Club UNITY proposal gets denied
Student Services turns down club after it passes through SGA
By Brittany Hackett | bhackett@flagler.edu
Student Services has turned down a proposal for Club UNITY, a club that focuses on promoting a positive image of the gay and lesbian community. This is the second time in three years that a club focused on such issues has been denied.
Chris Lauth, president of Club UNITY, said those involved with the club are “very disappointed, but not too surprised” with the decision, which was announced Oct. 9.
The club was denied because its “purpose does not fall within the realm of the mission of the college,” according to the official denial letter written by Dean of Student Services Dan Stewart. No elaboration was given in the letter, and Stewart would not comment on how the purpose of Club UNITY conflicted with the mission of the college. Stewart said he had no comments on the issue in general.
Lauth, a sophomore, called the reason for the denial “ironic, because I didn’t know that in our mission statement it says that we want to try and discriminate a big group of our students.”
According to the 2007-2008 Flagler College Catalog, the first paragraph of the Statement of Purpose says the college’s aim is “to provide a supportive and challenging environment in which students acquire knowledge, exercise good citizenship, and adhere to high ethical
standards.”
According to its proposal, Club Unity’s Statement of Purpose is, “To create a safe and supportive environment as well as reflecting a true and positive image for and of gay, lesbian and bisexual people at Flagler College through community service, social events, and educational resources. It is the goal of this organization to promote UNITY of all people regardless of their sexual orientation.”
The club was passed through Flagler’s Student Government Association by more than the required two-thirds majority one week prior to being denied by Student Services. Lauth, who is secretary of SGA, said they were confident the club would pass through SGA, but knew it would be “a major uphill battle with administration.”
According to Stewart, they have the right to a presidential appeal by President William T. Abare, Jr. Lauth said the club just began the process of appealing.
“The matter has not reached my office. So, I am not in a position to comment on the club’s application at this time,” Abare said in an e-mail.
Club UNITY was first proposed at Flagler in 2004 as the Gay-Straight Alliance, which is heavily based on acting as a support group for the gay, lesbian and bisexual community.
Student Services rejected the GSA in October of 2004.
Last year, Lauth was approached to join the newly formed Club UNITY, which is different from GSA, he said, because the main focus of the club is to promote unity amongst both worlds – gay and straight – and promote a positive image of the gay community through community service, events and educational resources.
“We’re making a statement that, at this college, we’re not going to tolerate harassment or anything of that matter,” Lauth said.
Lauth said the club has a petition with over 150 signatures in support of Club UNITY and a large support group from the gay, lesbian, and straight community at Flagler and in St. Augustine, making the issue “personal with students.”
In addition to widespread community and student support, Club UNITY has the support of the Flagler College Faculty Senate Executive Board, according to Dr. Art Vanden Houten, chair of the Senate and also a member of the President’s Cabinet.
Senate approval is not part of the process of getting a club approved by the college. However, after Student Services denied Club UNITY, the issue was brought to the attention of the Cabinet, according to Vanden Houten. Due to his position in both groups, he said “to make it more representative, it seemed appropriate for me to solicit the views of the Senate” when considering the issue for the Cabinet.
“The (Senate) Executive Committee was unanimous in its view that this is a club that should be approved,” Vanden Houten said, adding that he plans to bring that view to Abare when the Cabinet discusses the issue again.
“I think the faculty are of the view that this represents a legitimate movement among students who are asking for a specific club,” Vanden Houten said. “They have done what they’ve been asked and what they’ve been required to do.”
“Certainly the mission as I understand it of the UNITY club and clubs of a similar nature on other campuses is to reach out, to end isolation, to create communication among groups of students,” Vanden Houten said. “And that seems to me, and that seemed as well to all the other Senators, to be strong reasons for approval.”
In the spring of 2007, Lauth wrote the club’s constitution and accepted the position of president. A proposal to become an official club on campus was submitted last spring, but according to Lauth, they were told it would be a long time before it could be passed. Lauth said a compromise was reached in which Club UNITY could hold events through Student Services while the administration worked to get support for the club from the Board of Trustees.
“As far as we were concerned, we were not happy with the answer, but it was OK for the time being,” Lauth said. “We would continue to work to get it passed, but at least we were able to get some of that message out and show how we were planning on operating.”
Lauth said after an article by The Gargoyle was written about the club, they were told they no longer could hold events, officially or unofficially, through Student Services and they had to follow the original protocol for getting approved, leading them to the position they are currently in.
“The message is clear that the administration does not want something like this,” Lauth said, adding that it is “puzzling” to him because of the college’s claim to listen to students’ ideas and issues.
