The following is a guest blog from student Lindsay Jakows, co-president of Reach OUT, a student effort at the Churches of Christ-affiliated Pepperdine University. Campus Pride has been keeping up with Pepperdine students' efforts. Our executive director, Shane Windmeyer, recently wrote about Pepperdine and Notre Dame at the Huffington Post . We’re glad to be able to support Pepperdine and Notre Dame students in their efforts to make their campus safer and more inclusive for LGBT students.

Pepperdine Reach OUT co-presidents Lindsay Jakows and Alexander Cooper.

Pepperdine Univeristy President Andrew K. Benton making a statement about Reach OUT's denial at his Feb. 1, 2012, briefing with faculty and staff.

I couldn’t be more excited to be leading Reach OUT’s campaign for recognition at Pepperdine University. After years of negotiating with administrators, Reach OUT, an unrecognized group of LGBT students and allies launched a change.org petition in January appealing the Dec. 13, 2011, denial of our request to become officially recognized with the university.

This movement is hardly new, but has only recently organized into action after being denied. To date, four LGBT groups at Pepperdine have either been rejected or seriously discouraged from applying, including “Students Against Homophobia” in 2004 and GLEE (Gays, Lesbians, and Everyone Else) in 2007. Reach OUT organized itself in the fall of 2010 from a previous Facebook page called “OUT.”

The biggest challenge to receiving recognition has been the university’s discomfort with anything less than a total condemnation of same-sex sexual activity. In order to address the administration’s concerns, Reach OUT added a clause in its constitution saying that it does not endorse same-sex sexual activity. However, this was not enough — the administration demanded an explicit condemnation. Reach OUT has made its case loud and clear that it should be able to hold a neutral position on same-sex sexual activity without forcing the university to endorse its decision. Other schools, like Loyola Marymount University, “disassociated” all clubs from the official viewpoint of the administration, allowing its LGBT club to be recognized. Furthermore, Pepperdine is inconsistent when it allows multiple political clubs with differing viewpoints to exist, and when the student newspaper includes a disclaimer that allows for differing viewpoints.

Another response our group has received from some students is a “like it or leave it” argument that seems to say that we should accept the university’s decision because we came here understanding that it was a conservative Christian school. This argument makes little sense when I had no options other than conservative Christian universities because of family pressures, and some students in our group weren’t even aware they were gay until college. By that illogic, no one should ever work to improve policies of an organization they chose to associate with.

Read the rest of Lindsay's commentary after the jump...

HUFFINGTON POST
GAY VOICES
Shane L. Windmeyer, Executive Director, Campus Pride

I commend the LGBT and ally students at both Pepperdine University and University of Notre Dame for not giving up, despite the challenges posed by administrators. Faith empowers us to believe in something greater than ourselves. Your faith is strong and, on behalf of Campus Pride, I thank you for your courage and leadership.

Pepperdine University, University of Notre Dame, and other private, religiously affiliated colleges need to do the right thing. All students deserve support and safety at college. It is time to recognize your LGBT students as part of your faith community.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE ONLINE
GAY VOICES -- HUFFINGTON POST