Welcome to GALA-ND/SMC

Announcing the New GALA-ND/SMC Officers!

In February 2008, current dues-paying members of GALA-ND/SMC voted for officers to serve a two-year volunteer term leading the group.  We are happy to announce that our new officers are:

CHAIR - Tom O'Brien '86
VICE CHAIR - Steven Saftig '03
TREASURER - Mike Douglass August '96
SECRETARY - Gus W. '80

To learn more about the officers, visit their bios at galandsmc.org/site/officer-bios.html.

Since the election, officers have met both in person and via phone conference to determine their focus and direction for the coming year. Discussions were framed by GALA’s mission statement and by responses to the January member survey.

The officers have chosen to take the following first steps over the next few months as they prepare for the long-term strategies for the group:

1.     Membership

·       Modify the dues structure to encourage friends and lapsed members to become current. Annual dues will be rolled back from $50 per year to $35 per year for everyone except current students and recent graduates. Current students will not be charged a membership fee, while recent graduates will also enjoy free membership for the first two years after graduation. Make sure your membership is current by joining at join.galandsmc.org; and please share this post with friends and fellow alums who might be interested in joining GALA.

·       Identify new regional coordinators and liaisons for recent grads and women. These coordinators will play an active role in building membership at the regional and targeted level through phone calls, establishing partnerships with other GLBT alumni organizations, identifying opportunities for summer service projects for current students and helping identify mentors for graduates relocating to a new area.

·       Reinstitute Universal GALA night. GALA-ND/SMC  will encourage members across the country to get together on the same weekend for socializing and mobilizing. It’s an approach that continues to work well for Notre Dame and has worked well for GALA in the past, raising the organization’s profile. Events may include social service projects, social gatherings and jointly sponsored seminars.  Information will be forthcoming as events and dates are planned.

2.     Communication

A large percentage of GALA’s funds in the past have been spent on a paper newsletter. The officers recognize that this is a valuable form of communication and are committed to an annual update sent to  members. However, the officers also recognize that many people today are accustomed to more regular updates via electronic means. GALA-ND/SMC can take advantage of its online assets to create a more dynamic on-line presence, get the word out more often and keep costs to a minimum.

3.     Campus Presence

GALA-ND/SMC wants both students and administration to be aware of the strength of our organization and our commitment to open dialogue about the role of the GLBT community in campus life. The new officers will start with the following:

·       Send a formal letter of introduction to the Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s administrations.
·       Formalize communication and coordination with OutreachND.

Officer Elections Now Underway

To follow up on a few items from the member update letter sent in December:

Officer elections for GALA-ND/SMC are underway. Per the GALA-ND/SMC constitution (viewable via the "About Us" navigation link in the left column of this website):

"The officers are to be elected by a majority of votes submitted by the dues-paying members... The duties of the officers are to convene an preside over group meetings, oversee the organization's activities, collect annual dues, maintain the financial records, distribute funds, publish a newsletter, and appoint committee chairs."

Those who have paid membership dues to GALA-ND/SMC since January 1, 2007, are eligible to vote in the election for new officers for the organization. If you paid dues during this time and did NOT receive an email over the past weekend with ballot instructions, please send an email to webmaster AT galandsmc DOT org so we can verify your status and forward the details accordingly. Ballots are being processed online and are due by Monday February 18, 2008, so please contact us promptly at the aforementioned email address if you paid dues during the eligibility period but did not receive the ballot instructions.

The new officer line-up will be announced on the www.galandsmc.org website during the week following the election.

Additionally, the results of the member survey (which concluded on 1/31/08) have been compiled and will be given to the new officers upon completion of the election period. Results will also be made available to members soon thereafter.

GALA Leadership Opportunities

The following was included in the member update letters sent over the past month by email (if we had your email address) and by snail mail (if we didn't have your email).

Due to the protracted period for contacting all members, we are extending the deadline for those interested in being involved with leadership positions in GALA-ND/SMC. The deadline for letting us know your interest/intention will now be 10 days later (i.e. January 17).

