SECTION V: RECOMMENDATIONS

Based upon the preceding data, it is clear that we have a challenge at Kansas State University to improve the climate for lesbian, gay, and bisexual faculty, staff, and students. Before enumerating specific recommendations, it is important to note that many offices on campus deserve commendation for their efforts regarding inclusiveness and education. The Kansas State University Nondiscrimination Policy includes sexual orientation. The Human Rights Campaign has focused attention on the gay, lesbian, bisexual issue. We applaud President Wefald's long-held position against the U.S. Department of Defense exclusion of lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals from the military. Several classes and/or instructors do include course material relating to lesbian, gay and bisexual experiences. The University Housing and Dining Services work hard to train residence hall staff regarding homophobia and heterosexism. We commend those university departments that have broadened their definition of "family," including Recreational Services and the KSU Athletic Department. Many campus ministries have affirmed gay rights and supported gay/lesbian/bisexual students for several years. And finally, we appreciate the University Counseling Services offering of sexual orientation support groups, as well as their in-service training for counselors regarding sexual orientation issues. Of course, many other individual and collective efforts are continuing. However, it must be noted that many of these efforts are neither well known or publicized. Unfortunately, it is not accurate to say that the current climate is hospitable.

The following recommendations, based on the survey data reported above, are designed to improve this climate. Most of the recommendations can be implemented easily with little or no additional cost. The Task Force understands that gays are not seeking "special rights" but simply equal rights, and does not advocate or promote any specific sexual orientation. However, if lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals are to work and study without fear of harassment and discrimination and are to have equal access to all university services, we must begin to implement a comprehensive strategy. The following recommendations are the beginning of that process.

I. UNIVERSITY-WIDE CONCERNS

1. Adopt a position statement regarding the University's support and affirmation of all diverse populations including gay, lesbian, and bisexual students, faculty, and staff. The position statement should be reviewed for comment (but not for endorsement) by each of the three senates, with final approval by President Wefald. Such a position statement might include the following:

"The policy of Kansas State University is to assure equal opportunity to qualified individuals regardless of their race, sex, national origin, religion, age, sexual orientation or handicap, and to promote the full realization of equal employment opportunity for minorities and women through a comprehensive affirmative action program. We must, as a university community, support an environment in which all of our students, faculty, and staff thrive and interact with one another as individuals without regard for sexual orientation or other group differences. Further, we must educate our university community regarding how stereotypes and assumptions, such as those based on sexual orientation, may harm individuals and affect how we treat one another. Our environment should not only support intellectual growth of all participants but must ensure that all within our community are free from harassment, violence, or fear of such. We must provide equitable and fair treatment for all in our classrooms, in employment, and in service delivery. Finally, as a university we support research and scholarly pursuit in all areas including homosexuality. Our mission as a land-grant university is to provide education that is more democratic and available to diverse populations; therefore, it is imperative that we reach these goals."

2. Establish a gay, lesbian, bisexual subcommittee of the President's Commission on Multicultural Affairs. Its responsibilities would include oversight of the implementation of the recommendations in this report, as well as the development of an ongoing strategy to assist deans, department heads, and directors with progress on diversity issues including those affecting our gay population.

3. An existing office or department within the Division of Institutional Advancement should assume responsibility for support and assistance to gay, lesbian and bisexual students, faculty and staff. This office would be advised by the sub-committee of the President's Commission on Multicultural Affairs (as described in recommendation #2). The objectives of this service are as follows:

a. To assist those in the gay community who need a referral source or a safe space when problems arise;
b. To be a liaison among university administrators, BGLS and the subcommittee;
c. To promote educational services that speaks to the discrimination against homosexuals;
d. To support the annual observance of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Awareness Week, similar to those awareness efforts already in existence (e.g. Hispanic Awareness Month); and
e. To collaborate with other regional and state offices and groups with similar objectives.

4. Support the current legislative, Board of Regents and State of Kansas initiatives to further define the term "family" to reflect the 1990's fact of multifarious family units.

5. Further refinement of our racial/sexual harassment policies should include procedures for reviewing harassment claims based on sexual orientation.

6. All new-employee orientation programs for classified or unclassified staff should clearly set out the nondiscrimination statement and the university's proposed position statement.

II. CURRICULUM AND ACADEMIC CONCERNS

1. We support the currently proposed efforts for a diversity overlay, and we encourage content to include gay, lesbian, and bisexual issues.

