Gay student Tom Elliott presented proposal this week; vote to come after school’s Thanksgiving break
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| Tom Elliott |
On Tuesday, Nov. 17, Southern Methodist University undergraduate Tom Elliott presented a proposal to the school’s Student Senate to create an LGBT senate seat. Four students and a professor spoke in favor of the measure.
Senators will debate and vote on the issue at their next meeting after the Thanksgiving break.
Elliott said he had presented the proposal because, "I couldn’t stand to do nothing anymore."
He said he had a friend who was stressed out and thought about committing suicide. After reading a Dallas Voice article about the Princeton Review’s ranking of SMU as the 14th least gay-friendly school in the country, Elliott decided to do something about it.
The resolution Elliott submitted notes unique needs of the LGBT student community that include safety, health and housing concerns and protection from discrimination, which require independent representation.
The student body constitution allows for minority senators as determined by the senate. That representation may continue until that minority makes up 15 percent of the student body for at least two consecutive years.
Francisco Moran, a Spanish professor at the school, told the Senate that adding an LGBT seat "only makes sense as we move in the direction of a diverse community."
Aaron Barnes, a student, said, "Student senators represent all students. Sexual orientation includes heterosexuality."
He said that gender issues are central to what happens on campus, especially in relation to fraternity and sorority events.
"We need equal representation on this campus, and we are discriminated against," said Brooks Oliver, the co-president of Spectrum, the campus LGBT organization.
In his plea for representation, Spectrum Treasurer Rich McPhee explained the high suicide rate among LGBT youth.
In October, two other special senate seats were proposed, one for disabled students and one for transfer students. Both were defeated, as was a proposal to eliminate special seats.
However, the current senate has special African-American, Asian, Hispanic and transfer student seats.
Representatives in minority seats are elected by those designated by the university as members of those groups.
Elliott said in the case of LGBT students, no records of people’s sexual orientation or gender identity are kept. Instead, Elliott’s proposal is that students who are members of chartered organizations with a primary interest in LGBT issues would choose the senator.
A proposal has come before the Student Senate to end all special seats. Some senators have indicated that they wanted to delay vote on the LGBT seat until they decide whether or not to continue these seats, probably next spring.
In his presentation, Elliott argued that the student body’s constitution as currently written does include special interest seats and to deny LGBT students representation now denies them their constitutional rights.
He also addressed the school’s religious affiliation. While the Methodist Church does not ordain openly gay or lesbian ministers, in 2008 they voted to welcome sexual minorities into their churches.
The school’s embrace of the LGBT community dates back farther. Its nondiscrimination policy, Elliott said, dates back to 1999 and Spectrum was chartered in the early 1990s.
No debate among senators was allowed on the issue on Nov. 17. That will happen, along with the vote, at their meeting on Dec. 1.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition November 20, 2009.
The Princeton Review’s assessment of SMU and other schools was biased by its author’s personal prejudices.
I don’t think special minority seats accomplish much in bodies like this, but it is a nice gesture.
I definitely don’t think the plan to allow the GLBT orgs to select the Senator is a good idea, though. That silences any member of the minority group that is not an active member of those organizations and places a restriction on the seat that similar “special interest” seats do not face.
Good idea, bad proposal.
J,
Thank you for the comment. I felt compelled to clarify something you mentioned in your comment. The truth about the voting situation is that anyone who registers as belonging to an LGBT organization is eligible to vote; and, membership in these organizations are not limited to LGBT students, in fact, allies are welcome to join as well.
In effect, this means that students who, by their membership in an LGBT organization, have shown their interest in LGBT issues, and are eligible to vote despite their own sexual orientation or gender identity (i.e. straight people can vote for the senator too if they are members of the LGBT organization).
Sorry it has taken me so long to respond. This is the first opportunity since after finals to check the comments pages. I am looking forward to pursuing this issue further next semester, and I would appreciate any further comments and, or, suggestions you may have.
Thanks,
Tom