Prism Pamphlet

Truman State University needs to establish a Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, and Transgendered Resource Center in order to continue its commitment to the advancement of knowledge, the freedom of thought and inquiry, and to the personal, social, and intellectual growth of its students.'* A perception is growing on the Truman State University campus that to pursue "intellectual integrity, tolerance of difference and diversity, informed ethical values, and courageous aspiration toward the best for oneself, one's family, one's society, and the world" means now to address the systematic relegation Of Les/Bi/Gay/Trans students, issues, and ideas to the periphery of university life. A Bi/Gay/Trans/Les Resource Center would fill a void that has prevented all students from maximizing their full social, cultural, and academic potentials. We, the members of Prism, contend that a resource center will:

1. Encourage more students to attend Truman State University by broadening and enriching its sense of community
2. Enhance the academic experience at Truman State University by promoting the free exchange of ideas and new perspectives, which is essential to nurturing a liberal arts culture
3. Help raise the retention rate for Truman State University students
4. Assist in the creation of a more hospitable environment for gay/trans/bi/les students in the residential college thereby encouraging these students to remain in the residential college system
5. Cultivate a climate on campus in which all students feel respected and safe
6. Increase the quality of university life for students
7. Provide and share absent, missing, or obscured information

Existing institutions, such as Prism, the Women's Resource Center, the Health Center, Residential Colleges system, Multicultural Affairs, and the Counseling Center, cannot adequately or systematically address the concerns raised over the interconnected issues of homophobia and heterocentrism. Each of these organizations currently have a clearly defined set of goals to curry out; to add all of the services of a Trans/Les/Bi/Gay Resource Center to any existing administrative body would overload the organization and dynamically alter its functioning. We believe that in order for Truman State University to continue to pursue and achieve the goals and ideals enumerated in our University Mission Statement it needs to implement the following proposal of negotiable details for a Les/Bi/Gay/Trans Resource Center. Such a center would:

• Provide campus wide, general academic and cultural programs and workshops on a variety of topics in a multitude of contexts:
  1. National Coming Out Day (Oct. 11 )
  2. Sexual Awareness Week (Feb.)
  3. Bi/Gay/Truns/Les History Month (April)
  4. Hate Crimes Awareness Week
  5. Discipline oriented programming
  6. Promoting the public health
  7. Speakers of general interest to gay/trans/les/bi students
• Work within the residential college system to improve living conditions for trans/les/bi/gay students on campus:
  1. Provide SAs with training, information, and programs to deal with conflict within their halls arising from sexuality or perception of sexuality
  2. Assist in mediation of roommate conflicts spurred on by heterocentrism or homophobia
  3. Facilitate the assignment of roommates in the residential colleges such that les/bi/guy/Trans safe rooms are made available and known to students
• Educate Truman State University's community in the prevention of hate crimes and to teach Tolerance:
  1. Conduct educational Programming to raise awareness about hate crimes
  2. Track, compile, and catalogue incidences and information regarding hate crimes, especially those involving: Truman State University
  3. Develop liaison/task force within the University community to address procedures and practices which promote heterocentrism and/or homophobia
  4. Provide support/peer advising/counseling for victims and perpetrators involved in hate crimes
• Promote the public health:
  1. Provide health information relating specifically to bi/gay/trans/les individuals
  2. Provide resources and information specifically targeted for gay/trans/les/bi individuals which will slow or stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases
  3. Offer health information services otherwise unavailable in Adair County
  4. Provide information to the Division of Human Potential and Performance, Nursing Department, Counseling Center, and the Health Center pertaining to Trans/les/gay/bi issues
• Maintain, and expand an Alumni database for les/bi/gay/trans and other interested students:
  1. Send newsletters to graduates to keep them informed on community news.
  2. Exchange support between graduates and Undergraduates to further the academic and cultural experience available to students at Truman State University.
• Create and maintain a University Webpage:
  1. Detail the activities available through the resource center
  2. Provide Up-to-date information
  3. Serve as coordinating point for networking with other Missouri, Midwest, US and World organizations working for similar purposes
• Collect resources for faculty, students, and staff, pertaining to gay/bi/Trans/les issues:
  1. Books/ tapes, periodicals, films, journals, magazines, webpage addresses, etc., would be available to the community at large
  2. Place a listing of the resources within the Music system at Campus Wide Information Services
  3. Compile a list of other resources available at Pickier Library, the Women's Resource Center, and the Adair County Public Library pertinent to bi/Trans/les/gay individuals and place this listing at Campus Wide Information Services
  4. Coordinate the compilation of data with the Career Center regarding Les/Bi/Gay/Trans employment opportunities for openly Trans/Les/Bi/Gay students
• Designate a trained counselor/peer advisor to assist in the implementation and administration of these goals.

Prism is Truman State University's Bisexual Lesbian Transgendered Gay and Friends Alliance. We seek to better the academic, cultural, economic, and political conditions of all people by altering perceptions of gender and sexuality. If you have any comments, questions, suggestions, additions, deletions, concerns, or are just interested in more information, please feel free to call Prism @ 785-7550 ext. 477476 (4PRISM), or drop us a letter in our mailbox in CAOC. Our main meetings are every Thursday, @ 8pm in OP118. All, independent of sexuality, are invited to attend. Please feel free to copy this pamphlet and distribute it throughout the community.

*AII quotations taken from the Truman State University Mission Statement