GALA-ND/SMC News

Official Recognition of GLBTQ Student Group

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 02:24:03 GMT

This past week the university finally responded to the long standing request of students to form an official gay/straight alliance group. We are pleased to announce that this will finally come to fruition!

This past week, Notre Dame finally responded to the long standing request of students to form an official gay/straight alliance group. We are please to tell you that this will finally come to fruition! On Wednesday, President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., announced that Notre Dame would permit an officially recognized GLBTQ student organization. The student group is being formed as part of an overall plan to address the needs of GLBTQ students. The plan, entitled “Beloved Friends and Allies: A Pastoral Plan for the Support and Holistic Development of GLBTQ and Heterosexual Students at the University of Notre Dame,” is the vehicle that reconciles the teachings of the church with the recognition of support, love, and compassion for all individuals. In addition to the group, the Pastoral Plan also outlines the establishment of a full-time GLBTQ student development staff position, and the transition of the Core Council into an advisory committee.

This is an important milestone for GLBTQ members of the Notre Dame community and hopefully not the last. There is still much more work to be done such as inclusion of sexual orientation in the University's non-discrimination policy. Also, now that the University has officially recognized the need for a student group, we might open the discussion of whether or not to have GALA recognized as an official arm of Notre Dame's Alumni Association.

For more information on this historic event go to the University's press release at: http://newsinfo.nd.edu/news/36057-glbtq/. To view the reaction from students and faculty on campus, visit: http://www.ndsmcobserver.com/ If you would like to provide your input on this decision please visit GALA's facebook page, here.

Rally for Diversity - March 28 at Notre Dame

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 22:48:23 GMT

Brian Sims, captain of the most successful season of Bloomsburg University's football team in Pennsylvania, and the first and only openly gay football captain in NCAA history, will speak on "LGBT Athletes and Allies."

This is a positive force rally focusing on creating a safer, more welcoming, and open environment for LGBT members of the community. Come learn and show support!

Brought to you by the Progressive Student Alliance.

Sponsored by: The College of Arts and Letters and the Departments of American Studies, Classics, English, Gender Studies Program, and GALA-ND/SMC.

Supported by: Athletic Department's Student Welfare and Development and the Departments of Anthropology, FTT, Sociology and Philosophy.

Facebook Page for the Event

Censorship at the Snite?

GALA-ND/SMC Webmaster — Fri, 07 May 2010 22:06:18 GMT

Chris Andrews is a graduating MFA in photography. His thesis exhibition, entitled Blood and Glitter, was recently partially censored at the Snite Museum. Chuck Loving, the director of the Snite Museum took issue with the male nudity in the exhibition shortly before it was to be hung, even though Andrews had been working on these pieces for three years and the entire art faculty had seen his work and did not take exception. The following is his rendition of events as they unfolded and we'd love to know what you think. Some have said that male nudity is socially unacceptable and that his work would never be shown in a gallery, others quite disagree. The homosexual themes in his work did not draw the censorship, but even a piece that was a photograph of a representation of male genitalia was removed from his show at the Snite. In all, 6 pieces were taken out, but he was allowed to exhibit the rest of his work and while it was still profound, the entirety of his message was never made clear. You can view his work at http://christos-andres.com/home.html and please, let us know your opinions because we like discussing things like these and we love knowing you guys are out there!

The history of events as told by Chris:

During the Fall MFA reviews (early Dec 2009) the Snite Museum sent a representative to see my work and to ask questions about its installation for the MFA/BFA exhibition opening March 28th. The representative did not express any concerns about the nature of my work or mention issues with the full frontal male nudity seen at the time.

I continued to create my work towards completing my thesis show, the culmination of three years of work.

On March 10, 2010 (Spring Break) I was summoned to meet with my thesis committee comprised of one endowed tenured faculty member, one tenured faculty, and one junior faculty member. I was told that the "Snite museum" had issues with my work after seeing the submitted installation proposal given to the museum on March 7th consisting of 22 large scale color photographs. My committee was asked by the Chair of the Art department to recommend images be removed from my show. The images selected were the images with male nudity,6 total.

The art work was due at the Snite Museum on March 15. Having produced and finished the work and having 5 days before the work was due, I was completely restricted from creating alternative pieces. I was asked to submit thumbnails of the 6 images to Chuck Loving. I was told that the committee was asked to put in writing what images they had suggested be removed for the show.

After meeting with my committee I asked to meet with the Chair of the art department. I was unsatisfied with my committee's lack of information as to who was making the decision of the censorship and the lack of explanation for the decision. I was told by the chair that Snite museum director, Chuck Loving, answers

the provost and it was most likely the provost who had issue.

I then asked to meet with Chuck Loving on Monday March 15th, He informed me that he had concerns about my images and that he informed provost member John Pope Davis and that the provost would gather officers to discuss the controversy.

The following day I meet again with my committee and explained what i learned. They were very troubled to learn that the censorship had gone to the provost.

I expressed to my committee that they should use their words carefully when writing their statement for it would appear that they endorse censorship of my work. I also expressed that I believed that the provost was placing the difficult burden onto them, and I questioned why the provost did not submit anything in writing themselves.