“They’re not doing that for a majority of their students, whether you’re gay or straight,” Lauth said, “because there are plenty of straight people that are in very big support of this and they’re not being heard either.”
Lauth said the absence of a club like Club UNITY on Flagler’s campus is “an embarrassment.”
“The thing is there are students here that feel this school has let us down,” Lauth said. “We do not feel validated as students.”
For more information, go to flaglerclubunity.tripod.com, or contact Lauth at CLauth@flagler.edu.
So in my eyes, I’m thinking…the student body seems to be calling for Club UNITY. The parents and alumni are calling for the club. The faculty seem to be strongly in favor of it. I’d even guess that a lot of the administration is in favor of it. But probably less than 20 individuals, out of the thousands that make up students, faculty, administration, alumni, parents, etc., less than 20 people are the ones with power, and the ones with the money to effect change, and they’re the ones who are denying this club the right to exist.
instead we should do something about it, we can start to change ourselves and be more tolerant and compassionate about others and support unity.
How can this happen? I love this school, but today I am ashamed to tell people where I go. Very bad! I am interested to hear the explanation for this.
To put it in another light, how would the community, the parents, the alumni, et cetera look at this if say, a Club UNITY to bring together white and non-white students was shot down? It’s the same type of discrimination, and by denying this club, Flagler College, Daniel Stewart and William Abare are all saying that they support discrimination, they support prejudice, and they do not support GBLT students at their college. These students support Flagler with tens of thousands of dollars a year, yet they are ignored.
we can start to change ourselves and be more tolerant and compassionate about others and support unity.
The key word here is FAIR. Thanks for your thoughtful post!
How can this happen? I love this school, but today I am ashamed to tell people where I go. Very sad! I am interested to hear the explanation for this.
This kind of things happen all over the world so we no longer need to be surprised , instead we should do something about it, we can start to change ourselves and be more tolerant and compassionate about others and support unity.
OMG I can’rt believe they were still turning down the plans, thats crazy!!!! I see this post is nearingg on 4 years old, i do hope that they have sorted this issue out now!! – let me know. Mark
Great debate and I appreciate the opportunity to respond.
Being tolerant is one thing, but to promote such clubs is another.
I’m aware this post is 3 years old, and I agree with the comments on here that believe that all students should be treated equally no matter what their sexual orientation is. In my own work place we have a club where people can get together and discuss their issues with their sexuality within a safe environment, this club is heavily promoted throughout the work place and I honestly believe it has started to change peoples attitudes regarding sexuality.
I wonder if 3 years on whether the UNITY club finally go the agreement to go head because it is long overdue.
The key word here is FAIR. Thanks for your thoughtful post!
LOL @ Terry’s comment
And Kim-
I completely agree with you. Thank you for your support in an effort to make a fair schooling environment for everyone.
To those opposing any positive comment-
It is not us forcing our “beliefs” onto you. Gay students do not have a gun to your head forcing you to attend these clubs.
I applied to Flagler this year expecting it to be like any other college in respect to student’s rights. To be completely honest, this isn’t about the conflicting views of whether gay students have the “choice” to be gay. Sexuality is not an overnight decision and cannot change like the weather. The lesson to be learned is that gay students will not change their lifestyle because of a few issues in the administration. I can personally admit that it isn’t a choice, but I respect the contrasting views of those that are shielded from the views of our current accepting society.
I am attending Flagler this year as a freshman, and I’m personally appalled that a club such as this “cannot be allowed”. The school seems to be extremely accepting of it’s students. I understand that the argument of gay rights is a dichotomy, but that should not get in the way of a support group for it’s students. Happy students make a happy college environment.
If students can’t be allowed to promote tolerance, how are they to be expected to go out in the real world and interact with a variety of others with different beliefs. I can only hope that one of these years, the administration will have a change of heart. Hopefully soon, the students will not have to fight this battle.
It is disheartening to see that Flagler students are still fighting this battle just to build a relationship of tolerance amongst themselves.
tol·er·ance
a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one’s own; freedom from bigotry.
Think about your beliefs…how you would feel if you were discriminated against because of them?
big·ot·ry
stubborn and complete intolerance of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one’s own.
Wouldn’t it be nice to live in a world free from bigotry.
tol·er·ance
a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one’s own; freedom from bigotry.
Think about your beliefs…how you would feel if you were discriminated against because of them.
big·ot·ry
stubborn and complete intolerance of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one’s own.
Wouldn’t it be nice to live in a world free from bigotry.
