but then they decided that they were going to picket while they were here,\u201d said Metzler, \u201cand that\u2019s obviously a really sensitive subject for the LGBT community.\u201d Acceptance of gay and lesbian students at Miami is not complete, according to Carol Stubblefield, administrative assistant in the Office of Student Affairs at Miami University Hamilton. \u201cA female student came in (to the office) just the other day in tears for having been picked on or bothered in class by the professor. There needs to be more direction and more experience for teachers,\u201d she said. \u201cThey need to be more aware of these students.\u201d Stubblefield, who graduated from Miami University Hamilton in 1988, said the university was more judgmental when she was a student. Increased inclusiveness at Miami fits within a national trend at colleges and universities, according to GLAAD, an advocacy group formerly called the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. \u201cUniversities have become more inclusive of LGBT issues in their diversity services offices or having a specific program for LGBT services,\u201d said Megan Townsend, GLAAD\u2019s Entertainment and Operations Coordinator. \u201cIn recent months a number of universities have amended their student insurance programs to address the needs of transgender students.\u201d Townsend cited a recent incident at Emerson College, in Boston, where one of the school\u2019s fraternities raised funds for their trans brother\u2019s surgery. Janet Hurn, 48, a Miami alumna and full-time faculty member at Miami Middletown and Miami Hamilton campuses, has a life-partner in fellow Miami alumnae Tina Gregory. Miami recognizes that she is in a domestic partnership and the couple receives benefits from the university. Hurn said as a student in the 1980s, she used to feel like a second-class citizen, but no longer harbors those feelings. Metzler, the campus LGBTQ group co-president, said one adjustment Miami could still make is to take gender identity into account for all first-year and transfer students\u2019 housing applications. \u201cThe first step will be to make sure that Miami advertises the existing genderneutral housing opportunities that they offer,\u201d said Metzler. \u201cThe only place to currently learn about these opportunities is on the GLBTQ Services website.\u201d The challenge facing Miami is the same as the challenge facing the country as a whole, said Hurn: learning to accept differences. Beyond issues of sexual orientation and identification, we need to become \u201ccognizant of differences and a tolerant society,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n August 2, 2013<\/b><\/p>\n TransKids: Miami University Research on Transgender Children Could Change Attitudes.<\/span><\/p>\n By Nicole George.<\/span><\/p>\n http:\/\/outlookcolumbus.com\/2013\/08\/transkids-miami-university-research-on-transgender-children-could-change-attitudes-august-2013\/.<\/span><\/p>\n Miami University researchers hope a 10-year study with transgender children and their families will help people for generations to come. The TransKids Project is gathering information through continuing interviews and surveys of families with gender-variant children. It\u2019s some of the first available research on a non-clinical sample of families with gender non-conforming children. \u201cThe broad aim is to increase awareness and understanding of these families\u2019 experiences raising their children in order to reduce prejudice and discrimination,\u201d said Kate Kuvalanka, an assistant professor of family studies at Miami who performed other research with LGBT families. \u201cWe also hope to better inform educators, health care professionals and policymakers as we learn about the challenges our families are facing in their schools, in therapists\u2019 and doctors\u2019 offices, and other community settings.\u201d A majority of parents in the study are striving to affirm and accept their children\u2019s true selves, and Kuvalanka said that will help researchers discover the long-term impact of family support on a child\u2019s well-being. \u201cResearch has shown that transgender youth have a high risk of suicide, and we wonder whether the children in our study will have a lower risk due to their supportive families,\u201d she said. Transgender children have gained some understanding and acceptance among policymakers lately. In July, California lawmakers approved a bill that gives transgender children the right to choose the restrooms they use and the teams they join at their schools. Massachusetts has similar law in place for its transgender youth. In June, state officials in Colorado overruled a local school district and ruled in favor of a transgender first-grader\u2019s right to use the girls\u2019 restroom in her school. But such victories still come amid setbacks. An Idaho grocery store banned a transgender woman from its premises in April because