October 19, 1996 Minutes

UC San Diego

Price Center

MEMBERS PRESENT
Alexander, Ron - UCSB, ronalexander@prodigy.com
Anderson, Robert - UCB, anderson@econ.berkeley.edu
Archibald, Sarah - UCSD and UCLGBTA CoChair, sarchibald@ucsd.edu
Aubin, Albert E. - UCLA, aaubin@saonet.ucla.edu
Costella, Mark - LLNL, costella2@LLNL.gov
Gentry, Robert - UCI, rfgentry@uci.edu
Grisby, Darnell - UCLA, dgrisby@ucla.edu
Kos, Ron - UCSF, rkos@itsa.ucsf.edu
Outcalt, Charles, UCLA, coutcalt@saonet.ucla.edu
Sanger, Chad - UCSC, chadsan@cats.ucsc.edu
Stoller, Nancy - UCSC, nancys@cats.ucsc.edu
Subasic, Allison - UCD, afsubasic@ucdavis.edu
Takakuwa, Kevin - UCD, kmtakakuwa@ucdavis.edu
Walsh, Pat - UCI, plwalsh@uci.edu
White, John - UCSD, jwhite@ucsd.edu
Winters, Jonathan, UCB; UCLGBTA CoChair, jjwintrs@uclink2.berkeley.edu

ABSENT
UCR Representatives
LBNL Representatives
UCOP Representatives
LANL Representatives

GUESTS
Carter, Ian, UCI, jbcarter@uci.edu
Dunlap, Sam, UCSD, sdunlap@ucsd.edu
Hartman, Dan - UCSD, dmhartma@ucsd.edu
Morales, Marlon - UCLA, mmorales@ucla.edu
Rodriguez, Claudia - UCLA, claudiar@ucla.edu
Swann, Karin - UCSD
Yu, Leland, UCI, lelandyu@earthlink.net

1. WELCOME

Co-Chairs Winters and Archibald convened the meeting. Announcements regarding the Steering Committee meeting and reception were made.

2. INTRODUCTIONS

Members and guests introduced themselves. The agenda was reviewed and approved. A new member orientation packet was provided by the San Diego campus and it was distributed.

3. CAMPUS REPORTS

Most campus's provided written materials that were handed out during the meeting.
1. LLNL (Livermore)
* Developed a LGBT training manual and 2 1/2 hour training module.
2. UC Berkeley
* Published a queer student orientation manual.
* Printed a one page ad in the campus newspaper for National Coming Out Day (NCOD).
* Provided a draft of the revised UCLGBTA information brochure, asked for comments.
* Provided each campus with a videotape from the 1996 UCLGBTA Annual Conference held at UCB featuring keynote speakers
3. UC Davis
* Provided each campus with a packet of LGBT resources/information .
* Chancellor's Advisory Committee is active.
* Speakers Bureau is active.
* New informational LGBT brochure has been published.
* Pride Week 1996 provides speakers for campus community.
4. UC Irvine
* Provide a report/handout.
* Out List 1996 printed in campus newspaper, very popular.
* End of year ceremony in Spring 1996 was very successful, included awards.
* Resource Center is up and running, staffed 40 hours/week, including peer counselor program and workshops, concerned about burn out.
* Fundraising activities are ongoing and an endowment of $.5 million for Center has been announced.
* Medical Center has formed its own Chancellor's Advisory Committee, to review patient services, and issues for training residents/MDs, in addition to workplace issues.
* Annual Conference UCLGBTA planning is ongoing (Feb. 14-16, 1996).
* Some movement for offering limited DP benefits.
5. UC Los Angeles
* Memo summarizing activity distributed.
* Increase in budget for LGBT Resource Center on campus.
* Queer academic Minor near completion/approval.
* 10% schools program effective, information provided.
* New brochure describing UCLA queer resources.
* Student activities numerous, including film festival, awareness week, increase in student org funding, ten student (sub) groups.
* NCOD activities were successful, included reps from Affirmative Action allies.
6. UC Santa Barbara
* Interested in pursuing more HIV/AIDS related projects
* Published a new handout titled "Branching Out" with campus allies and mentors listed.
* Considering developing a LGBT alumni chapter, or registered community support organization.
7. UC Santa Cruz
* Web site has been established.
* Center is suffering and there is no paid staff person, volunteers are recruited.
* Almost no budget for Center.
* Trying to establish an academic Minor Program in GLBT issues.
* Trying to implement Catastrophic Leave program.
8. UC San Diego
* Handout provided.
* New Chancellor Robert Dynes, formerly VC Academic Affairs, Physicist, formerly with AT&T; Bell Labs, has met with the campus advisory committee.
* Trying to establish links to new Women's Center and Cross Cultural Centers on campus.
* Web page is established.
* Outreach to Medical Center regarding climate issues continue.
* Published "Straight Talk on Homosexuality" brochure.
* Trying to organize a major programming event titled "Homosexuality and Public Life" for Spring 1997, panel on community, family, politics, and the military.
* Will begin to write proposal for a LGBT Center on campus.
* Catastrophic Leave Program implemented by Human Resources.