On Monday March 22nd I meet with the Dean of Arts and Letters, John McGreevy. McGreevy told me that he and Chuck Loving would nor allow me to exhibit those six images in the my thesis show. His explanation was the he and Chuck Loving found the images unstable for the audience of the Snite museum.

I offered a reluctant option to conceal the genitals of the male figures, he said, "That is not an attractive option for us".

My show was installed with out the six images. The images of figures in Blackface and female nudity remained unquestioned in their controversy.

On Thursday March 26th I meet with the former Dean of Arts and Letters, after an engaging discussion of my situation is was uncovered that the situation was not handled properly according to the "Common Proposal" statement issued by President Jenkins. The statement explains that the university encourages controversial issues and events and that an open discussion should, indeed must, be had. In my case with my work this open discussion did not occur and I was allowed no opportunity to plead my case or defend my work that deals specifically with queer visibility, heterosexism, gender identity, and gay dignity.

Knowing the controversial issues protocol was not followed, I wrote a letter of appeal to plead my case and offer solutions in the installation that would include the images that were censored. Below is text of the letter.

March 28th the show opened without the 6 images. I was waiting for McGreevy's response to the letter.

On April 20 I meet with McGreevy and Chuck Loving. They viewed in-person two of the six images in secluded room and discussed with me my appeal. I was told that in 24 hours they would make the final decision. Prior to this meeting, the Core Counsel put out a call for art in conjunction with Stand Against Hate Week. I submitted the 6 images. The Core Counsel debated including my work the "CoMo" show and untimely refused it.

On April 27th, Chuck Loving set me an email informing me that the images would not be included back into my thesis show.

My artwork, include the 6 images, can been seen on my website at www.christos-andres.com.

StaND Against Hate Week 2010 (by Tom Fields)

GALA-ND/SMC Webmaster — Fri, 07 May 2010 21:17:30 GMT

STUDENT GOVERNMENT PANEL FOCUSES ON

HOMOPHOBIA AND HATE CRIMES

On April 13, the Notre Dame Student Government Gender Issues Committee sponsored an on-campus panel that focused on homophobia and hate crimes. The panel was part of StaND against Hate Week, which was organized by Notre Dame’s Student Government, the Core Council for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Questioning Students, and the Gender Relations Center. About 125 people attended the April 13 event, which was held in the Hesburgh Library.

GALA-ND/SMC Chair Liam Dacey ‘04 worked closely with Gender Issues Committee Co-Chair, Patrick Tighe ‘10 to assemble the panel, which included three alumni representatives, plus Melanie LeMay ‘10, the Student Member of the Core Council, and Eddie Velazquez ‘10, Co-Chair of that Council.

All three alumni panelists emphasized the importance of including sexual orientation and gender expression in Notre Dame’s nondiscrimination policy. Richard Beatty ’91 and Rick Duffer Landavazo ‘81 did so after describing the anti-gay harassment they experienced as students. Tom Field ’54 emphasized the closet as “the most pernicious form of violence that gays experience” and one that is “no less real for being internal and self-inflicted.” He went on to critique and reject the reasoning used by Notre Dame’s former President, Rev. Edward A. (Monk) Malloy, C.S.C., to justify Notre Dame’s refusal to include sexual orientation and gender identity in its nondiscrimination policy.

The panelists also criticized Notre Dame’s refusal to recognize its gay and lesbian student organization, allow it to advertise its meetings on campus, or provide the same financial support that other student organizations enjoy. Field suggested that Notre Dame’s refusal to recognize its GLBTQ student club licensed others to think that “they too can treat gays and lesbians as less-than-equal members of the University Community.”

The presentation concluded with a detailed report by Dr. Dominic Parrott, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Georgia State University, who is conducting federally supported research on the causes of homophobia and hate crimes. In addition to establishing a strong link between alcohol consumption and hate crimes, Parrott’s clinical testing shows that peer pressure, especially among young males seeking to demonstrate their masculinity, plays an important role in the commission of hate crimes. During questioning after his presentation, Parrott agreed that Notre Dame’s macho culture plays into that theme.

Fun at Follies and Scholarship Presentation

GALA-ND/SMC Webmaster — Fri, 07 May 2010 21:15:50 GMT

Students and GALA members gathered for the annual April Follies dance at The Beiger Mansion on April 23.

The event included the presentation of the annual Memorial student scholarship to the Campus Pride GLBT Leadership Camp to junior Adrian Lopez Medina. Adrian will serve on the CORE Council next year and is pursuing a degree in Italian Studies with a minor in anthropology. This summer he will join students from across the country in Nashville, TN for a week of GLBT leadership training. Congratulations Adrian!

OutreachND also announced their new leadership team for the 2010-2011 academic year and outgoing OutreachND chair Melanie LeMay ’10 thanked the crowd for a successful year. After the presentation, the dance floor was the place to be for the remainder of the night – who knew Lady Gaga was so popular?

It was great seeing Chicago members Ken Kearney ’99 and Christian Hoeffel ’07 make the trip down for the night of festivities, which ultimately ended at nearby Truman’s Nightclub.

