Relativism Writ Large

I read on Tumblr about a Clemson student who had been beaten for calling some one’s girlfriend a bitch and for being gay. Obviously, I was outraged and wasn’t exactly sure what to think at the time. How much did this really affect me? It was probably just a freak occurrence. Not long after, I attended a CGSA meeting where Jeff Kenney presented what was called the LGBT Campus Climate Index. This self-assessment was given to Clemson through an organization called Campus Pride. Clemson had scored 2 out of 5 stars overall and marked poorly in the seven or eight categories of questions. Only one or two were about 50%. During Jeff’s presentation, I knew that something needed to be done. You don’t just receive a score like, on a self-assessment which many other colleges throughout the country were scoring much higher.

What was Clemson communicating to it’s LGBT students by not offering some of these services listed in the self-assessment? Especially being a conservative college in the south. When we think higher education, we think open minds and civility. Rarely do we think discrimination. Sometimes it takes a mirror to see how mistreated you are by the institutions around you.

I flipped Jeff’s handout to us over and began scribbling my first steps towards creating change. I barely remember what I originally wrote down. What I knew for certain, at the time, was that changing things this big were going to take a lot more than handouts on the library bridge. In order to change minds, you must show people that those around them are unhappy and want things to change. It doesn’t make sense to live and work amongst unhappy people when you can do something about it. I needed to build a coalition of people willing to put forth the extra energy to work together through their differences. In an environment such as academics, this was not going to be easy, nor has it been, especially for myself. The only motivation I have is myself, really. Sometimes life can seem so simple and easy that it wouldn’t make any sense to change it. But if one aspect of my life had been any different, I would easily be one of the unfortunate many that have a hard time being one of the letters, LGBT.

I drew up a basic web that acted as a map for how I wanted to start out and make things happen. I was doing it again. I was building something with material that would never be able to hold its weight. I needed to be brought down a few notches and thankfully, Joy Smith, helped do just that. I don’t think she realized she was reducing my vision, because she never knew how really big it was. She helped me make this more concrete and manageable than I would have been able to handle. Though I still look back and think that I’m just not doing enough.

I met with Jeff, Joy, and some others across campus; trying to build a foundation in which we could launch this thing. I knew I wanted a meeting. That was always the plan. I wanted a meeting where all types would come together in one room and start naming problems they saw with the university’s policies. I wanted students, faculty, staff, and alumni. I wanted them all to participate and make it a part of them; to own the need for change.

I almost left this part out. One of the main things I wanted done, was to bring media attention to the beating and the self-assessment. I wrote an email to President Barker asking him to allow me to form a commission on the status of LGBTQ faculty, staff, and students. This way, we could have a body that would help shape the university’s policies to being more inclusive and less discriminatory. I also informed him that at his scheduled town hall, there would be several people asking questions about what the university is going to do to address points of inequality in its policies. The president wrote back explaining that establishing a commission was not to be taken lightly and this sort of thing was best addressed through the existing structure and chain of command. Frankly, I wasn’t aware that being a second class citizen was something I took lightly. I wasn’t disheartened.

I met with my friend, Cindy, and she helped me get in touch with a reporter from the local newspaper. I discussed my plans with her and she said she would be at the town hall to report on it. Though I did not ask what I wanted during the town hall (I always get nervous at such things and forget), it had the effect I was looking for. People were aware, and more importantly, the administration knew that people were upset.

Joy came to me at the end of the town hall and said she expressed personal interest in the matter to the president. She offered any help that she and her office could serve. Joy got me the room for my meeting, and Theresa helped me put together an agenda and found me an amazing facilitator. We were ready to go. I was nervous as Hell. I had no idea how many people would show up. I remember getting maybe 22 RSVPs and telling myself, “Even if just one shows up, that’s why I’m here.” Forty people showed up. People from across all academics and even administrators. What happened next, I had never anticipated.

Our agenda called for the large group to break up into smaller ones and for those smaller groups to begin brainstorming areas in which they think need improvement, and then to arrange them by importance. Earlier in the week, I had emailed a few people who I knew would be there, and asked them to serve as small group facilitators. They would keep the conversation going and keep everything civil. This proved to be a crucial move and soon the room was nothing but a storm of ideas. I looked around me as all of these people, who were here for the same purpose, worked together liked I had never experienced. It was an amazing team effort to be in awe of.

We identified three main problem areas we wanted to see tackled through different sets of small groups with volunteers. Since then, it has been a bit rocky. One group has taken off; another has struggled to find its purpose; and the last, I simply had to put on the back burner. Every day I tell myself to do more with it, but it’s just so much. I feel like I haven’t accomplished anything. But there’s plenty of evidence to the contrary. I’ve inspired people to start doing something. If there’s one thing that holds true universally, it’s that sometimes, people just need a little push. We all feel alone when we go home and get ready for bed, but we never really are alone.

The group looking into domestic partner benefits has made some amazing strides that I think are really going to give this campaign a lot of momentum. The chief diversity officer has expressed to the administrative council that he thinks there should be a task force put together to look at university policies to make Clemson a better, more inclusive place.

I think we all expect things to move at a greater speed than we want them to. Looking back on the last three months, I have to say, they really have moved faster than I even expected them to. There may not be a commission established yet, or construction plans for a resource center, but right now, they only seem right around the corner. Reminding myself that I really have accomplished something, is just the motivation I need to keep going.