4. UPDATE ON COMMUNICATIONS WITH UC OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

A meeting has been scheduled with President Atkinson to take place December 6, 1996 in Oakland. It is hoped that there will be one representative from each campus, and that there will be a combination of students, staff, and faculty. It was agreed that the agenda should be limited to issues related to domestic partner benefits. This meeting follows up on previous commitments made by UCOP to continue to dialogue on this topic. The possibility of providing a leave behind issues paper for all the new UCOP staff was discussed and favored as an alternative way to communicate other important LGBT issues. It was agreed that a pre-meeting would take place at Oakland Kaiser Center (UCOP) one hour prior to the meeting with President Atkinson. It is planned that President Atkinson, Provost King, Senior Vice President Kennedy, Assistant Vice President Galligani, General Counsel Holst, and Director French (HR) will attend. A small ad hoc group was formed to more specifically shape the agenda, coordinated by Jonathan Winters.

5. DOMESTIC PARTNER HARD BENEFITS

Recently there have been some restrictions placed on eligible beneficiaries regarding coverage for children. Insurance companies are sometimes demanding a biological connection to children to be eligible for University health benefits. Lesbians and gay men are hit harder with this restriction that others. Offering University domestic partner benefits would remedy this problem. UC Faculty Welfare Committee has not been able to make much progress in the area of children benefits for domestic partners to date.

It was mentioned that UCOP may take the tact of having select UC faculty/staff testify before The Regents regarding the need for DP benefits and that UCLGBTA should be prepared. It was suggested that all UC allies on this issue should be identified early and to place a human face on the issue whenever possible.

6. HOUSING ISSUES

Undergraduate housing issues were discussed. A queer theme floor at UC Berkeley is being planned. There will be a connection with the academic Minor program.

7. COMMUNICATIONS WITH UC STUDENT ASSOCIATION (UCSA)

It was noted that the Graduate Student Association will be meeting at UC Santa Barbara November 8-10, 1996 and that it might make sense to combine forces on issues of mutual interest. A suggestion was made to invite a UCSA representative to the next Steering Committee meeting (Santa Cruz). E-mail communication was encouraged. Suggested that UCLGBTA can work with Associated Students Vice Presidents - External Affairs for possible representatives.

8. GRADUATE STUDENT ISSUES - CURRICULUM/TEACHING ASSISTANTS

Different campuses have had different experiences. At UC Irvine, for example, the queer faculty and students seem isolated from one another. The general catalogue does not specifically identify queer academics as offerings and this perhaps prevents some queer students from applying. Systemwide, there seems to be few out and tenured faculty compared to junior out faculty and graduate students. Berkeley and Santa Cruz have had success with its queer related courses. Los Angeles has used guest lectures to teach queer related topics. A mentoring program is developing. Mention was made of trying to get credentials or note on graduation certificate when a graduate student specializes in queer academic areas. It was noted that the UC Systemwide Humanities Institute might be a source of funding for queer student teaching resources and projects. Distance learning was mentioned. A workshop on graduate student issues was suggested for the Irvine Annual Conference.

9. STUDENT PARTICIPATION IN UCLGBTA

An appeal was made for Steering Committee members to notify student organizations regarding UCLGBTA meetings. There was a discussion that it might be useful to survey graduate and undergraduate students regarding needs related to LGBT issues. It was mentioned that graduate students tend to be more independent and not as likely to participate in student organizations and outreach can be difficult. Undergraduates seem to have more established student organizations. Queer faculty need to make themselves more available to students regarding academic issues was one comment. Intergenerational differences and semantics were also identified as possible barriers for students. Several campus representatives felt that when the LGBT climate improves as a whole on each campus, then many improvements will be noticed including inclusion of more students and faculty members on UC LGBT projects and programs. It was recommended that the topic of student faculty interaction be one of the Annual Meeting workshops. Action plans resulting from UCLGBTA Steering Committee meetings was one suggestion. The possibility of a UCLGBTA student CoChair to generate agendas with more student issues was discussed. ACTION: it was agreed that each campus should try to encourage students to participate as members of the UCLGBTA Steering Committee. Darnell Grisby from UCLA volunteered to perform a review of the UCLGBTA constitution with the objective being construction of a structure that encourages sufficient participation by students, staff, and faculty.

10. WEB SITE AND ELECTRONIC MAILING LIST

Charles Outcalt from UCLA volunteered to resurrect the UCLGBTA Steering Committee electronic roster. Chad Sanger from UC Santa Cruz volunteered to set up a UCLGBTA Web Site. It was strongly recommended that one other UC Campus serve as a back up for all official UCLGBTA communications.

11. ANNUAL CONFERENCE AT IRVINE - UPDATE

Pat Walsh was successful in securing $6,000 from UCI administration to help support the conference. It was suggested that each campus try to provide $500 each to assist. It was recommended that undergraduate students try to seek support from student organizations to help fund student attendance. Logistics are proceeding and a theme will be chosen in the near future. Steering committee members and guests brain stormed regarding workshop topics and an overall conference theme. Outreach to students was emphasized. Pat Walsh requested that the Steering Committee members serve as liaison to the conference planning committee and be responsible for communications. It was agreed that a successful conference would include some fun workshops that could draw in many participants. "Leadership and Empowerment" was a popular theme along with "Working Across Differences." A theme will be selected by October 23, 1996.

12. FUTURE CALENDAR
1. No location for the 1998 Annual Conference/Meeting was identified.
2. Saturday, May 10, 1997 at UC Santa Cruz was selected in order that a concurrent meeting could occur with UCSA. Dan Hartmann was asked to notify UCSA of the decision.
3. It was decided that the November 1997 UCLGBTA Steering Committee would take place at UCLA. Special thanks to the UCSD Chancellor's Office for financial sponsorship of this Steering Committee Meeting. Thanks also to Rich Belmontez, Sam Dunlap, Sarah Archibald, Milt Phegley, Kyle Selby, and John White from UC San Diego for helping and hosting today's meeting and reception.