What Father Jenkin's Refusal Means

GALA-ND/SMC Webmaster — Fri, 07 May 2010 21:14:32 GMT

As another academic year comes to a close for students, it is always interesting to look back at how GLBT issues on campus have progressed. This year in particular was a turbulent time, with a homophobic comic strip published in The Observer, 200 student and faculty member marching for GLBT rights, and another failed attempt by students at gaining approval for a GLBT club.

One other small incident occurred that I feel should not go untold. In the past, GALA-ND/SMC officers have had the opportunity to meet with the current university president to discuss GLBT issues on campus. During the 90s, for instance, GALA-ND/SMC officers met with then-president Monk Malloy. I personally met with Monk Malloy in 2004 after the first Queer Film Festival.

However, Father Jenkins has yet to meet with GALA-ND/SMC. After he became president in 2005, I immediately reached out to Father Jenkins to discuss the Queer Film Festival. At the time, he said he was “too busy” and directed me to meet with his advisors (which I did). Flash forward to 2008 and 2009, where GALA-ND/SMC again reached out to Father Jenkins for a meeting to no avail. This time he referred us to Dolly Duffy, the Associate Executive Director of the Alumni Association. While our meeting with Dolly was productive in terms of alumni interaction, she was not at liberty to discuss GLBT issues on campus with current students.

This past year, we made yet another attempt to meet Father Jenkins. While we let him know that we could work around his schedule, he still turned down our request. This time his reasoning was that the “did not directly meet with alumni groups.” He again referred us to Dolly Duffy, however we felt that another meeting with her was not warranted.

While I highly doubt that Father Jenkins does not meet with other alumni groups, that is besides the point. What matters is this: by not meeting with us, Father Jenkins is sending a similar message to GALA-ND/SMC as his administration does to the campus community - we don’t see you as equal. When there is not an approved student group or equal protection from discrimination and harassment, then students are not being legitimized as full members of Notre Dame. Similarly, when the officers of GALA-ND/SMC are not viewed as “important” enough to get 30 minutes of Father Jenkin’s time, we are also not being treated as equals.

Many at Notre Dame have suggested that perhaps Father Jenkins is just too “tired” from all the heat he has taken over President Obama’s visit a year ago. They say he needs a break from controversy. Imagine if this was the same approach that Obama himself took when it came to difficult issues. If Father Jenkins is afraid to stand up for what is right and just, then what exactly is his job?

Update from Campus

GALA-ND/SMC Webmaster — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 22:16:30 GMT

On Tuesday, March 16th, there was an academic panel spearheaded by a group of progressive faculty presenting various perspectives (anthropological, psychological, historical, etc.) on homosexuality. On Thursday, March 18th, Graduate Student Union recently passed a resolution which created a non-discrimination clause inclusive of 'sexual orientation.'

The organizers of the January protest met with Fr. Jenkins for a second time on Friday, March 19th. Though Jenkins insisted that his hands were tied by the potential legal ramifications of the addition of sexual orientation to the non-discrimination clause, he expressed enthusiasm in the implementation of the "Coalition" portion of the Core Council structure that has yet to be utilized. The Coalition would be open to representatives from and members of student groups as well as individuals, and would serve as an extension of the Core Council in which all Notre Dame students could participate.

Core Council's StaND Against Hate Week will be April 12-16th. Events will include a screening of The Laramie Project, two panel discussions, a guest speaker on hate speech and violence against GLBTQ people, a coffee house, an ice cream social, and a prayer service and silent procession. On April 23rd, the Beiger Mansion will host OutreachND's annual soirée April Follies, at which new GALA-ND/SMC Chair Liam Dacey will speak, the Campus Pride scholarship will be awarded, and the 2010-11 OutreachND officers will be announced.

GALA Goes to Washington; Alum Receives Award

GALA-ND/SMC Webmaster — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 22:13:39 GMT

On March 20, Liam and I were graciously invited to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network Dinner in Washington D.C. by GALA member, former ND Student Body President and retired Army Colonel Tom Field ('54). If you are unaware, the SLDN is an a non-partisan, non-profit, legal services, watchdog and policy organization dedicated to ending discrimination against and harassment of military personnel affected by "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Liam and I met Tom upon entering the National Building Museum and we were swiftly led upstairs into a small meeting for Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-PA) who is spearheading the act to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Before the Congressman came out to speak and answer questions, we met several people, including some members of the US Naval Academy's LGBT group, USNA Out. The Middies could not resist teasing us about ND's football losses two years running to Navy, which I, personally, had been trying to forget about, but they were a great bunch and we hope to sponsor some events in the future together with USNA Out.

When Congressman Murphy spoke, he told us about how he'd been a soldier and an instructor at West Point. With those experiences, he learned what kind of person it takes to volunteer to defend one's country and he said that it makes no sense that those who make that commitment should be kicked out based upon their sexual orientation. He pointed out the need to come together to fight this policy. When asked how we should approach our representatives on the question of repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," Murphy answered that we should ask them why we shouldn't repeal a bill that has removed 13,500 willing military personnel from duty and cost the government $1.3 billion to do so.

