Minutes 10-22-01
about link issues link organizing link meetings link minutes link directory link documents link


October 22, 2001 Minutes

UC Riverside

Chair, Shane Snowdon, UCSF
Vice-Chair, Robert Imada, UCSC
Secretary, Jonathan Winters, UCB
UCB: Billy Curtis, John Mendoza
UCI: Kathy Eiler, Michael Houston, and Pat Walsh
UCOP: Emily Nalven
UCR: Nancyjean Tubbs, Natalie Newton, Toby Bartels, Derek Beving (Grad. Student group),
David Martinez, Mike DeJohn, Zane Dzikonski. .
UCSB: Stacey Shears, Mary Watts
UCSC: Chad Sanger
UCSD: Sarah Archibald, Shaun Travers
UCSA/UCLA: Alain Dang, VP External Affairs
Absent UCD; UCLA; LLBL; LLNL
 
Call to Order, Welcome, intros & distribution of minutes and written campus reports, Approval of Agenda Meeting Called to Order approximately 10:10 am.

Review of Dates/Places for Future Meetings

  • Spring 2002 UCSD 4.27.02 (tentative)
  • Fall 2002 UCSF/ UCD? (Date TBA)
  • Feb 2003 UCR Conference 2/21-23/03
  • Spring 2003?
  • Fall 2003?
  • Feb 2004 UCSD Conference

Review of upcoming officer openings

Chair Snowdon made the announcement about officer openings in April. Because her term will end in spring, and Vice-Chair Imada had previously said he would only serve one year, there may be vacancies for both the Chair & Vice-Chair positions. Nominations were opened earlier than constitutionally mandated, but none were offered. Any nominations between Steering committee meetings may be made via email to Secretary Winters.

Update on 13th Annual Conference, February 22-24, 2002 @ UC Berkeley

Conference website: http://queer.berkeley.edu/conference

Email for general inquiries/co-chairs Conference@queer.berkeley.edu

John Mendoza, (Sr; Berkeley) Co-chair of the 2002 conference, presented the conference organizing plans & progress.

The conference planning process began in June. "Queer All Directions" is the theme for program.

QAD program preliminary schedule :

  • Fri: Academic focus; "LGBT immigrants & immigration issues"; evening Social event;
  • (SCOM dinner mtg. to prep for General assembly).
  • Sat: a.m. general assembly (rather then on Sunday); Youth panel--TBA (Youth Issues/speakers; high school age); workshops; evening--major speaker; Entertainment; Dance.
  • Sun: workshops; major speaker-Susan Stryker.

Call for programs began to circulate two weeks ago. Mailings included all addresses found for college campuses; statewide, local. Especially community college, state universities and regional campuses

November 12: Registration will open on website. First campus to contract services that allow handling registration on the web & acceptance of credit cards.

Attendance fees are set at the following:Early Registration : Nov 12 - Dec 31:

  • UC Students: $25
  • UC Faculty/staff: $45
  • Non-affiliated: $50
  • Regular Registration Jan 1-Feb 21 $30/$50/$55
  • Days of Conference/walk up registration: Feb 22-24 $65 all categories

Tracks: On Student Leadership, Community Development, Campus Organizing

Deadlines for committees:

The committee has some concerns about housing options and hotel costs. Committee working on cost arrangements with local hotels. Not sure if will be able to have shuttle service to make transportation easier to campus.

Questions from campus members:

Drug & alcohol issue @ conference. Various suggestions were made to promote responsible behavior on the part of conference attendees.

Vice Chair Imada suggested use of innovative methods to facilitate more democratic sharing, greater participation within the conference.

Shears, UCSB also suggested 'open space' models; open mic session as ideas.

Watts, UCSB: UCSB sessions tried to do this. Such spaces were hard to create when the conference has grown. Large total numbers make it difficult to even provide small spaces

Curtis, UCB: Committee is looking at the message we want, rather than celebrity speakersrejected big-cost speakers (Margaret Cho $20,000; Urvashi Vaid $7000).

Update on Transgender issues

Chair Snowdon gave a general update on the struggle to add gender identity to UC non-discrimination statement. Some 20 employers nationwide, including universities, have prohibited gender identity discrimination.

It appears that UC may have separate staff/student non-discrimination policies; still trying to identify where to pursue this change in non-discrimination statement(s). Will continue to raise this with UCOP & campus HR departments.

Marilynn Schuyler, affirmative action staff person at UCOP

Dennis Galligani handles student academic affairs

Archibald, UCSD: David Saxon 1978 departing gesture to grant sexual orientation on his initiative. Would Atkinson do the same thing, if in the same situation?