Please see the details below and contact Michael August (at the address provided below) if you are interested in contributing!

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OFFICER ELECTIONS

It is once again time for officer elections. Offices up for election are:
Chair
Vice-Chair
Treasurer
Secretary

All members are invited to consider running for one of these leadership positions. Qualifications are simple: You must have earned an ND or SMC degree, and you must have time and passion to contribute to the organization during a full two-year term.

If this interests you, send an email with subject GALA ELECTIONS to webmaster@galandsmc.org. Include a bio and specify the office you are interested in running for. To be considered, your email must be received by January 17, 2008.

Elections will be held online in early February, with new officers announced by mid-February.

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OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

GALA-ND/SMC now has nearly 900 people in its member list. We recognize that the needs and interests of our members are as numerous as they are diverse, so we would like to seek some assistance with outreach for certain subsets of our member population. Liaisons would assist GALA-ND/SMC's officers with communications and events targeted to specific populations within the group's membership.

If you would like to serve as a liaison for any of the following subgroups of GALA-ND/SMC members, please send an email (with the subject line "GALA LIAISON") to webmaster@galandsmc.org. Include the name of the group you are interested in spearheading, as well as what your ideas and motivations are for the position:
Recent Alumni
Women
New Members
Regional Rep
Older Alumni

ND Football Game Watches with GALA-ND/SMC

As the Notre Dame football season gets ready to go, there has been some interest expressed about ND "game watches" around the country.

We have had offers to host game watches in New York City and in Philadelphia this fall, and another is in the works for Los Angeles. If you are interested in attending one of these, please check out the information below and contact the person listed for further details:

NYC:

Please join Irish fans for a gay alumni and fan gamewatch for the ND-USC football game on Oct 20th at Gym Sports Bar in New York. The game starts at 3:30pm ET, and we'll be there before kickoff. Drink Specials will be happening and there will be more information coming, but mark your calendars now! Gym is located at 167 8th Avenue (between 18th & 19th Streets)

To RSVP or for more information please contact Danny Wiederkehr '04 by email.

Philadelphia:

Liam Dacey '04, Mike Sofield '95, Andrew Remick '05, and John Matteo '91 are coordinating a game watch in Philadelphia for ND-Michigan game on 9/15 (game begins at 3:30pm). The venue is still pending.

If you are interested in joining, please contact Liam by email.

Los Angeles:

Tom O'Brien '86 and Brian O'Connor '01 are planning a game watch for the Los Angeles area. To express interest, make suggestions, or for more information, please contact Tom by email.

For now, however, Tom is hosting a pre-game tailgate at his house in Pasadena prior to the ND-UCLA game on October 6. Please contact him if you'd like to join.

ND Reunion 2006 Seminar

If you plan to attend this year's reunion on campus, please be sure to stop by for the "Family and Homosexuality" seminar. This is an annual event and is always a wonderful experience.

In addition to long-time facilitators Nancy and Hank Mascotte, this year's panel will feature GALA members Julie Joyce '81 and Mike Douglass August '96.

The seminar will take place on Saturday, June 3, from 10:00 - 11:30 AM in 210 DeBartolo Hall.

New ways to contact GALA-ND/SMC

A "Contact Us" link has been added under the "About" heading in the navigation bar on this site. In addition to the officers' and administrators' email links, we have now added links to emails for regional leaders. If you have a query or suggestion about goings-on in your neck of the woods, feel free to send an email to your regional representative via those links.

New Membership Management Options

In addition to paying GALA-ND/SMC dues and donations online, you can now also submit your membership profile information directly to our member database!

If you are a new member, you can provide GALA-ND/SMC with your most current biographical information before submitting your dues payment. If you are a current member, you can submit updates to your existing directory entry.

To see this new website functionality in action, choose from the links under "Support GALA" on the left column of this page.

“Gay & Lesbian Film” Event Generates Excitement With Stellar Lineup

The following information has been updated to reflect recent changes in the event

“Gay & Lesbian Film: Filmmakers, Narratives, Spectatorships” opens on Thursday, February 9, 2006 at the University of Notre Dame DeBartolo Center for the Performing Arts’ Browning Cinema.