Later that night, a Notre Dame alumnus received the Barry Winchell Award for Courage. Lt Col Victor Fehrenbach ('91) is a 19-year combat veteran in the United States Air Force and has received several service decorations, including one for heroism. Lt Col Fehrenbach was discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," but chose to fight that discharge. "No one has courage alone," he said and then spoke about how he never would have been able to fight this without the support of others. At first, Fehrenbach only wanted a quick, quiet, honorable discharge, but with support, he changed his mind and chose to fight because of how wrong this policy is and for the others it will affect. He thanked SLDN, Congressman Murphy for their work fighting against DADT and Rachel Maddow for her support and for allowing him on her show to give media attention to this issue (the video is linked below and well worth watching). He also thanked his family. Fehrenbach hadn't come out to his family until the USAF discharged him. He was scheduled to go on Rachel Maddow's show on a Monday and had a weekend to tell his family that not only that he was gay, but also that he'd lost his job because of it. "I drop bombs for a living," he said, "but this one was the biggest." Every single member of his family supported his decision to fight the discharge and with such support, Fehrenbach had the courage to stand up and say that his sexual orientation is irrelevant to his ability to do his job. Lt Col Fehrenbach is a lucky man to have such a support system and we are lucky to have him as a member of our Notre Dame family. No one has courage alone, indeed.

You can become a fan of Lt Col Fehrenbach on Facebook and show him that his Notre Dame family supports him too. The link is posted on GALA-ND/SMC's Facebook page.

Tom Field, along with a few other of our lovely GALA members, will be speaking on campus at StaND Against Hate Week on Apr. 13th at 7pm - if you're in the area, definitely stop by!

Watch Fehrenbach's speech from the SLDN dinner

Rachel Maddow's interview of Fehrenbach

Letter to GALA Members

GALA-ND/SMC Webmaster — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 22:05:55 GMT

It is a pleasure and an honor to become the new chair of GALA-ND/SMC. While it will be hard to follow in the footsteps of the former officers, who did an amazing job creating a new GALA-ND/SMC website, increasing membership, forming new regional networks, and implementing innovative programming on campus, I am excited and eager to press on. Before I begin, I would like to congratulate Tom O’Brien, Michael August, and Steven Saftig, who should truly be proud of their years leading GALA-ND/SMC.

As I write this letter, I find it hard to believe that I am about to become chair of an organization I worked so closely with as a student and recent alum. In fact, as I reflect on my Notre Dame experiences, one thing that will always vividly stand out is my strong relationship with GALA-ND/SMC, particularly during my senior year. Gus Hinojosa was chair at the time, David Pais vice-chair, and Kevin Heffernan secretary. Together, and with the help of other GALA-ND/SMC members – including Tom O’Neil – we co-founded the first-ever Notre Dame Queer Film Festival in 2004. The culmination of the weekend was having Father Hesburgh bless us in his office – a truly moving experience for all involved.

Organizing the Queer Film Festival certainly taught me a lot of things, including that despite the many brick walls set up by Notre Dame’s administration, it is possible to create change on campus - the trick is that you need to do it in good faith. Since then, our organization has continued to make inroads on campus, including holding a Webinar for students in early 2009, sending one of our members, Paul Burke out this past month to participate in the MBA School’s Diversity Weekend, and help fund student events, including paying for protest supplies and the annual April Follies dance.

Looking toward the future, there and always have been two main goals of those who want to make Notre Dame a welcoming place for the GLBT community. These two goals are:

1. Adding sexual orientation to Notre Dame’s non discrimination clause

2. Gain official approval of a Notre Dame GLBT or Gay/Straight student group

It will be our focus to continue to work towards these two initiatives over the next two years. Make no mistake, both of these things will happen – the only question is when. In order to continue to press for them, we will be on campus as much as possible. First, continuing the dialogue with students, staff, and faculty is paramount in order to keep abreast of what the climate is. Secondly, we must continue to build and strengthen our relationship with the administration.

Most importantly, we need your help, comments, and advise to help create change. Without our 900+ members throughout the country who support us, none of our efforts would be possible. I would like to invite everyone to participate in any way they are able to, no matter how large or how small. From helping with our tailgate, to organizing regional events, to writing an article for the newsletter, every bit helps. Please feel free to email me at chair@galandsmc.org with questions, comments, or anything else on your mind.

Along with the other newly appointed officers, Tessa Saniz, Cody Lassen, Lance Gallop, and Tom O’Brien (who will be staying on as Past Chair), I am confident that we will work together to accomplish some amazing things. I hope to see you along the way for the ride.

In Notre Dame,
Liam Dacey

Officer Election Results

GALA-ND/SMC Webmaster — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:10:40 GMT

GALA-ND/SMC supporting and sustaining members have elected a new leadership team for 2010-2012! Please join us in welcoming our new officers:

Chair: Liam Dacey '04
Vice Chair for Programs: Cody Lassen MBA'09
Vice Chair for Membership: Lance Gallop '04
Secretary: Tessa Sainz '03

The new officers will be transitioning responsibilities from the outgoing team during the month of February. Congratulations!

Photos from On-Campus Protest

GALA-ND/SMC Webmaster — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:06:31 GMT

From the January 27 campus protest about the University's stance on gay rights.

Click on photo to view full gallery of nine photos:

200+ March for Gay Rights on Campus

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:53:53 GMT

Hundreds of demonstrators took part in a silent protest at Notre Dame. They want the University to break its silence on gay rights. The demonstration and march may have been silent, but it certainly was not without drama.

Read about the march here.

