------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MIDWEST NETWORKING PROJECT: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO CCSLGBI -- COMMUNICATION AND NETWORKING SUBCOMMITTEE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Data Base File: Middle Tennessee State University ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Middle Tennessee State University - Statement on Gays - December 2, 1996 ============================================================================== STORY CONTACTS: MTSU President James Walker 615-898-2622 VP of Student Affairs Robert LaLance 615-898-2440 UEC Chair Michael Grantham 615-898-2464 MTSU Lambda Association 615-780-2293 Uniform Equality Committee - www.mtsu.edu/~mtlambda/uec.html And Liberty For All - www.mtsu.edu/~mtlambda/selgb.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ STATEMENT - www.mtsu.edu/~mtlambda/uec.html --------------------------------- Today, MTSU takes a positive first step toward ensuring equity for gay and lesbian students, faculty and staff. By issuing the "Statement of Community Standards of Civil Behavior" the University sets an encouraging expectation raising our social standards above those that help breed racism and bigotry. It is important to verbalize our beliefs that everyone should have the same chances in academia without having to endure discrimination or harassment for being different. By stating a philosophy of civility the University moves toward truely ensuring equal protection through policy. The Uniform Equality Committee was formed to see this policy created and will continue future work to educate the campus community on its neccessity. CONFERENCE - www.mtsu.edu/~mtlambda/selgb.html ------------------------------ Today's announcement coincides with the opening of pre-registration for And Liberty For All, the 6th Annual Southeastern Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual College Conference. This conference will be hosted by MTSU Lambda Association Feb. 14-16. More than 500 gay and lesbian student leaders from accros the southeast are expected to attend. David Mixner, Torie Osborn, Patricia Nell Warren, Lynn Shepodd, and Paul Yandura will be keynote speakers for this empowering event. Last year's conference, held at the University of Alabama, drew considerable controversy when Alabama's State Attorney General moved to ban the conference. It finally took a federal court in Mobile to rule the state's law prohibiting gay and lesbian groups form meeting on state campuses as unconstitutional before the conference could go on. The conference will help initiate activism and awareness efforts on campuses across the southeast with regard to gay and lesbian issues. Tennessee has been very active in the past year with more than three campuses forming gay and lesbian groups. East Tennessee State University, Middle Tennessee State University, University of Memphis, and University of Tennessee at Knoxville have all been pursuing policy enhancements under the "Equality is Civility" campaign. The co-chairs for And Liberty For All have taken part in national conferences such as OUTVOTE '96 sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign and the NGLTF's Creating Change. They are excited about bringing home the energized spirit of an empowering era for gay and lesbian Americans. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MTSU Lambda Association * MTSU Box 624 * Murfreesboro, TN 37132 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Sun, 1 Dec 1996 From: ....DREALM.... To: mtlambda@knuth.mtsu.edu Subject: Middle Tennessee State University issues Statement on Gays ------------------------------------------------------------------------------