Page 4
Winter 2000
Students Begin Campaign for LGBT Center
Opposition Expected; Students Hope To Win Their Goal Quickly, Quietly
By Tcny Quirk
On Oct. 13, the University of Virginia
announced that it would establish a re
source center on campus for lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgendered students.
The announcement marked the culmi
nation of two years work by various
groups on and off campus.
The UVA center provides a safe ha
ven for LGBT students on campus as well
as resources such as pamphlets and a li
brary carrying books the campus library
might not. The LGBT resource center is
staffed by a graduate student whose po
sition is funded by the University.
With the establishment of the center
at UVA, however, UNC-Chapel Hill
took on a new distinction. Out of the top
five public
universitites ranked
by U.S. News & World
Report, UNC is the
only one without an
LGBT resource center.
But if some students at
UNC have their way,
that won't be the case
for long.
LGBT resource cen
ters are appearing on
campuses across the
country as university
officials recognize the
importance of address
ing the unique situa
tions queer students
face regularly during
college. Not only do these resource cen
ters provide a s^e place for students to
socialize or do homework, they also
show the willingness of the university
to address the problems faced by LGBT
students.
By establishing a resource center, the
universities have institutionalized a way
The National Coming Out Day march brought together
many queer students and activists on campus.
to address the concerns of LGBT students
and give them a voice.
For example, a non-discrimination
clause that includes sexual orientation
could be ignored at a university that
lacked the administrative presence to
support it. An institutionalized LGBT
resource center can provide the means