Students will be meeting with Father Jenkins on Friday. We'll keep you posted on new developments.

Petition To Add Sexual Orientation to ND's Non Discrimination Clause

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 19:10:15 GMT

Members,

Please take a moment to sign the petition to add "sexual orientation" to Notre Dame's non discrimination clause.

Sign the petition here!

Member Update regarding campus conflict

GALA-ND/SMC Webmaster — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:55:17 GMT

Dear Members,

We wanted to provide you with an update on the recent situation surrounding the publication of a cartoon in the Notre Dame Observer. As you may know, the January 13 issue of the Observer included a a cartoon which was at best, a very poor and misguided attempt at satire and shock, and at worst, hate speech that made light of violence against LGBT people. Regardless, the cartoon had no place in the Notre Dame newspaper. It simply does not meet community standards. The Associate Managing Editor responsible for approving materials on January 13 has resigned. The cartoon strip itself has been canceled.

We have spoken with the Editor-in-Chief of the Observer and believe that the publication was the result of a gross failure on the part of the editorial review process. The cartoon was not checked before publication. While inexcusable, we do not believe this represented active malice on the part of the editorial staff and have been assured that the Observer is modifying its procedures so that there is no chance of this occurring again. The cartoonists have also issued an apology. This apology, and a letter to GALA from the Observer, can be found at www.galandsmc.org along with GALA's original response submitted to the newspaper.

The response to the cartoon's publication has been swift and we are pleased that denunciation has come from so many on campus and off campus as well. We remain concerned however that the underlying issues that make it possible to believe that Notre Dame would condone anti-gay hate speech remains. The fact that the university's non-discrimination clause does not include sexual orientation and that the student group, OutreachND, is not formally recognized frame every debate surrounding LGBT issues on campus. We have requested a meeting with ND President Fr. Jenkins to address these issues and commit ourselves to doing what we can do as an alumni group to bring about real change. Our letter to Fr. Jenkins can also be found on the GALA website.

We recognize that there have been positive changes on campus, including the efforts of the Core Council to provide students with a safer and more welcoming campus environment. There are now outreach programs to raise awareness of LGBT issues with incoming freshmen, RAs and the athletic department. The Core Council has also sponsored a Day of Silence to protest the silence faced by gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons. Formally recognized groups like the Progressive Student Alliance are real allies in the effort to amend the non-discrimination clause. And before all of this occurred, GALA was invited to take part in the Business School's Diveristy weekend in early February, an invitation which we have accepted. This past year we also hosted a webinar for students in conjunction with the Career Center on being out on the job market. These invitations would not likely have come a few years ago.

But Notre Dame's position as the nation's most prominent Catholic university requires that we engage in an honest and open airing of the issues surrounding the publication of the cartoon. Law school students sponsored a series of speakers on LGBT issues this past fall. There is a tremendous opportunity here to do the same thing on a university-wide level addressing issues like the editorial review process and hate speech, the real meaning of Notre Dame's Spirit of Inclusion, the threat of violence against students on campus, what it means to be gay at a Catholic college, and balancing faith and sexuality. Students -- including Observer staff -- and faculty seem willing to risk the spotlight this will shine on ND. We hope the administration also realizes it has more to gain through strong leadership.

Other efforts are underway. A petition is once again being circulated to amend the non-discrimination clause to include sexual orientation. An editorial in support of this can be found in the January 22 issue of the Observer at www.ndsmcobserver.com. You will also find a report of the Student Senate's 25-0 vote on a resolution to support amending the non-discrimination clause. We encourage you as GALA members to add your voice by sharing your comments and concerns with Fr. Jenkins and the administration (http://president.nd.edu/). Letters may be submitted to the Observer at www.ndsmcobserver.com/letter-to-editor. And please let us know your thoughts and concerns as we continue to advocate for change on campus.

Tom O'Brien '86
Chair, GALA-ND/SMC
chair@galandsmc.org

Letter to Fr. Jenkins regarding newspaper conflict

GALA-ND/SMC Webmaster — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:49:24 GMT

Dear Father Jenkins,

We hope this note finds you well. As officers of the Gay and Lesbian Alumni/ae of Notre Dame and Saint Mary's College (GALA-ND/SMC), we have been staying on top of the response to The Observer comic so that we can keep our 900+ members across the country informed. Many have expressed hurt, anger, and despair that things are going in the wrong direction on campus. Our letter, which appeared in the January 18 edition of the Observer, took in to account many of their feelings as well as our own intentions regarding next steps to be taken.

We would like to commend you on your quick denunciation of this act, denouncing “the implication that violence or expressions of hate toward any person or group of people is acceptable or a matter that should be taken lightly.” GALA-ND/SMC agrees and recommends the following steps that we believe will address some of the underlying issues surrounding the cartoon’s publication and the response to it from so many, including our members.

First, we would like to meet with you in person. This would allow us to brainstorm future steps together and allow you to meet GALA-ND/SMC’s new leadership team. While previous officers of GALA-ND/SMC have had fruitful meetings with Fathers Malloy and Hesburgh, we have not yet had the chance to meet with you in the same capacity. A face-to-face meeting would send a clear message to our members and the campus community that we are actively working together on preventing hate speech from occurring again. We recognize that you have a busy schedule so we will do our best to make a trip to campus when it is convenient for you. We believe this to be too critical an issue to wait until our next planned visit.