she used the women\u2019s room. In New Mexico, the organization that regulates high school sports issued a directive in July that requires transgender student-athletes to play on teams based on the gender listed on their birth certificates. Seven Miami University students worked with the TransKids project during the 2012-13 academic year. They said they\u2019ve already felt the impact personally that they hope their research will have on others. Elena Rymer, who joined Kuvalanka in 2011 as the first student to help with the project, said the study has \u201copened up my mind to a completely different community\u201d and has made her an advocate. While she knows her the research will help transgender children, Rymer said she feels like she has learned so much more from the study\u2019s participants. \u201cI feel like I\u2019m stealing from them,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are honored that these families have opened their lives to us, and we look forward to sharing their stories with others,\u201d Rymer said. The study also has created a support network among the participating parents and families. What has been helpful to families is \u201cknowing there are people wanting to know about their kids. They seem really appreciative,\u201d said student researcher Derek Mahan. \u201cIt lets them know they\u2019re not alone,\u201d said Caroline Trank, another student researcher. As part of the study, Kuvalanka will track how children persist in their gender variance over the course of the 10-year study. Many professionals dismiss variance as a \u201cphase of strange behavior,\u201d she said, \u201cbut when 3- and 4-year-olds insist they have been born in the wrong body, what direction do parents take?\u201d The study also will chronicle the troubles children experience in school and in the health-care system when they choose to transition from their natal sexes. By recording and compiling the experiences of families, Kuvalanka\u2019s team wants to help therapists, clinicians, social services, schools and other families understand what families of gender variant children go through.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n August 26, 2014<\/b><\/p>\n New Miami website kicks up controversy.<\/span><\/p>\n New Miami website kicks up controversy<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n By Katie Taylor.<\/span><\/p>\n Controversy over a portion of Miami University\u2019s new website has students pointing fingers at the administration. During the transition to the new domain, the portion of Miami\u2019s website with resources for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (GLBTQ) community was cut from 26 pages of links, photos and contact information, to a two-paragraph blurb. Director of University News and Communications Claire Wagner said the lack of content is not permanent, and is a result of the complex nature of the digital project, which is ongoing. Matt Metzler, 14\u2019 Miami alumnus and former co-president of Spectrum \u2014 Miami\u2019s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (GLBTQ) student organization \u2014 expressed his disappointment. \u201cI would like to think that it was not an intentional slight against the GLBTQ community here or against anyone in the Office of Diversity Affairs,\u201d Metzler said. \u201cBut I do think even if it is unintentional, it still communicates that the GLBTQ community and other diverse minority communities on campus aren\u2019t necessarily Miami\u2019s biggest priority.\u201d In response, Metzler dragged the issue into the social media spotlight with a story published in Brickwork magazine, a progressive Oxford publication unaffiliated with the university. As one of the magazine\u2019s co-editors, he was involved in the launching of the hashtag circulating Twitter, #ErasedAtMU. \u201cWe wanted to make a big splash on social media and hopefully extend that to, not only the GLBTQ community, but any other minority community at Miami who feel they might not be represented very well on Miami\u2019s website right now,\u201d he said. The new Assistant Director of Diversity Affairs, Shevonne Nelson, took on her role as the coordinator of GLBTQ Services in July. Prior to her hiring, the position remained empty for a year. Though she felt Metzler\u2019s article headline and the hashtag were too strong, she recognized the issue at hand and acknowledged the need for a solution. \u201cOur website is lacking; I\u2019m going to be honest,\u201d Nelson said. \u201cBut the services and the support we provide students was not and is not erased, even if our website is not fully functional.