Andrew,
No one is forcing you to abandon your beliefs, club unity is promoting tolerance and that means tolerance of other peoples view points as well. If the presence of this club on campus would force anyone to abandon their beliefs couldn’t the same be said for the FOUR Christian clubs in existence. As an atheist my views are not compromised by the presence of these clubs or the schools use of prayer during events such as convocation and graduation. You must not be secure in your beliefs if the presence of a club could sway them so easily.
Club Unity is not about gay and lesbian activism, ITS ABOUT UNITY! [duh] “It is the goal of this organization to promote UNITY of all people regardless of their sexual orientation.” It is ridiculous that my High school had a GSA [gay, straight alliance] and that in a college where we are all supposed to be adults we don’t. I am absolutely disgusted in Flagler College’s administration for not approving such an important club especially in the year 2007.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Hicks.
Students willingly attend this organization; in doing so, they submit to its governance. Part of what makes America so great is that we ‘vote’ for organizations by buying their products or reject them by going elsewhere. If a person is truly outraged by this organization, a vote of no confidence is achieved by not contributing or leaving altogether.
I am a product of this school, so I know first-hand. I have never been so discriminated against in my life by the same type of individuals wanting to form this club (many of whom wanted to start the first). Make no mistake-this organization doesn’t aim to “promote a positive image.” It wants to force acceptance. Acceptance necessitates rejection of some other set of beliefs. Therefore, in demanding tolerance of your beliefs, I am being forced to abandon mine.
Eric, your post is a VERY GOOD argument for why we need more clubs like this in the world and at this college.
Perhaps you should think about leaving Flagler College.
Although I completely disagree with arguments suggesting that LGBT individuals have a “choice” to choose their lifestyle, the fact that this is even an issue of discussion is insulting. If it was true that these individuals have a choice concerning their sexual orientation, the argument is still absurd. For one, hypothetically, they have every right to make this “choice,” because lifestyle choices are the right of every American. Almost every club on campus supports a lifestyle choice, and there are many. Secondly, I find it hard to imagine how people can claim that LGBT individuals have made a “choice” to be the way they are. For many, their lifestyles are more complicated and demanding than a typical straight individual. For example, 10 percent of Gay individuals attempt suicide at least once in their lifetime. It seems strange that this instance of occurence could be influenced by a “choice.” And in response to the previous post, suggesting that it should be a decision to “act upon their sexual preferences” is also insulting. I have to ask Eric, “do you consciously wake up in the morning, form a mental debate with yourself, and then make a choice to act upon your sexual preferences?” I highly doubt it. The way I presume you see yourself and your sexuality is equivalent to the way most LGBT individuals perceive theirs, and to suggest otherwise is ignorant and self-serving.
Terry,
Do GBLT people have the choice to act upon their sexual preferences? Yes, they do but to debate “lifestyle decision” or not would only waste my time and yours. There is just as much scientific and genetic evidence to supoort that it is a decision that one makes. What you or I believe or find to be true through our own scientific bias is not the point it is still a choice whether or not you act upon something or not. Again, the college has made a choice not to recognize the club. Why doesn’t UNITY make the choice to meet in another location off campus? Lastly, what happened to Matthew Shepard was so unbelievably saddening and any other form of violence towards others because of their lifestyle is deplorable and awful. There is no place for these kind of people in this society and what we do to them is a whole other subject. Great debate and I appreciate the opportunity to respond.
Best Regards,
Eric
Eric, while I respect your opinion and your right to state your opinion, you ARE very ignorant in some of your “facts.” Most glaringly, a person’s sexual preference is not a choice. It might be for some people, but for 95% of GBLT people, it’s something they’re born into, not a “lifestyle decision.”
If you believe otherwise, well, you’re wrong, and there’s plenty of scientific and genetic evidence to prove that you’re wrong.
hey eric you made some good points, but i believe you were wrong in your assertion that club unity is just a “group that promotes gay and lesbian activism”. As I am sure you know, gays have faced discrimination for many years, and from everything i know about this group they only want to promote tolerance and understanding. What is so wrong about allowing a group to be on campus that promotes peacefulness among students? that promotes tolerance instead of beatings and lynching (see Matthew Shepherd)? Can you answer that?
and jack i agree with you, this whole thing is unforgivable.
