Council Funds Five Programs

As of Monday afternoon, the Student Affairs Committee of the Undergraduate Council had just one definite application for its $1,000 anti-homophobia grant. By the 5 p.m. deadline that evening, the number had increased to five.

"We were very favorably impressed by the number and quality of the proposals," said committee Chair Paul A. Gusmorino '02.

The committee decided after Tuesday night deliberations to allot funds to all five of the groups.

According to Gusmorino, the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Trangender and Supporters Association (BGLTSA) will be given $400 for its House outreach and Science Center postering proposal. A joint application from Christian Impact and Cornerstone, a discussion group for Catholic gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students, netted $250, while a submission from BOND was awarded $200, respectively.

A proposal submitted by Blake J. Boulerice '04 for an anti-homophobia week in April was given $150.

The committee allotted Peter T. Wilson '99 a $250 grant from Harvard University Dining Services (HUDS) for his proposal, submitted on the behalf of BGLTSA tutors and students, for a tri-House queer tea. Council Finance Committee Chair Jeffrey A. Letalien '01 said that the proposal was given the HUDS grant, rather than money from the challenge grant, since the costs for the project consisted entirely of food.

Gusmorino said he expects the council to give final approval to the committee's decision this Sunday.

Existing and planned collaborations between organizations will be a key part of achieving the grant's main goals of increasing awareness of, and reducing, homophobia at Harvard. Christian Impact and Cornerstone are discussing a further effort, beyond their current collaboration, in conjunction with BGLTSA.

BGLTSA has plans for House outreach workshops to increase understanding and awareness of homophobia, as well as a Science Center poster display of testimonials from people who have encountered homophobia.

Christian Impact and Cornerstone's proposal involves weekly dialogue between gay students and Christians on campus.

The sponsors of these two proposals are talking about using journal entries produced during the Christian Impact/Cornerstone discussions in the BGLTSA Science Center poster display.

Furthermore, Boulerice said he hopes to get each gay support organization to hold at least one activity during his anti-homophobia week. His proposal include postering, offering armbands and badges for supporters, and hosting speakers and activities from several different on-campus organizations.

"Collaboration was a necessity as a consequence of limited funding," said Christian Impact's Benjamin D. Grizzle '03, who is also a Crimson editor.

Grizzle said that he hopes his organization's proposal will allow groups that disagree to achieve some understanding.

"The greatest hope of this project and collaboration is that we can acknowledge our difference and at the same time creating relations and...facilitating reconciliation on the basis of our...common humanity and experience," he said. "We're not getting people to change their opinions, we just want people to understand why different people believe different things."

The funds for the one-time challenge grant come from the council's special fund, which is separate from a grant fund that allocates money to student groups each year on a need basis. The special fund was developed with a surplus in council funds discovered several years ago, and not from the annual student activities fee on the term bill.