Second, we recommend that a series of panel discussions take place throughout the Spring semester. These panels could include Observer staff, students, faculty, and alumni and would be centered around such topics as the editorial review process and hate speech, the threat of violence against students on campus, what it means to be gay at a Catholic college, and balancing faith and sexuality. Underlying many of these issues for our members is a concern that there is a relationship between the university’s non-discrimination clause, which does not include sexual orientation, the lack of formal recognition for the student group, and an unwillingness to see the LGBT community, including alumni, as part of the Notre Dame family.

Perhaps the Gender Relations Center could take the lead in organizing these discussions. GALA-ND/SMC would love to participate in these and could even try to find suitable speakers from our organization. The Law School students recently held a successful series that explored GLBT legal issues; this could be used as a good model going forward. Again, the panels would send a clear message to our members and campus that positive steps are being taken.

As you know, actions always speak louder than words. We hope that we can work together to take quick, short-term steps that will build a stronger Notre Dame community in the future.

Sincerely,

Tom O’Brien ’86,
Michael August ’96
Steven Saftig ‘03
Liam Dacey ‘04

Observer Editor-In-Chief Apologizes for Gay-Bashing

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 02:58:47 GMT

I apologize this letter is not more personal, however this is the only contact information I can find on your Web site. I would ask, if you wish, that you forward this to the members of your organization.

I'm writing to apologize personally to the GALA-ND/SMC family. I was not personally at work the night the hateful and offensive comic went to print, and am working with my staff to figure out how exactly such content made its way onto our pages and what we can do to rectify the situation. While we cannot undo the damage that has already been done, I hope that you can accept our sincerest apology.

The content of the comic has no place in our newspaper, and further, has no place on campus. I wanted to let you know what we are doing to work to move forward.

We've contacted groups on both campuses to request their help in working to prevent this dialogue from existing, to foster a community of compassion and understanding and to help Notre Dame and Saint Mary's learn from this unfortunate mistake. We're updating and publishing revised content and Viewpoint policies, and being transparent with our editorial processes and staff changes after this incident.

We understand that your reactions to this situation may express a range of sentiments — anger, outrage, sadness, disappointment, betrayal. We would ask you talk to us to help work through this, and ask that you have faith that The Observer staff will work to rectify this to the best of our ability.

We know our actions might seem too little too late, but we ask that with your help we can move forward together as members of the Notre Dame family. The Observer has constantly strove to cover the work of student groups on campus and has worked closely with the Core Council, the Gender Relations Center and the Office of Student Affairs to help them communicate their messages.

Please accept our sincerest apology.

Thank you for reading,

Jenn

--
Jenn Metz
Editor-in-Chief
The Observer

GALA ND/SMC Response to Hate Speech

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 02:54:13 GMT

Note: This past Tuesday, a gay-bashing comic strip ran in The Observer. You can see the comic that ran in the paper, as well as the one that was originally rejected and the hateful conversation that transpired, here. GALA ND/SMC's official response is below.

As officers of the Gay and Lesbian Alumni/ae of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College (GALA-ND/SMC) for the past two years, we have encountered people on campus who disagree with us on many issues. What we have not encountered from the student body, faculty, or administration is the lack of respect evidenced by the publication of this hateful cartoon from other members of the Notre Dame community.

This is not a question of free speech. If the editors weren’t concerned with community standards, they wouldn’t have rejected the first version of the cartoon. No, the decision to publish it demonstrates a serious lack of judgment and lack of commitment to the Catholic belief in human dignity and stance against violence.
We know that the cartoon does not reflect the feelings of a majority of the people on the ND campus; and we have been heartened by many of the responses appearing in the Observer. But this will hurt the university unless it is clear that Notre Dame does not tolerate violence against any members of its community.

The author and editors seem to have missed the point of a Catholic education if they cannot see that LGBT students, faculty, staff and alumni are indeed members of the Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s family and should be treated as such.

We make every attempt to share with people outside of campus the positive steps being made to improve the lives of the LGBT community at ND and SMC. Sometimes this takes convincing, even with our own membership. The publication of the cartoon is a prime example of why Notre Dame ranks first in The Princeton Review’s list of the most unwelcoming campuses for gay and lesbian students. The noise being generated by this will drown out any good news about the work being done by the students, faculty and Core Council. That’s not good news if you care about our university’s reputation.

The administration needs to take the lead in responding by holding panel discussions with the Observer, the faculty and the student body. GALA’s more-than-900 members are ready to join with the rest of the Notre Dame community in stating that the free flow of ideas can only occur if we respect each other.

Tom O’Brien ‘86, Michael August ‘96, Steven Saftig ’03, and Liam Dacey ‘04
GALA ND/SMC Officers

Call for Candidates - Deadline

GALA-ND/SMC Webmaster — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 12:41:29 GMT

Hello,

As posted a few weeks ago (by Facebook, by email message to registered members of GALA-ND/SMC, and on this website), the current terms of GALA's officers will be expiring next month. Therefore, we have issued a call for candidates, detailed at the note below:

http://www.galandsmc.org/news.html?mode=PostView&bmi=258628

The deadline for stating your interest in a position is set for Sunday January 10. However, we have received interest thus far for just four of the five positions. While candidates for any position are welcomed and encouraged, if anyone among you is interested in running for and serving in the TREASURER position, your candidacy for service would be greatly welcomed. Please review the note above for the procedure for announcing your interest.

