GU attends homosexuality, Catholicism conference
Katie Desgrossellier
Issue date: 11/18/05 Section: News
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Santa Clara University hosted "Out There," a national conference addressing homosexuality and Catholicism, on Oct. 29. About 140 students, scholars and student affairs professionals from 40 universities, including 13 Jesuit institutions, came together to discuss lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) issues in the Catholic university context.
Bryce Hughes, AmeriCorps volunteer and staff member of Gonzaga's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) Resource Center, attended the conference. According to Hughes, one of the most important aspects of the conference was "learning what other Catholic universities do to provide information on issues that can be very complicated."
"Out There" began with a student panel discussing diversity in ethnicity and sexuality in Catholic higher education, according to an article published in The Santa Clara, the university's student newspaper.
Workshops on issues such as marriage rights, anti-discriminatory legislation within the Catholic context and LGBTQ resources for universities were offered following the panel discussion.
As the only Gonzaga representative who was able to make it to Santa Clara, Hughes took extensive notes on how to improve LGBTQ services.
"I was able to see where GU stood in comparison to the other Catholic universities," Hughes said. "We are the very first to have a staffed GLBT resource center for students and faculty. To have this puts us ahead of the curve."
DePaul, another university present at the conference, has also taken a progressive stance. DePaul, located in Chicago, offers a minor in LGBTQ studies. The classes allow for free and easy conversations regarding homosexuality within the Catholic tradition, Hughes said.
However, not all universities have been so open to allowing discussion regarding homosexuality. According to Linda Garber, co-organizer of the conference, the LGBT group at the University of Notre Dame is not officially sanctioned, and as a result, they're not allowed to officially use campus buildings for their meetings.
"They're not allowed to have a name that officially associates them with the university," Garber told The Santa Clara.
Hughes said the conference gave him "a chance to show off what we were doing" for the LGBTQ community. He hopes to turn some of his new ideas into positive action in order to make all LGBTQ students, faculty and staff feel more safe and visible at this Catholic university.
Hughes is a part of a fairly new program on campus sponsored by the Unity House and the Center for Community Action and Service Learning (CCASL). The GLBT Resource Center is a "support for students," Hughes said.
There is an open lounge with books, pamphlets and other informational material to help LGBTQ students, faculty and staff. The center also provides supportive educational programming such as panel events to raise awareness of LGBTQ issues.
The center is located in the Unity House and can be reached at x5847.
Bryce Hughes, AmeriCorps volunteer and staff member of Gonzaga's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) Resource Center, attended the conference. According to Hughes, one of the most important aspects of the conference was "learning what other Catholic universities do to provide information on issues that can be very complicated."
"Out There" began with a student panel discussing diversity in ethnicity and sexuality in Catholic higher education, according to an article published in The Santa Clara, the university's student newspaper.
Workshops on issues such as marriage rights, anti-discriminatory legislation within the Catholic context and LGBTQ resources for universities were offered following the panel discussion.
As the only Gonzaga representative who was able to make it to Santa Clara, Hughes took extensive notes on how to improve LGBTQ services.
"I was able to see where GU stood in comparison to the other Catholic universities," Hughes said. "We are the very first to have a staffed GLBT resource center for students and faculty. To have this puts us ahead of the curve."
DePaul, another university present at the conference, has also taken a progressive stance. DePaul, located in Chicago, offers a minor in LGBTQ studies. The classes allow for free and easy conversations regarding homosexuality within the Catholic tradition, Hughes said.
However, not all universities have been so open to allowing discussion regarding homosexuality. According to Linda Garber, co-organizer of the conference, the LGBT group at the University of Notre Dame is not officially sanctioned, and as a result, they're not allowed to officially use campus buildings for their meetings.
"They're not allowed to have a name that officially associates them with the university," Garber told The Santa Clara.
Hughes said the conference gave him "a chance to show off what we were doing" for the LGBTQ community. He hopes to turn some of his new ideas into positive action in order to make all LGBTQ students, faculty and staff feel more safe and visible at this Catholic university.
Hughes is a part of a fairly new program on campus sponsored by the Unity House and the Center for Community Action and Service Learning (CCASL). The GLBT Resource Center is a "support for students," Hughes said.
There is an open lounge with books, pamphlets and other informational material to help LGBTQ students, faculty and staff. The center also provides supportive educational programming such as panel events to raise awareness of LGBTQ issues.
The center is located in the Unity House and can be reached at x5847.