LGBT Concerns Committee Minutes

Meeting Held: March 17, 2004, President's Conference Room, 12:30 pm

Committee Web site: http://www.aa.ufl.edu/committees/lgbtcc.htm

In Attendance:

Linda Lamme, chair
Allison Andrews, Pride Student Union
Kendal Broad, faculty member
Charles Brown, Rainbow Alliance
Kimberly Brown, staff member
Scott Feldman, Gator Gay-Straight Alliance
Berta Hernandez, faculty member
Carlos Hernandez, faculty member
Jonathan Keene, Gator Gay-Straight Alliance
Ebru Korbik, staff member
Mike Malecki, Gator Gay-Straight Alliance
Jeanna Mastrodicasa, staff member
Mary Kay Schneider, staff member

A. Announcements

The Subcommittee tasked with selecting a winner of this year's Rainbow Alliance Award for LGBT Research/Service. There is one winner this year. As of the time of the meeting that person had not been notified. The award will be presented at the Multicultural Award Ceremony to be held March 30, 2004, 6 pm, at the Reitz Union Ballroom.

B. Meeting with Dr. Bernard Machen, UF President

The meeting with Dr. Machen began with introductions. Lamme indicated that she and the president had met previously in early January.

1. Review the Campus Climate Survey

Dr. Machen indicated that he accepted the report in full, and planned to implement its recommendations. He stated that the timing and manner of the implementation were the only issues, but he expected to complete this work by Fall 2004. [The Campus Climate Report 2 is currently available on the Internet at:

a. Hire a coordinator for LGBT matters at UF

The president has authorized this position and expects to fill it by Fall 2004. There remains the issue of exactly where this position will be administratively. There was some consensus at the meeting to locate the position in the Dean for Students Office (DSO). [Since the meeting, there has been further discussion about whether DSO is the lost appropriate location. Ed.]

This matter came up later in the meeting. At that time, Schneider stated a job description for the position had been drafted. Machen stated that if the position was in student affairs, and thus the position would have a variety of responsibilities, the person who filled the position needed to see LGBT affairs as an important part of their job. The discussion returned to housing the position in DSO and there was some discussion of creating an LGBT office, which could evolve into a full-fledged resource center.

b. Domestic Partner Benefits

Machen stated that the current national debate over same-sex marriage was "creating problems" in pursuing domestic partner (DP) benefits. A DP benefits plan has been drafted. The primary issue may be timing. Machen has said to the Board of Trustees that he plans to implement DP benefits. The Board of Trustees had passed the addition of sexual orientation to UF's anti-discrimination clause in November 2003. It had been introduced earlier in the year. During that time, the issue of DP benefits was also introduced to the Board. Reportedly, they were not unanimous in their support on that issue, including a statement by a Board member reported in local newspapers. According to Machen, the Board has requested that this issue not be brought back to them. [DP benefits is commonly understood to include only work benefits, such as health care. Post-employment benefits, such as retirement benefits, are generally a separate issue.]

President Young had assigned development of the DP benefits plan to VP Ed Poppell. Lamme had supplied Poppell with a list of contacts at other Florida universities for two reasons, first, to see what other universities in Florida were doing with regard to DP benefits, and second, to see if there was an opportunity to cooperate on DP benefits, possibly increasing the insurable pool and motivating DP benefits at other institutions.

Machen indicated that Judy Genshaft, USF President, has said she would not adopt DP benefits at USF, in spite of her public support for LGBT non-discrimination language. Machen stated that the financial burdens of DP benefits could complicate the matter, since the university cannot include DP benefits in the state health plan, and the university is not in a financial position to leave the state insurance group.

Machen asked if other Florida universities had taken any formal action on LGBT matters. Lamme stated that FIU, FAU and USF had all taken some action, and that a number of private institutions had done so as well.

Machen stated that he had received inquiries the Governor's office asking what UF was planning for DP benefits. This direct inquiry indicated a direct political issue in UF's decision. Machen thought it possible that the inquiry was the result of public statement that he had made, and that he expected the Board of Trustees to support him.

B. Hernandez asked if Machen would support some form of individual compensation in lieu of institutional DP benefits, such as salary adjustment. She and Lamme cited examples. Machen responded that he would move forward on DP benefits on the basis of the draft plan or with some alternative. He also indicated that his first objective was to get through the legislative session before working on the DP benefits issue.

Later in the meeting the issues would come up again. Feldman asked about extending benefits to transgendered persons, such as compensation for gender reassignment surgery. Machen indicated that such support would not be available in the foreseeable future.

c. Implementation of Non-discrimination Policy and Reporting

Machen asked if the non-discrimination policy had been published widely. Broad and Lamme indicated that it had not. Schneider stated that a small article had appeared in the Independent Florida Alligator. The Committee's original idea of including a notice with University pay slips had never been realized. There were two reasons for this, first, it was difficult to determine how to get that done administratively, and second, the reporting mechanism for various groups on campus had never been completely clarified.

C. Hernandez asked about broadening the non-discrimination clause to include gender expression. Lamme responded for Machen's benefit that President Young had not put gender expression forward because he felt that it would compromise the unanimous vote of the Board of Trustees in support of the sexual orientation non-discrimination language.

