FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 10, 2010

PRESS INQUIRIES:
Contact: Campus Pride
Phone: 704-277-6710
Email: info@campuspride.org

Campus Pride Announces Scholarships
for Summer Leadership Camp 2010
Full & partial scholarships available to LGBT and ally college students across U.S. specifically in NC, SC, GA and InterMountain West Region thanks to grants from the Gamma Mu Foundation, Alliance for Full Acceptance & B.W. Bastian Foundation

(Charlotte, NC, March 10, 2010) --Campus Pride announced today that full and partial scholarships are available to attend the fourth annual Campus Pride Summer Leadership Camp. Lesbian, gay,bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and ally undergraduate student leaders may apply for the scholarships to attend camp from any college across the country. This year camp will be hosted by Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee from July 20th through July 25th, 2010. Apply online at www.campuspride.org/camp.asp

Numerous scholarships are available to help interested college students who are unable to pay the full camp registration fee. Full and partial scholarships are made possible by grants from the Gamma Mu Foundation (Non-Region Specific), Alliance for Full Acceptance (SC, NC & GA) and the B. W. Bastian Foundation (InterMountain West Region). Campus Pride seeks a diverse cohort of student leaders and these grants assist in this commitment across race, socio-economic, religion and geographical lines. First priority consideration is April 16, 2010 and rolling decisions thereafter.

Perhaps it was the recent Supreme Court decision which has lifted corporate campaign spending limits? Or maybe it was in history class when you learned about the Boston Tea Party or the Montgomery Bus Boycott? Or possibly it was when you met someone who explained that they try to eat locally. Whatever the case, I imagine at one point you've thought about the connection between money and politics, and even witnessed the impact of their connection.

Well, it's time we put that connection to work for our movement. During the Prop 8 vote, AfterEllen.com released a list of businesses that were supporting the Yes on 8 Campaign, with the hopes that people who did not support Prop 8 would bring their business elsewhere. But, what if instead of only making sure our money didn't go towards people who would use the profits against us, what if we actively spent money on things that would support the queer community?

OUTMedia and Campus Pride have teamed up to create a "Be Queer, Buy Queer" video contest to get all of us inspired to use our money to support the queer community.

You can submit a video alone, with a group of friends, as an organization, or with the help of your entire campus! You can learn more about the contest here. The contest deadline is April 15, 2010, and voting for the winner will be from April 16-29, 2010. The grand winner will be announced on April 30th in conclusion of diversity month.

What rides on eight wheels and wears pink flannel?

Me. :)

OPEN recently attended Roll-on America's Pride Skate Night. Everyone had a blast, and hopefully there will be more skate nights in the future. I suggest that other schools try this one out. Check out your local roller rinks, see how they feel about a pride skate. Or just go for a casual outing with members. Chances are at least a third of ya will fall on your butts—which really only makes it better!

The University of Pennsylvania's admissions office is making history. This year, after those highly anticipated fat envelopes get mailed out, some students will receive an additional letter telling them about the vibrant queer community at Penn.

In an initiative to recruit more LGBTQ and Ally students, their campus organization the Lambda Alliance has teamed up with the school's admissions officers. According to this article which appeared in Penn's student newspaper yesterday, if an accepted student's admissions file reveals that they are a strong ally or if they come out in their personal statement, the admissions office will flag the files. These flagged files will then be sent a letter that is currently being crafted by the Lambda Alliance Vice Chairman for Communications Julia Moon. Students who write that they have not yet come out to their family or that they aren't comfortable with public knowledge of their sexuality will not be sent a letter.

This technique has long been employed by the University for racial and ethnic minority students, but this is the first time they will reach out to LGBT students specifically.

What do you think about this?

Do you think it's helpful, or an invasion of privacy?

Were concerns about LGBT life factored into your college decision?

Has your organization ever thought about approaching the admissions office?

Does your admissions office have up-to-date information about LGBT life at your school? Do they have pamphlets about your organization (if you have them)? Queer student representation at prospective or accepted student events?

Thinking of transferring or know any high school students?

I should've seen it coming. For six years I've been in school-based LGBTQA organizations, and it always, always happens at this time of year. That's right, the second semester slump.

I've always taken it upon myself to work through it, get members back. But for some reason it's just a dead zone for clubs. OPEN meetings have halved. Participation is a fraction of what it was. We still have the same number of events, but the enthusiasm isn't there.

Does anyone have any suggestions for exciting and encouraging membership at this time of year? We have had some seriously great events, to no avail. Maybe I should just take a step back for a few weeks, and let people catch up their work. That'll be a tough one.