Thank you for your kind attention.

Mike August '96
GALA-ND/SMC Treasurer, Administrator

Winter Update from the Chair

GALA-ND/SMC Webmaster — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 20:02:15 GMT

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

As 2009 comes to a close, so does the tenure for this group of GALA officers. My two years as Chair have been truly gratifying. The students on campus continue the good fight to make life better for the entire Notre Dame LGBT community; as alumni, we play a critical role in supporting them and finding our own ways to foster change. When we started two years ago, we identified five principal goals:

Developing an up-to-date membership database to make GALA more effective as an organization.
Developing an archive of GALA newsletters, activities, programs and other outreach efforts that have taken place at the regional and national level to prevent the loss of institutional memory.
Growing our dues paying membership ranks and our pool of funds to support programs.
Establishing regular means of communication with Outreach ND, the student organization; the administrations at ND and SMC; and the Notre Dame Alumni Association at the national and regional level.
Forming partnerships with other gay alumni groups from Catholic colleges and universities and from other organizations to increase the number of voices expressing shared concerns and to develop critical mass for social and service activities in parts of the country where the small number of ND/Saint Mary’s grads has been an impediment to effective organization.

I am happy to say that we have made progress in all of these areas. Our membership database has been updated and is now available online (for dues-paying members). We have increased the number of dues-paying members and kept the organization financially sound while increasing the number of activities and programs we are able to support. The website has become home to all of our newsletters, and people interested in finding GALA can learn more about our past as well as our current activities. I am most proud perhaps of the support we have provided to students, increasing scholarship opportunities among other efforts that raise our profile on campus and open doors with the administration and our fellow alumni.

We were also successful in updating GALA’s constitution. I am grateful for the serious attention that you gave to this task. As a result of your input we are looking at our own non-discrimination clause to make sure that we are as inclusive as possible of our trans-gendered members. Stay tuned for more on this front.

There is still much more to do even as we make this transition.

GALA will be sponsoring a speaker at the Notre Dame MBA Diversity Conference in February (http://business.nd.edu/diversityconference/). The conference is part of a week-long series of activities including an MBA recruiter Warm-up, a Diversity Reception and the Winter Career and Internship Fair.
The response to our call for speakers for the recent Law School panel on LGBT legal issues was so overwhelming that we are investigating the possibility of developing a larger event looking at the same topic in the coming year. I will offer my assistance to the new Chair and Vice Chair for Programs in identifying funding opportunities for the event and in doing whatever needs to be done to bring it about. I hope that there will also be opportunities to build upon some new relationships with other Catholic colleges and universities in the process.
We hope to do a reboot of our online Discussion Forum by March 2010. We have had some member comments about difficulties using the website's discussion board; our web provider is planning some upgrades this winter that should allow the board to become an easier-to-use and more fruitful gathering place for our members announcements and commentary.
We need to increase the level of activity within the various parts of the country by identifying and supporting the efforts of regional coordinators.

I hope you will consider helping GALA with these important tasks by running for either Chair, Vice Chair for Programs, Vice Chair for Membership, Secretary or Treasurer. We need your ideas and enthusiasm to keep our work relevant. Elections will be held at the end of January. More information including descriptions of the positions can be found at www.galandsmc.org. Outgoing Treasurer Mike August will be chairing the Nominations and Elections committee. He is seeking 1-3 additional GALA members to assist him in reviewing candidates' statements of interest, preparing the online ballot, and validating final election results. Interested parties can email Mike at administrator@galandsmc.org.

Mike, Steven and Liam and regional coordinator Matt Roberts have been wonderful colleagues over the past two years. I thank them for their dedication and commitment, much of which occurred behind the scenes. And thank you as well for your support. Your contributions, ideas and most important, your active engagement with GALA, have made it a better organization. I look forward to continuing to work with you all, this time on the other side of the email.

Tom O'Brien '86
Chair, GALA-ND/SMC
chair@galandsmc.org

Call for Candidates - GALA-ND/SMC Officer Elections

GALA-ND/SMC Webmaster — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:23:07 GMT

Dear Members,

Per GALA-ND/SMC's constitution, elected officers serve two-year terms and are elected by the dues-paying members of the organization.

The current officeholders' term of service is expiring in February 2009, so we are now issuing a call for candidates for the following positions:

Chair
Vice-Chair for Programs
Vice-Chair for Membership
Secretary
Treasurer

Among the current officers, only Liam Dacey (currently serving as secretary) will be seeking another term in office by running for Chair of GALA-ND/SMC. The other officers, Tom, Steven and Mike, will be stepping back from elected officer responsibilities after having served a combined 16 years of service to GALA in various roles.

