UDM alliance brings together straight and gay students
Alice Arutoff
Issue date: 3/3/10 Section: Features
The Gay Straight Alliance has risen and fallen and risen again repeatedly over its ten years at the University of Detroit Mercy.
As of December, the group is back in action after a period of inactivity.
The lapse was a result of several of the group's leaders leaving UDM to study abroad last year. Back then the GSA floundered, but recently a few students have decided to reestablish the student organization.
This "has been a group effort from all of the participating members," said Dustin Jackson, the new president. "I was in contact with Nick Piotrowski, the last president, to see how I went about starting it back up and since then he's been a major player in trying to reestablish the GSA, as well as Brienna Thorndyke, Mike Pidgeon, Scott Courter and many others."
The group's first event was Milk and Cookies Night.
GSA showed the movie "Milk," based on the career and assassination of Harvey Milk, a gay rights activist and the first openly gay man to be elected to political office in the United States.
The event drew about 20 people, who stayed for the movie and to drink milk and munch on cookies that the GSA provided. It was pronounced a success.
The alliance meets every other Tuesday on the third floor of the library. At the meeting on Feb. 23, members discussed upcoming events for both on-campus and in the community.
A meet-and-greet with GSA groups from U of M Dearborn and the College of Creative Studies is in the works for March 20 at Northern Lights in downtown Detroit.
The group is also participating in Phi Alpha Delta's spaghetti dinner on March 30, an event that will benefit Covenant House.
Other ideas that the group is tossing around include arranging a bake sale, another movie night and a bowling night and attending Five15's "Drag Queen Bingo" in Royal Oak.
The organization aims to provide a welcoming social atmosphere for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and questioning individuals, as well as straight allies.
Although Catholicism and LGBT lifestyles often do not coexist peacefully, the GSA has enjoyed ample support from UDM faculty, according to its officers.
"All of the faculty have been really welcoming and supportive of the group," Jackson said. "In fact one of our regular members is a university ministry faculty member."
Outgoing university President Gerard L. Stockhausen has also been supportive, and group leaders hope that the new president will be just as accommodating.
"Existing in a Jesuit university has never presented a problem for the organization in the past or present," said Piotrowski. "However, that is only due to the supportive administration here at UDM. Other Jesuit universities are not that lucky."
As of December, the group is back in action after a period of inactivity.
The lapse was a result of several of the group's leaders leaving UDM to study abroad last year. Back then the GSA floundered, but recently a few students have decided to reestablish the student organization.
This "has been a group effort from all of the participating members," said Dustin Jackson, the new president. "I was in contact with Nick Piotrowski, the last president, to see how I went about starting it back up and since then he's been a major player in trying to reestablish the GSA, as well as Brienna Thorndyke, Mike Pidgeon, Scott Courter and many others."
The group's first event was Milk and Cookies Night.
GSA showed the movie "Milk," based on the career and assassination of Harvey Milk, a gay rights activist and the first openly gay man to be elected to political office in the United States.
The event drew about 20 people, who stayed for the movie and to drink milk and munch on cookies that the GSA provided. It was pronounced a success.
The alliance meets every other Tuesday on the third floor of the library. At the meeting on Feb. 23, members discussed upcoming events for both on-campus and in the community.
A meet-and-greet with GSA groups from U of M Dearborn and the College of Creative Studies is in the works for March 20 at Northern Lights in downtown Detroit.
The group is also participating in Phi Alpha Delta's spaghetti dinner on March 30, an event that will benefit Covenant House.
Other ideas that the group is tossing around include arranging a bake sale, another movie night and a bowling night and attending Five15's "Drag Queen Bingo" in Royal Oak.
The organization aims to provide a welcoming social atmosphere for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and questioning individuals, as well as straight allies.
Although Catholicism and LGBT lifestyles often do not coexist peacefully, the GSA has enjoyed ample support from UDM faculty, according to its officers.
"All of the faculty have been really welcoming and supportive of the group," Jackson said. "In fact one of our regular members is a university ministry faculty member."
Outgoing university President Gerard L. Stockhausen has also been supportive, and group leaders hope that the new president will be just as accommodating.
"Existing in a Jesuit university has never presented a problem for the organization in the past or present," said Piotrowski. "However, that is only due to the supportive administration here at UDM. Other Jesuit universities are not that lucky."
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