Determine actual cases of discrimination where sex, sexual orientation didn't apply to Transgender/gender identity discrimination incidents.

Related issue: End health care benefits exclusion for transsexuals.

UCLGBTIA asks that mental/health care benefits for transsexual people be included when Insurance bid goes out Early 2002. UCOP may be willing to support mental health care, but may not be enthusiastic about covering sex reassignment surgery, hormones, and related treatment.

Student health coverage: bid upon by the local campus health service, not set at UCOP. Will need to raise that demand locally at each campus.

Also will continue Training & education for campus centers & administration.

Shears, UCSB announced:
2d annual Trans youth symposium Friday November 16, 2001 8-5,
Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel; 7000 Hollywood blvd.(cross/Labrea) LA, CA 90028
Free to attend; $5.50 to park. Contact: Shelley; 323-913-3614

Ronni Sanlo, UCLA, sent announcement out on 10-17 to transbruins email list

Trans task force formed; Natalie and Nancy (UCR), Mary and Stacey (UCSB), Robert (UCSC), Shane (UCSF)

Update on Family Housing

Chair Snowdon, UCSA representative Dang & other campus reps are aware of a letter that Senior VP Mullinix is to send to campus housing departments, which will confirm that campus chancellors have local authority to determine housing eligibility.

This has been the position UCLGBTIA has asked UCOP to support for several years.

UCSA is expecting to see letter from UCOP, and hoping for broadest definition possible. Supports UCOP models giving students with children priority.

Other updates on local campus DP Housing situations:

  • UCB has not seen progress that was promised as of the last meeting. Post-Docs are continuing to be qualified for assignments outside of general priorities. There is reluctance to implement w/o UCOP approval. Asst. Vice Chancellor LeGrande seems to be the roadblock.
  • UCSD did finally get housing opened. Started use of check-off form for housing application, which allows a 'self defined' category for gender of partner applicants. State registry and other forms of proof accepted.
  • UCR to implement proposal, crafted before school year started. Uses word 'partner'; family self-definition.
  • UCI feeling like last to approve; has plan that will use state registry form.
  • UCSF experience pushed effort ahead. Chair Snowdon distributed packet from their experience.

Update on DP Retirement Benefits & Family Medical Leave (FMLA)

Chair Snowdon summed up situation of reduced pension for DPB's.

  • Recent activities facilitated by UCSF campus :
  • NCOD article in Synapse & UCSF Today campus publications, plus letter & petition from UCSF signed by some 350 faculty, staff & students who are frustrated over inaction and inequity.
  • UCSF 21,000 strong campus; 20% estimated LGBT population; highest % of DP health benefit signups among campuses.
  • SF Human rights commission sent letter to UCOP re: unequal pension benefits as a compliance issue.
  • State legislators (Migden, Burton, Speier) & SF Supervisor Leno have been asked to write to UCOP regarding DP pension issue.
  • OP is reluctant to move same-sex benefits forward without opposite-sex benefits; reluctance seems due to concern over complaint filed by opposite-sex DP. But Regents may have resistance to widening pool to include opposite-sex DPs (cost, political{family values/non-discrimination})
  • Need to make our case to them directly, again. Also pursuing possibility of legal challenge.

Strategy for upcoming regents' meetings at UCSF:

Chair Snowdon and others to speak at November Regents' meeting during public comment regarding non-agenda items.

UCLGBTIA will mail packet to regents that includes the UCSF letters & Petition; and cover letter from UCLGBTIA. Press strategy to be tackled by UCSF. Will also seek support of other staff/faculty groups, CUCSA.

Also looking for So Cal campuses to organize to speak at the January 14 regents' meeting at UCLA. DPB's may be agenda discussion item for that meeting. Eiler, Walsh, UCI & Travers, UCSD, to be part of So Cal task force on the issue.

The SCOM supported Chair Snowdon's ability to speak on behalf of UCLGBTIA and authorized composition of a cover letter to attach when sending UCSF letter to Regents.

General timetable put forward by OP:

Discussion item at January meeting @ UCLA; Vote at March meeting @ UCSF
No December, February or April Regents' meetings

LUNCH

FMLA discussion during lunch:

Chair Snowdon gave an update on FMLA. New protections under AB 25 do not touch FMLA. AB 25 does specifically require employers to allow employees to take sick leave for care of a DP or a DP's child, just as for a spouse and a spouse's child. UCOP says that HR offices on every campus/lab will be notified of this in November, so that they will, supposedly, be up to speed on Jan 1, when the law takes effect. Lubbe Levin of UCOP has previously said that it is UC policy already to allow sick leave for care of a DP or a DP's relatives, but since this was never spelled out in the UC sick leave policy, many managers have denied sick leave in these situations, and employees only got it on appeal to OP.