unforgivable
I am absolutely shaking my head at this ridiculous rhetoric that I have seen written on this subject. Please contact the ACLU, Al Sharpton (by the way he is against homosexuality) and any other person on the face of the earth. The United States is all about having the freedom to have choices and make them. The organization that you are asking to form is so bogus it makes my head spin. It is a group that promotes gay and lesbian activism so please spare us with your carbon copy blueprint you use to make sure you don’t describe actually what it promotes. I know, because someone does not have the same beliefs as you they are a bigot or believe in discriminating against others. Guess what? Just because you have chosen to form a club the college administration can choose to not allow it. You use the word discrimination and it makes me sick. To equate what African Americans went through in the 60′s to not being allowed to have a club because of your chosen lifestyle is ludicrous and not to mention absurd. Choice comes with freedom just like you made the choice to get out of bed in the morning or go to Flagler College. There is no discrimination or the attempt to keep you down it is people making choices. Feel free to choose to leave Flagler, by the way there were 80% of applicants rejected, and go to another college. In fact why don’t you start UNITY College or UNITY University it’s your choice. The ignorance that has been spouted by other posters on this subject has me shaking my head. And before I get the bigot blast or some attempt to label others who don’t believe like you do as ignorant go ahead. That’s your choice!!!!!
Best Regards,
Eric Anderson
In response to Adrian’s comment, I had no prior knowledge that discrimination was part of college life at Flagler. If I had, I would have more carefully considered my application. That being said, I will point out that I love Flagler College, I have a great community in the student body and faculty, and I am not prepared to “accept this reality.” In response to the comment made about no one taking any effort to help change the current situation, I believe this was a comment based on naive thinking. I am part of a group of over two hundred (not including the 160 members of club unity) who are not willing to “disrupt campus life” or “take the effort. In the past 48 hours I have given an interview to the St. Augustine Record, which was published yesterday, as well as scheduled a meeting with Dr. Abare concerning this “presidential appeal system” which no one seems to know much about. I have also contacted the ACLU, something you thought no one would take the “effort” to do. I am also planning a meeting on monday night to discuss the situation and what can possibly be done to change it. There is no small instance of discrimination, and I, as a student, feel personally discriminated against and attacked by the administration, a small group of individuals who are supposed to represent and protect the interests of the faculty and student body. They have clearly failed. I have been active in interacting with the media over the situation, hoping that it will somehow generate negative press on the issue. Sadly, I fear that this will not be enough. We are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. In additional comment on “disrupting campus life,” did you see the two people that protested the censorship of the Gargoyle last spring? These individuals want a say in the college, and I hope most of them are still willing to stand up for students’ rights. I am not one to leave a place because I don’t like what’s going on, I plan to stay and I plan to fight. It’s 2007, what’s going on SHOULD be a non-issue, but unfortunately, it’s something we have to DEAL with, not ACCEPT, and I will fight until I graduate, and hopefully I will be able to make some sort of change or impact that will benefit students in the future. The advocacy group I belong to is on Facebook, named “Change Flager College,” and we will be the ones holding the meeting. If anyone has any questions regarding our mission or the meeting on moday, just view the group site, or contact me directly at RWebb@flagler.edu.
Terry, the comments on the Gargoyle site go through an auto filter to detect profane language because we had a problem with some extremely inappropriate conversation in the past. (We also get an abundance of spam comments that need to be auto deleted). It is not edited by any member of the staff or the administration. We’ll look into it to see if we can override that setting.
Thanks!
And I cannot believe, looking over my way too long comment, that Flagler apparently deems the “L” word (a term for gay women) to be so inappropriate that it must be censored. On a newspaper website!
Then again, should I really be surprised at that, when the college itself deems its gay students inappropriate?
I think this topic definitely merits a lot of serious discussion.
In response to Adrian…are you really saying that because something that’s not fair or possibly discriminatory is just how things are and have always been at Flagler that the students and parents should just accept it?
I think I must be misunderstanding your comment because I can’t believe that anyone would really suggest that. Imagine how America would be today if everyone in the first half of the 20th century had just looked around at the racism and intolerance and said, “Well, this is (intolerant city/state) and it’s to be expected, we knew they didn’t like (race/creed/sexual preference) when we moved here, so why bother changing it.”
I think it’s unfair to call naivety on the people demanding change. There’s no document or rule that says Flagler has to be straight, rich white kids only and it’d be foolish, illegal and immoral if there were such a rule. The students, faculty, and parents see something that they believe is unfair, and want to change it. And honestly how would you expect a potential student to gauge the ratio of gay versus straight students at a college, if that’s something someone were interested in finding out? My own experience at Flagler seemed to indicate that Flagler had a higher number of gay and lesbian students than most colleges. I also found that the majority of all students, gay or straight, were extremely open minded and accepting of all of their fellow students, no matter what preference, religion, or race.
One of the things that makes college such a great experience is being around people from different backgrounds, and learning with them and getting to know them.
And maybe I’m being a bit idealistic and naive personally, but I like to think that anyone capable of getting into a college is educated and cultured enough to be tolerant of their fellow students, no matter what.