\u201d Metzler\u2019s biggest concern is for incoming students who are unable to find the resources they need. Until yesterday, after attention was brought to the issue, the contact information of the new GLBTQ Services Coordinator was not listed on the website. In the midst of the conflict, confusion over who is responsible for the GLBTQ Services page surfaced. According to Director of Student Affairs Budget and Technology Tim Kresse, website creation was delegated to various offices within Student Affairs. GLBTQ Services falls under the Office of Diversity Affairs. Diversity Affairs Director, Gerald Yearwood, declined to comment on the website overhaul. Nelson said a meeting has been scheduled this week to make headway on the project and provide GLBTQ students with the resources they need. She is dedicated to making students feel comfortable, safe and welcome, and has made herself available since taking the position a month ago. Assistant Director of the Armstrong Student Center (ASC) Adam Leftin, responsible for creating the ASC portion of the university website, said the focus should be turned to the work Diversity Affairs and GLBTQ Services has accomplished through the transition. \u201cIt took so many different people at the university really stepping up to try and make sure that the students last year (during the move into the ASC and website change) received the services and events that type of student-population really needs, to feel that support; no one should feel erased.\u201d Metzler acknowledged the past success of GLBTQ Services on Miami\u2019s campus, but encouraged the administration to resolve the issue as soon as possible. \u201cI would just like to communicate to [incoming students]\u2026 that there is a very strong and supportive GLBTQ community on this campus,\u201d Metzler said. \u201cWe\u2019re still really active and there are a lot of things going on this year that they\u2019ll be able to get involved in even if they can\u2019t necessarily find that information online right now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n April 8, 2015<\/b><\/p>\n Student Charged In Graffiti Case Withdraws From Ohio School.<\/span><\/p>\n By Associated Press<\/span><\/p>\n http:\/\/wyso.org\/post\/student-charged-graffiti-case-withdraws-ohio-school.<\/span><\/p>\n One of two Miami University students charged in connection with offensive graffiti in a residential hall has withdrawn from school, and the second says he plans to. Nineteen-year-old William Armour says in an \u201copen letter\u201d sent to The Associated Press that he didn\u2019t live up to the school\u2019s ethics code and feels that his continued presence on campus would be \u201ca distraction\u201d that brings unwanted media attention to the school. Student Samir Lal said Wednesday by email he apologizes and is withdrawing. School president David Hodge called the graffiti \u201cprofane, racist, sexist, anti-Semitic and homophobic\u201d in a university-wide message Monday. Armour claims he wrote only one statement on the hall information board, and that he isn\u2019t \u201ca racist or a bigot.\u201d He and Lal still face charges of criminal mischief.<\/span><\/p>\n April 10, 2015<\/b><\/p>\n Study: Few GLBTQ students feel welcome at Miami, in Greek life.<\/span><\/p>\n By Bonnie Miebers, Senior Staff Writer.<\/span><\/p>\n Study: Few GLBTQ students feel welcome at Miami, in Greek life<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n GLBTQ students feel less like they belong on campus than their fellow students in Greek life, according to a study by Miami University\u2019s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Services. Sixty-six percent of straight Greeks feel they always fit in at Miami, while just 33 percent of GLBTQ students feel equally comfortable on campus. GLBTQ students in the study said they had fewer friends in sororities and fraternities and more GLBTQ friends compared to straight students. Students in sororities and fraternities reported the opposite, having more friends who were also involved in Greek life and fewer GLBTQ friends than straight students who are not involved in fraternities or sororities. The study shows that the exclusivity and selectiveness of fraternities and sororities can make even straight students feel left out. Greek life is the reason many students feel at home at Miami, but the way sororities and fraternities are gendered can attribute to the alienation of people who do not fit into those categories. \u201cI don\u2019t feel comfortable walking around campus holding my boyfriend\u2019s hand,\u201d openly gay first-year Colin McDonough said. \u201cI think if I was in a frat I would feel ostracized because I would be the \u2018gay\u2019 brother.