The state and federal Family Medical Leave Acts are laws that protect employees taking sick, vacation or other leave (paid or unpaid) for (among other things) pregnancy and care of an ill spouse or parent. The protection extends for 12 weeks from the start of the leave and primarily consists of two things: employers must give employees their same jobs back at the end of the leave, and employers must continue to provide health benefits during the leave under the same terms as before the leave. Lubbe says that she will send out to HR offices in November for comment a policy change whereby UC would voluntarily extend its family medical leave policies to permit UC employees to take the leave for care of an ill DP, as for a spouse.

UCSA items

(Alain Dang, Graduate Students Association @ UCLA)
UCSA chair: Ken Burch burch@physics.ucsd.edu

UCSA Agenda for this year, decided at July 2001 congress. Top UCSA issues for the year: Student Housing, admissions reform, divestment from prisons/invest in education.

UCSA Major events Calendar:

  • Student of color conference set for February 15-17, 2002 @UCB
  • Women of color conference on April 5, 2002 @ UCSD

Hate-crime incidents have increased at campuses noticeably since 9/11/01.

UCSA is trying to identify LGBT resources at each campus; reporting lines for hate crime incidents.

  • UCB; SAAO & GenEq are resources for hate crimes. Uneven reporting of hate crimes, UCPD vs. BPD jurisdictional & political irregularities affect reporting & follow-up on incidents.
  • UCR; number of incidents w/I UCR housing. http://www.stophate.ucr.edu
    resource website; safe-zone promotion;
  • UCR held a public forum w/chancellor to promote the local resources.
  • UCSD; no uniform way to report hate crime incidents, short of going to police.
  • UCI: has specialists for training people on reporting hate crime incidents. Has shown problems in reporting through police. Orange county authorities work with the UCIPD to share reporting info.
  • UCSB: office of student life personnel responsible for maintaining hate/bias data, along with title ix & affirmative-action officer. Training lacking. Environment of campus: Number of sexual assaults up by 4x; usually 2 incidents, but this semester was 8 reported instance
  • UCSC: Task force planned, but has not met on hate crimes issue.
    "principles of community" promoted, but not apply to LGBT. Hesitance for campus authorities to admit to problem around LGBT-related bias.

Regents' September 11th response (from website) did not include LGBT or 'sexual orientation' in definition of protected groups & rubric of diversity.

Most campus chancellor's statements also omitted LGBT mention, though statements spoke of diversity.

Situation where condemnation of religious-based hate incidents are seen as not affecting LGBT folks. Who better to know about religion-fueled bigotry? What happened to 'modern' interpretations of real diversity, which included LGBTQ folks?

Training of staff; who is in charge is critical.

With war situation, not an issue of where one stands on the politics of the war, but that we need to be visible against the hate directed at us in this fray. Defend what is political as being 'out'.

Heroes/victims affected by September 11, no DP's recognized.

UCR: 36 min. video presentation; "Journey to a hate-free millennium". Ordinarily charge $5000, But certified trainers can show film for free. Tubbs, UCR, is certified and will inquire on this film Good resource for campuses.

Asked about potential financial support by UCSA for the UCLGBTIA annual conference.

Similar to UCLGBTIA, UCSA events are funded by campuses, rather than UCOP or single-source.

Constitutional Amendment to Create Student Chair position

Chair Snowdon Introduced proposal.

Proposal as written doesn't omit anything in the constitution regarding existing officers. Will define duties the same way as for the chair/vice-chair, and adds a 'student chair' who will serve a one-year term.

Proposal does not prohibit students from seeking the two-year vice-chair position, but lends more flexibility for students unable to fulfill a two-year commitment.

Chair Snowdon encouraged passage of this amendment as a way to strengthen student participation within the steering committee.

Proposal moved as written.

Chair Snowdon moved and Emily Nalven (member, UCOP) seconded.

Proposal passed unanimously. (appended below).

United Way & Boy Scouts of America update

UCR updated this on their written campus report.

UCSB had success in amending campus/local BSA support.

UCI also still working on this issue.

Update on 14th Annual Conference, February 21-23, 2003 @ UC Riverside

Informal organizing now; no theme or formal committee yet.

Assistance on grant-writing from faculty/staff & public giving.

Athletics depts. Training on diversity.

Update on Rankin survey

UCR, UCLA, UCI, UCSC were the original participating UC campuses.

35 other campuses across country believed to have participated.

We are awaiting preliminary data.