2. Additionally, we encourage instructors to include open-minded analysis of gay, lesbian and bisexual experience in appropriate introductory classes. We further encourage broad debate regarding all aspects of this experience .

3. We recommend that the library determine the extent of its holdings regarding gay, lesbian, and bisexual issues. We further recommend that a specific librarian be identified as the bibliographer with responsibility for this area.

4. We encourage faculty to solicit feedback from students to assist them in their efforts to produce an inclusive classroom climate.

III. STUDENT LIFE AND SERVICES

1. We recommend that University Housing and Dining Services enhance their efforts to engage living units in structured dialogue regarding homosexuality. We further recommend that Housing and Dining Services monitor the initiatives regarding the redefinition of "family" (in accordance with recommendation I.4) as it pertains to Jardine apartments. We recommend that Housing and Dining Services explore the possibility of allowing same-sex couples to live in Hall Director and Assistant Hall Director apartments.

2. We encourage Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic to amend its resolution regarding diversity to include sexual orientation. We recommend that Black Pan-Hellenic also adopt a resolution on diversity including sexual orientation. We encourage all rush information to include the university's statement on nondiscrimination. We further encourage all three groups to regard harassment based on sexual orientation as a sanctionable offense, and we encourage all greek organizations to engage in structured dialogue groups.

3. We recommend that KSU Police officers and personnel continue to regularly sponsor sensitivity training regarding issues of diversity including sexual orientation. We further recommend that an officer of the KSU Police Department be appointed to act as liaison regarding all sexual-orientation concerns.

4. We recommend that the Dean of Student Life Office sponsor a lecture series regarding gay, lesbian, and bisexual issues.

5. We recommend that Lafene Student Health Center have a regular program of workshops for staff regarding the specific medical concerns of gay and lesbian students. We further recommend the development of a brochure oriented toward gay student clientele (see University Counseling Services' brochure as a model).

6. We ask that the Lafene Student Health Advisory Committee continue to monitor the student health insurance contract awards to assure that the carrier does not discriminate against people who are HIV positive and/or diagnosed with AIDS.

7. We recommend that student government include a position on gay/lesbian/bisexual concems among its legislative agenda and student body president initiatives. It is further recommended that all groups funded through the student activity fee adhere to the nondiscrimination clause regarding sexual orientation. In the case of student publications, efforts should be documented that show they have fairly and extensively addressed sexual orientation concerns on campus.

8. All university organizations registering with the University Activities Board should adhere to the university's policy on nondiscrimination. University Activities Board should include procedures for sanctioning those who have not adhered to the nondiscrimination clause.

9. New-student programs should continue to address the issue of sexual orientation during the summer and fall new-student orientation programs. Further, the issue should be addressed with parents during the orientation session, and written information should be included in the packets for new students.

10. International students in an already alien culture may need additional assistance in exploring their sexual identities. Counseling resources available to international students should be made explicit during the international student orientation and in written information that can be easily obtained.

11. Students, faculty, and staff who are gay, lesbian, or bisexual and are also people of color face a double discrimination. The Assistant Provost for Multicultural Affairs, the Coordinator of Multicultural Student Organizations, and other appropriate departments and offices should lead the campus in understanding the particular double-bind for people in this category by calling attention to the issue through seminars, workshops, etc.

12. The Coordinator of Religious Activities and campus ministries should continue to expand programming regarding the full range of religious views of gay-life experiences. Further, campus ministries should actively seek to provide pastoral care and counseling for gay/lesbian/bisexual persons.

a. Because religious attitudes often underlie anxiety and guilt in gay/lesbianibisexual persons as well as societal and individual homophobia, it is important that a full range of religious interpretations and pluralism be included in academic and nonacademic discussions on campus. An emphasis should be given to values such as self-esteem, self-acceptance and acceptance of others, human rights, and nondiscrimination.

b. Campus ministries should be enlisted to provide dialogue in campus religious groups, living communities, and classrooms in such areas as biblical interpretation, ethics, acceptance, human rights and justice. Personal dialogue groups and discussion with the gay/lesbian/bisexual community are vital to such programming.

13. All student service units should regularly engage in structured dialogue groups with employees and with the students they serve.

The Task Force is committed to joining the leadership of Kansas State University in realizing the shared dream of a truly multicultural campus that embraces all differences and is an environment where all student, faculty and staff may learn and work to their full potential.