\u201d Paul McCreary, awareness chair of SPECTRUM and openly gay brother of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, said he sees things differently. \u201cI never thought I would be in Greek life,\u201d McCreary said. When he first came to Miami, McCreary said that he believed Greek life was for straight, white people. But, after accepting a bid from Lambda Chi, he said he feels Greek life is inclusive. McCreary said the Interfraternity Conference (IFC) is very accepting and does not tolerate any type of discrimination. \u201cGreek life, from what I\u2019ve seen at Miami, isn\u2019t homophobic,\u201d he said. The study urges sororities and fraternities that believe their organizations are inclusive to be more open about that inclusiveness. It calls for positive images of GLBTQ identities and discussions of transgender individuals. Shevonne Nelson, assistant director for the Office of Diversity Affairs agrees that, looking at the study as a reference point, the campus has room for growth. \u201cOur GLBTQ students, faculty and staff consistently report only having moderately positive experiences on campus,\u201d Nelson said. \u201cModerately positive\u201d may not sound bad to the average person, she said, but to the person who is made to feel only moderately okay, it is a big deal. Nelson, however, believes pinning the problem on a single group, like Greek life, is a part of the problem. \u201cSingling any one group out is part of the larger problem of why many groups feel moderately or less comfortable on campus,\u201d Nelson says. \u201cWe need a climate change and we must all be a part of that change.\u201d Students can be a part of and start this climate change by becoming more aware of how they contribute to making GLBTQ students feel like they belong on campus, Nelson said. Showing students they matter and their identities are valued is an important part of making students feel at home at Miami, she said. \u201cWe need to move beyond tolerance and fundamentally challenge the ways we talk about, support, and affirm the GLBTQ community,\u201d Nelson said.<\/span><\/p>\n September 13, 2016<\/b><\/p>\n Mentoring offered for LGBTQ students.<\/span><\/p>\n By Kelly McKewen,<\/span><\/p>\n Mentoring offered for LGBTQ students<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n The Miami Student. Students identifying as members of the LGBTQ community in Miami\u2019s class of 2020 have been offered two opportunities that were not available for previous classes. On the application for admission to Miami, an optional question was added to one section of the application, asking prospective students if they identify as a member of the LGBTQ community. The question was placed in a section that asked students other questions such as their affiliation with the military or with the Miami Tribe, or whether they are a first-generation college student. As these students now enter Miami as first years, a mentoring program has been created to help aid in their transition. The decision to allow students to self-identify on their applications was a result of the Office of Admissions\u2019 efforts to prioritize diversity. The purpose of the new question was to connect LGBTQ students with resources within the LGBTQ community on campus, said Susan Schaurer, director of admissions. \u201cParticularly for LGBTQ students, once they got here, they would have to find those resources,\u201d Shaurer said. \u201cWe wanted to make certain we do a lot to provide diversity programs to those students on the frontside.\u201d In conjunction with the new question on the application, a mentoring program was created for all students who self-identified on their application. The mentoring program partners first year LGBTQ students with professors and other faculty to help them connect with other members of the community. Most students involved in the program have not yet met with their mentors and know very little about what the mentoring relationship will entail. Some students, such as first-year Ryan Jago, expressed concern over being paired with a mentor just for self-identifying on the admission application. \u201cI really don\u2019t see a huge reason for me to have a mentor, and I hope they didn\u2019t just assume I needed one because I\u2019m LGBT. But, I do see a benefit in getting to know a professor on a personal level and not just a student-teacher level. I see the benefit in knowing that there is someone I can talk to, even if I never do,\u201d Jago said. In future years, including for the class of 2021, the Office of Admissions plans on adding another question to the application to address concerns like Jago\u2019s. In the future, if a student chooses to identify as an LGBTQ student on their application, they will also be asked if they would like information about the resources available to them. First-year Austin Zimmers believes the mentoring program will help make Miami a more inclusive place. \u201cI think that having this program is going to contribute to a more inclusive environment because it\u2019s a step that is being taken to help a community that has struggled to feel included in the past, feel welcome at Miami. People struggling with their gender identity or their sexuality will have a resource to help them, and students who are comfortable with themselves will have a connection that can hopefully allow them to help others who aren\u2019t comfortable yet,\u201d Zimmers said.<\/span><\/p>\n September 20, 2016<\/b><\/p>\n