UCI was planning to implement; the campus research group jettisoned cross-dept. support. Stalled permission response made campus miss deadline for launching survey on campus.

UCSC did run the LGBT component of the study. Written campus report included info on the stats.

UCR did run the LGBT component of the study. Got 75 responses.

UCLA did run the LGBT component of the study, but only implemented at the law school there.

Travers (UCSD) highlighted 'Catch-22' of bureaucracy that demands "quantitative analysis", but dismisses the results to deny programming/work on the issues.

UCOP may still initiate their own 'diversity' study. Versions of this proposed study, first shown to SCOM representatives in May, 2000, did not include sexual/sexual orientation.

UCOP/other campuses initiating research should not overlook UCLGBTIA.

Proposal for intern for queer student outreach on every campus

Vice-chair Imada presented on his work as a chancellor's intern and the general issue of "LGBTQ student outreach and retention". He asks the campuses & steering committee to raise the issue, and demand such a position to ensure a genuine effort is made.

All campuses are seeking a way to survey campuses on our population. The idea of a Check-off box for LGBT students on important applications can be helpful when done appropriately.

UCSC/Chancellor's undergraduate internship program (CUIP) & (SOAR) is a mechanism for promoting the idea of queer student outreach and retention.

What other outreach/retention efforts exist? How do we get $$ for such efforts at other campuses? There is also concern about program funds for the LGBT resources office.

  • UCI: Center interns funded at $1200/semester
    Their tasks: Admin/Web/leadership/
    Academic VP in ASUCI leading issue of LGBTQ studies.
    Ex-officio officer to ASUC
  • UCR: pres. Of queer alliance/outreach coordinator; student assistant worker; $4000-5000 for all hired staff in a year. Academic credit for time worked.
  • UCSD: doesn't have any such program.
  • ASUCSD may fund an LGBT-person; would be part of an 'allies' program of some sort.
  • UCB: GenEq restructured internship program; office manager & program interns with Billy, but duties are not just LGBT-related (other duties of such personnel include women's center & cross-cultural resources).
    Office has $5000 total for stipends.
  • UCSB: queerpeer internship program facilitates this. Student reps on CAC.
    Small stipends to students.
  • UCSC: Needs leverage to gain $$ & programs for LGBT center, not so much for retention internship.

Can we access other sources for retention posts & $$ at other campuses?

Sees use for potential 'check-off box' on forms to I.D. as LGBTQ, but not advocating this per se.

Update chart from UCD to include categories of student retention

Possible workshop/roundtable on LGBT retention/outreach at UCLGBTIA conference leadership track.

New business

Updated version of constitution

UCOP rep Nalven distributed a constitution updated to reflect inclusion of "Intersex" designation where appropriate. Other grammatical changes made regarding the use of the word "shall". Copies distributed for review.

UC Davis

Written report came to UCR center director Tubbs, from outgoing UCD center director Subasic, who is resigning next month for a position at Penn State University. UCD Center Position is to be posted.

Looking to reclass job at SAO IV; advocate for their own funds and expansion of programs. Campus CAC looking for stand-alone LGBT center. Current VC for Student Affairs opposes this, but is believed to be leaving his post soon.

Report includes concern over recent developments.

  • Department organizational chart didn't include LGBT as stand-alone in cross cultural center;
  • Omission of LGBT in report on cross-cultural center;
  • Cross-cultural Center director supposed to be advocating for LGBT concerns.

UCD CAC can be our contact for further information

Letter to Winnie Lanier of cross-cultural Center at UCD to highlight concerns about posting of position.

Meeting adjourned approximately 3:15pm

Text of Student Co-Chair Proposal

MOTION

That Sections B and E of Article VII of the UCLGBTIA Constitution be amended as follows (amendments in italics):

B. Composition of Steering Committee
7. Officers
The Steering Committee elects the following officers:
Chair, Vice Chair, Student Chair and a Recording Secretary.
8. Qualifications for Officers
Steering Committee Officers must have been members of the UCLGBTIA, for at least one (1) academic period (defined as quarter or semester) and have attended at least one Steering Committee meeting prior to their election. The Student Vice Chair must be an undergraduate or graduate UC student.
9. Terms of Offices. Duties and Responsibilities of Officers Defined:
a. Chair/Vice Chair/Student Chair- (referred to collectively as "co-chairs") are elected by the Steering Committee

E. Election of Steering Committee Officers
7. Duration of Term
a. The Chair and Vice Chair shall serve two-year terms. The Student Chair shall serve a one-year term. Officers and workgroup chairs may serve for a maximum of 2 consecutive terms.