This one's about fetishization and attraction, specifically as it operates in/on the trans community--the subject matter does require a pretty direct address of sexuality, so that's there. FYI :)

George Aumoithe, Jr. of Bowdoin College and Stephen Lucas of Penn State chosen for national LGBT honor recognizing extraordinary contributions

(Charlotte, NC, February, 15, 2010) -- Campus Pride (www.CampusPride.org) recognizes George Aumoithe, Jr. of Bowdoin College (Class of 2011) and Stephen Lucas from Pennsylvania State University (Class of 2010) with the 2010 National Voice & Action Leadership Award. The annual honorary recognition is the only one of its kind focused nationally on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and ally college students. Every year the award is bestowed upon young adults who have made extraordinary contributions as LGBT and ally leaders at colleges and universities across the United States.

“Campus Pride created the Voice & Action National Leadership Award to showcase the amazing work and commitment by young adult leaders in our movement for fairness and equality. Indeed, both George and Stephen exemplify this award and Campus Pride honors both of them and all the outstanding leaders who applied this year,” Christopher Bylone, Campus Pride volunteer program coordinator, said.

I only recently started thinking about homelessness. Growing up in rural Missouri and attending college in rural Vermont, homelessness was largely off my radar because I didn't regularly see homeless people or know anyone who had faced homelessness. After graduating this past spring and moving out to Berkeley, CA, homelessness has suddenly been a much larger part of my awareness. There is a much larger population of homeless people here--anytime I go downtown, I run into at least 10 homeless people--and my friend Paige is working as a case manager for homeless senior citizens. So, I've been thinking about homelessness a lot, lately.

Now, at this point, you're probably wondering why I'm telling you all of this. This is a blog for LGBT Issues in Higher Ed, afterall. Well, The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force estimates that 20-40% of homeless youth identify as LGBT inthis extensive report. That's a huge percentage! That's a huge percentage of our peers! Especially when you consider that the U.S. Department Health and Human Services estimates that LGBT people make up 2-3% of the population.

OUTmedia's
"BE QUEER, BUY QUEER!"
INTERNATIONAL VIDEO CONTEST

in partnership with Campus Pride

WIN $10,000
in FREE OUTmedia Entertainment for Your Campus

LEARN MORE

In partnership with Campus Pride, OUTmedia is seeking college students throughout the world to submit original videos on the theme,“Be Queer, Buy Queer!”

Slams,rants, stand up, sketch, music frenzy, spicy splicing are all welcome.We want you to speak boldly, and outrageously on the vision, expressed by OUTmedia’s Founder, Shelly Weiss, “care about where you spend your every dime, invest in the businesses that believe and invest in you.Build your queer vision of your future, with what and where you buy today!”

Submit your own video responding to concept of "Be Queer Buy Queer," with a friend,your LGBTQQIA campus group, or run wild with your entire campus community! Present in video form "What Does Be Queer Buy Queer Mean To You?"

PRIZE: One winner will receive $10,000 in OUTmedia entertainment* and the opportunity to host the First Annual OUTmedia Queer Campus Culture Fest! at their university --hosted by Kit Yan and being developed for TVairing.

An additional prize of a performance by one OUTmedia artist will be given to the school with the most number of registered voters.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: Submissions will be accepted through April 15, 2010, voting from April16-29, 2010 -- and the winner announced at the culmination of Diversity Month on April 30, 2010.

I remember being nervous as I sat there with my study abroad advisor. It was our final meeting. After months and months of meeting for advice on figuring out where I wanted to study, looking over final applications for programs and scholarships, helping me to get all of my forms and vaccines in order, it was our final check-in before I would be on an airplane to Tanzania. "There is one last thing," I nervously piped up after we'd gone over all of the checklists. "I...I'm kinda nervous about having a girlfriend while I'm abroad." Holly and I had only gotten back together in the last month of school, and I had only recently started thinking about what it would mean to have a girlfriend in a country that has a language without a word for lesbian and where male homosexuality is illegal--there was even a case of a European man being deported! None of this was going to stop me; I figured that our once-a-week phone calls would be private enough, and that I could pass off the picture of the two of us I kept by my bed as a picture of my "friend." Mostly, I couldn't believe this was a position I was actually in. I felt a lot of anger about having to step into a closet I had never even had to be in for that long. But, I also knew this was just part of the experience, one more opportunity in cross-cultural learning. And in the end, it made me grateful for the ability to be out and proud and makes it only that more important to create safe spaces for LGBTQ people.