If you are interested in serving GALA-ND/SMC and its members in one of the officer positions, please review the following steps:

At the end of this post, you will find officer position descriptions for each role. Each position description is followed by general skills or considerations the candidate should be aware of related to the position.
Email your name, desired office and brief statement of interest (one paragraph) to Mike August at administrator@galandsmc.org by Sunday January 10.
Elections will take place during the last two weeks of January, with results released in early February and transition between officers occurring by March 1, 2010.
Please note that three of the positions have travel components; officer travel is funded through the annual budget and should not require significant out-of-pocket expense for the incumbent.

If you wish to serve on a Nominations / Elections committee to oversee this election, please review these items:

Outgoing Treasurer/Administrator Mike August will be heading the committee. Committee members will assist in reviewing candidates' statements of interest, preparing the online ballot, and validating final election results.
Those interested in assisting with this committee should email Mike August at administrator@galandsmc.org by January 5.

Thank you for your ongoing support and interest.

Kind regards,

Tom O'Brien '86 - Chair
Steven Saftig '03 - Vice Chair
Liam Dacey '04 - Secretary
Mike August '96 - Treasurer

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OFFICER POSITION DESCRIPTIONS and SKILLS

CHAIR:

The Chair is responsible for overall administration of the organization and oversees all organization activities, including the disbursement of funds and fundraising, and communication with university officials, student organizations and external groups. The Chair convenes and presides over group meetings, and appoints Committee chairs and representatives in conjunction with other elected officers. The Chair may appoint the Immediate Past Chair a non-elected advisory officer in order to ensure continuity of programs.

Skills:

Candidates should be comfortable representing GALA with members, students, external organizations, and the Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s Administration; and commit to traveling to campus at least once per year (per GALA budget guidelines) to conduct meetings. The position also requires someone who can convey GALA’s mission effectively and make reports on the organization’s various activities. As a result, candidates should possess good verbal and written communication skills. Candidates with some project management experience will find this background useful as the Chair is responsible for keeping fellow officers, committee members and projects on schedule.

VICE-CHAIR FOR PROGRAMS:

The Vice Chair for Programs is directly responsible for GALA-ND/SMC’s programs and coordinates volunteers who organize regional and local GALA-ND/SMC events across the country. The Vice-Chair for Programs also oversees the efforts of special ad-hoc program committees, made up of GALA-ND/SMC members, which may include but are not limited to:

Nominations and Elections Committees to conduct the election of GALA officers
Awards Committees to make recommendations on recipients of GALA-ND/SMC awards and scholarships
Reunion Committees to coordinate the planning of the organization’s involvement in member gatherings
Service Project Committees to organize GALA efforts in service projects at the national, regional and local level

Skills:

Coordinate and communicate effectively and consistently with regional coordinators and ad-hoc committee members. Propose funding for and maintain budget responsibilities for regional and national programs and events. Develop systems for sustaining regional and recurring events. Team with Vice Chair for Membership to ensure that member information from regions is reflected in national database. Commit to travel once per year to campus for group-related meetings, or to a regional event that would benefit from officer participation (per GALA budget guidelines).

VICE-CHAIR FOR MEMBERSHIP:

The Vice-Chair for Membership is responsible for various support services, including website infrastructure (domain management, web service maintenance, email accounts) and member management. Member management responsibilities include review of automated database processes (renewal reminders, renewal processing and inbound dues/donations payments) and processing of new member applications via the member website. The Vice-Chair for Membership also makes periodic reviews and updates of member profile data to ensure accuracy of contact information.

Skills:

Candidates should be comfortable with basic website administration. One online service drives the member database, website, email campaigns and discussion boards; Google Apps is used for managing online documents and internal group email accounts. Neither service requires technical knowledge. While HTML and CSS knowledge is not essential, experience with both would allow the incumbent to develop a more sophisticated user experience on the organization's website.

SECRETARY:

The Secretary is responsible for maintaining the organization’s records including archive materials not maintained on the GALA-ND/SMC website. The Secretary develops the agenda for GALA meetings, records and posts minutes to the GALA website, and posts any other relevant GALA-related items to the website and/or other social networking sites monitored by the organization. The Secretary also oversees the production of the GALA newsletters.

Skills:

The candidate should be comfortable organizing and summarizing notes from monthly conference calls. Attention to detail, deadlines, and working in a timely fashion is a must. Additionally, prior knowledge of website blogging and social networking is useful. The candidate should commit to traveling to campus at least once per year (per GALA budget guidelines) to conduct meetings and attend GALA events.

TREASURER:

The Treasurer maintains bank accounts and investments for GALA-ND/SMC, oversees the collection of members’ annual dues, and handles timely disbursement of funds to vendors and to GALA-ND/SMC officers and representatives in accordance with the organization’s budgetary allowances for purposes related to the mission of the organization. The Treasurer reviews the organization’s budget on an annual basis and makes modifications, as appropriate, subject to approval by a majority of the elected officers. The Treasurer maintains all financial records and prepares and submits tax-related reports.

Skills:

At present, GALA-ND/SMC maintains two bank accounts and an online payment processing account, and the treasurer maintains all accounts in good standing; all expenses and income are logged in an online bookkeeping tool to generate ongoing reports for financial comparisons. Candidates should therefore possess strong organizational skills and comfort with general online banking and recordkeeping environments.

In addition, the treasurer will require ongoing coordination and communication with the Vice-Chair for Membership, with regards to income generated through membership dues and donations.