The following discussion concerned whether reporting of sexual orientation harassment should be handled like other harassment complaints. Several issues were raised: sexual orientation harassment should be handled with special sensitivity to faculty/staff/students that are not "out" either for personal or profession reasons. Among these would be students with a military connection, such as ROTC, or who are in the military. There was a question about the details of how the Florida Sunshine Law applies to harassment proceedings. There seemed to be some consensus that, as long as the complaints could be resolved without adjudication or formal proceedings, that the content of harassment claims could remain confidential. Machen stated that he would discuss this matter with General Counsel.

Machen commented that he felt the current process for handling sexual harassment at the university was flawed in that the requirement for reporting harassment forces complainants to go to the unit in which the harassment occurred, which creates a conflict of interest. He indicated that this is one reason that harassment issues take so long to resolve at UF. He stated that he would be working to change that process.

d. Other issues

Broad asked the President how he felt the Committee could help him in his work on LGBT issues. Machen suggested that the Committee could participate in search for the LGBT coordinator. He also stated that the Committee might wish to meet with the finalist for the VP for Student Affairs position.

-1- Clarification of UF Policy toward Diversity

B. Hernandez stated that UF commitment to LGBT issues needs to be expressed in a "top-down" statement that communicates to all UF leadership that LGBT matters are important to the University. A cultural shift in this area needs to be promoted from the top.

Machen stated that the following day, at the faculty senate meeting, he would be announcing a "realignment" of University administration. Specifically, he stated that Gail Baker would no longer be a vice president, but would become a special consultant to the President on diversity.

Hernandez stated that diversity at the University has been viewed primarily as a black-white issue. The idea that diversity goes beyond black-white or male-female issues is much needed.

Machen stated that he would put forward and publicize "my definition of diversity." He indicated that his definition might differ from the Board of Trustees definition.

Broad stated that a clear statement about diversity would assist in recruiting. She indicated that some candidates have declined to come to the University because of its lack of clear support for diversity issues. Andrews said that students would be more likely to take notice such a statement if it came directly from the President. Machen stated that he would "roll out" his diversity policy at the April meeting of the faculty senate [April 15, 2004, 3-5 pm, 282 Reitz Union].

-2- Promoting LGBT Courses and Course Content

The discussion turned to promoting LGBT content in University courses as well as course devote to LGBT issues. Broad spoke about LGBT programs and courses in the Center for Women's Studies and Gender Research. She stated that these programs are constantly jeopardized by shortfalls in staff and funding. She also stated that more positions are needed, and that although this is the first solution proposed for problems such as this, that even one additional faculty position would be a great help.

Andrews pointed out that LGBT classes do not get general education credit. There was a discussion of what procedure faculty must follow to have courses approved. Mastrodicasa stated that currently there is no category for diversity courses such as LGBT courses, but that the curriculum committee that she serves on has placed some diversity courses under the "International" category. She stated that there is a need for a new category that would specifically include diversity.

-3- Institutionalizing LGBT Programs

Lamme stated that the committee is always concerned with moving LGBT programs and activities from a voluntary status to and institutional status, where the programs have University recognition, support, and, were needed, funding. She cited Lavender Graduation as one of these programs, which was held for the first time in 2003 with the support of the Dean for Students Office. She also referred to the Greek Training and the Resident Assistant Training Programs that are currently conducted by the Gator Gay-Straight Alliance, a student organization that does not receive University funds. Broad stated that the committee has a list of such programs which it would like to see institutionalized. Machen stated that when he was at the University of Utah, a Matthew Shepard scholarship was created. He asked if a scholarship could be created that would go specifically to an LGBT student. The consensus was that this would not be possible, but that any scholarship, like the Rainbow Alliance Award, could be given for work devoted to LGBT issues.

C. Hernandez spoke about the training for the athletic department that was given in response to the Andrea Zimbardi lawsuit. He indicated that Counseling Center has tried to be proactive. Machen stated that it was important to get into all University departments with the message about what is acceptable and what is not, but that this is a responsibility of the Counseling Center, not the Committee.

Dr, Machen left at 1:30 pm.

C. Additional Committee Business

The committee remained in the conference room to hear committee reports.

Feldman reported for GGSA that the group is working on a "marriage project" which will include printed matter and activities that support same-sex marriage.

Lamme stated that on Monday, March 22, at 9 am, a gathering would take place at the Alachua County Courthouse in support of same-sex marriage.

The Rainbow Alliance Award for LGBT Service/Research will be presented at the Multicultural Award Ceremony on March 30, 6 pm, in the Reitz Union Ballroom.

Lavender Graduation will be held on April 19, at 6 pm. The event is currently scheduled for Emerson Alumni Hall, but it may be moved to the Reitz Union.

Andrews brought a schedule of the events that PSU will be hosting for Pride Awareness Month in April and a list of PSU accomplishments for the 2003-2004 school year.

Lamme proposed that the Committee celebrate its accomplishments of the year with a potluck dinner similar to the one held last year at the home of C. Hernandez. The Committee assented.

The meeting adjourned at 1:40 pm.

Minutes prepared by C.M. Brown.