So in my eyes, I’m thinking…the student body seems to be calling for Club UNITY. The parents and alumni are calling for the club. The faculty seem to be strongly in favor of it. I’d even guess that a lot of the administration is in favor of it. But probably less than 20 individuals, out of the thousands that make up students, faculty, administration, alumni, parents, etc., less than 20 people are the ones with power, and the ones with the money to effect change, and they’re the ones who are denying this club the right to exist.
I won’t call names, as I don’t know anything for certain. But I think we can all take educated guesses here.
I just don’t understand this fear of gay students and straight students having a club that promotes understanding, tolerance, friendship and values. Is it a fear of gay students in general? Does being gay really conflict with the values of Flagler College that much? I certainly hope not.
Our country has gone through movements to give back unalienable rights to various groups of people, with the women’s and civil rights movements being the most important. We’ve been smart enough, as a country, to come to our senses and realize that women are equal to men and have RIGHTS, and that African-Americans are equal to Caucasians (and every other race and ethnicity) and they have RIGHTS. When are we going to finally come around and realize that our gay population also has the same rights?
Again, perhaps I am being extremely naive and idealist and optimistic, but what’s wrong with that?
I just fail to see how this club would present a problem, and I fail to see how it goes against Flagler’s mission.
And Adrian, I think you underestimate the will and the power that the student body alone has. I think we all saw earlier this year with the protests after the controversy with the Gargoyle that the students will stand up for their beliefs to make change.
Now it seems that gay students go against Flagler’s “white only, Christian only” attitude. This is all getting by because, as you said, it’s a private college, we should know better. But gee, darn the pesky college students for forward thinking and wanting the college to move out of the era it was founded.
As an alum, I personally am not and will not ever give a single solitary cent to this college. That’s what power I have to voice my disapproval at this decision and other decisions.
I respect different points of view, but not when they are ignorant and discriminatory. And I certainly hope that the students, faculty, parents, and alumni will not just accept this horrid situation and move on. No good change ever came about in our country by just accepting the wrongs.
come now, don’t be so naive. yes, it is discrimination, but look around campus – how many students here are anything other than middle/upper middle class white kids? does it come as any surprise that flagler regularly hosts representatives from Regent University, or denies a GLBT rights club or erraneous grounds?
i think anybody who attends flagler has every opportunity to grasp this reality long before they enroll; and though that isn’t an endorsement of campus policy and the exclusivist morality that entails, it does mean acceptance.
no doubt everyone has an urge to call the ACLU, the Obama campaign, Al Sharpton and Matthew Shepherd’s family – but will anybody actually take the effort? disrupt campus life? force the issue? didnt think so. which means accepting it as is and moving on.
I echo Ms. Hicks’ sentiments. I am extremely disappointed that Flagler’s administration remains in another century. My husband and I have been appealing to the school during the last several years to put more emphasis on diversity and inclusivity – apparently, to no avail. This truly gives us pause and I ask other alums to step forward and encourage the school to step up to the level of other liberal arts colleges and become a more welcoming community.
How can this happen? I love this school, but today I am ashamed to tell people where I go. Very sad! I am interested to hear the explanation for this.
I agree with the comments by Kim Hicks. This type of behavior would be typical, and expected, of a college during the 1960′s. However, a college today is a different story. We expect and demand tolerance, and well we should.
To put it in another light, how would the community, the parents, the alumni, et cetera look at this if say, a Club UNITY to bring together white and non-white students was shot down? It’s the same type of discrimination, and by denying this club, Flagler College, Daniel Stewart and William Abare are all saying that they support discrimination, they support prejudice, and they do not support GBLT students at their college. These students support Flagler with tens of thousands of dollars a year, yet they are ignored.
Why?
The board of trustees is a group of spiteful old conservatives, and even acknowledging that homosexuality exists would be a sin, heaven forbid!
Flagler College has just made a statement on par with the President of Iran saying that Iran has no homosexuals.
I have a mind to contact the ACLU, Rainbow-Push, Al Sharpton, et cetera over this. This type of bigotry and discrimination and intolerance has no place in the world.
As the parent of a Flagler college student I am appalled that this kind of discrimination would take place on any college campus.
Promoting UNITY and not discrimination should be everyone’s goal.
If Flagler Colleges true mission is “to provide a supportive and challenging environment in which students acquire knowledge, exercise good citizenship, and adhere to high ethical
standards.” then it is the duty of the college to approve this club IMMEDIATELY without further delay.
Creating a safe and supportive environment for ALL students should be the most important mission of this college and turning down the proposal for this club sends a clear message that not all students are equal.
Shame on those who do not support tolerance.
Sincerely,
Kim Hicks