According to Harry Karahalios ’09, student co-chair of the event, along with Martin Laina ’06 and Nora Fallon ’06, the following films are confirmed:

• Brokeback Mountain (Lee, USA)
• Gay Republicans (Westmoreland, USA)
• Cachorro (Bear Cub) (Albaladejo, Spain)
• Saving Face (Wu, USA)
• Breakfast On Pluto (Jordan, Ireland/UK)
• Happy Endings (Roos, USA)

Karahalios tells us, “This year’s six-film lineup showcases the range and robustness of contemporary gay and lesbian filmmaking.”

Laina adds, “The films move across nations, cultures and genres and invite students to consider what constitutes a gay, lesbian or straight film.  Several films offer students representations of gay and lesbian identities in multicultural and international contexts.”

In addition to the lineup of films, notable scholars and filmmakers will be attending the event to lecture, introduce their films, participate in panels and visit classes.

Professor Alexander M. Doty, Chair of the English Department at Lehigh University will present a talk on “Gay & Lesbian Film, Queer Theory & the Academy.” Professor Doty is the author of Making Things Perfectly Queer: Interpreting Mass Culture, and Flaming Classics: Queering the Film Canon.

Furthermore, Notre Dame alumnus Don Roos (director of The Opposite Of Sex and Bounce) will be presenting his new film, Happy Endings and participating on a panel entitled “Making Gay & Lesbian Film.”  Fellow panelists will include Miguel Albaladejo, director of Cachorro (Bear Cub), from Madrid, Spain and Notre Dame professor and award winning filmmaker Jill Godmillow. 

A second panel on “Global Cultures/Global Cinemas” will feature notable Notre Dame professors Jim Collins, Department of Film Television & Theatre, Luke Gibbons, Department of English, Carlos Jerez-Farrán, Department of Romance Languages & Literatures and Glenn Hendler, Department of English.
 
“Gay & Lesbian Film: Filmmakers, Narratives, Spectatorships” is an academic event whose mission is the understanding of gay and lesbian films and filmmaking within the context of film scholarship and Notre Dame’s spirit of inclusion.

“Gay & Lesbian Film: Filmmakers, Narratives, Spectatorships” will run from February 9 through 11.  Tickets will be free but must be ordered in advance from the Box Office at 574-631-2800.

For further information contact Harry Karahalios hkarahal@nd.edu or Martin Laina mlaina@nd.edu. 

GALA-ND/SMC Merchandise and Donations Now Online!

You can now become a member of GALA-ND/SMC by donating online at  www.galandsmc.org/donate.  Current members can renew through the same page.

Sales of GALA Gear (logo T-Shirts and Ballcaps) are also now  available online at www.galandsmc.org/store.

All membership donations and net proceeds from merchandise sales  allow GALA-ND/SMC to carry out its various efforts, including:

• ND Queer Film Festival
• Quarterly Newsletters
• Student Summer Scholarships
• Tom Dooley Award
• Annual on-campus football tailgater
• Regional gatherings and support system
• Support for student group on campus

Thank you for your support!

Welcome to GALA-ND/SMC!

In the fall of 1993, GALA-ND/SMC (Gay and Lesbian Alumni/ae of the University of Notre Dame and Saint Mary's College) formed to help educate the academic community about sexual orientation issues and to promote solidarity among gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered graduates from the University of Notre Dame and Saint Mary's College. Since its formation, GALA-ND/SMC has grown to an organization of more than 750 members.

We believe a visible national organization of lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual alumni is one important way to assist the student groups, OUTReach ND and the Feminist Collective and to educate the entire ND/SMC community on matters of sexual orientation. As alumni, we are in a unique position to do this. GALA-ND/SMC has already become an important way for members to network, re-connect with classmates, and communicate with other alumni across the country.

GALA-ND/SMC is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-deductible organization. It has no affiliation with -- and receives no financial support from -- the University of Notre Dame or Saint Mary's College. Annual dues are $50 and include a subscription to the newsletter