The Daily Pennsylvanian
The gay community at Penn wants its voice heard -- and with a new umbrella organization in the works, they may just get the collective clout they want.
Last night, members of various sexuality-oriented organizations on campus met to discuss the constitution of the soon-to-be formed Lambda Alliance, a coalition uniting eight such groups.
The alliance hopes to foster a "strong [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning] community with a primary focus on undergraduate student organizations" -- as stated by the group's current constitution -- and to provide a unified voice for the gay community at Penn.
Penn's gay-oriented organizations remain among the only minority groups without an umbrella organization to unite its constituents. Other umbrella organizations -- like the United Minorities Council and the Latino Coalition -- represent the interests of several distinct groups.
The Lambda Alliance, which is likely to be solidified in the next month, will represent groups ranging from the Queer Student Alliance to Jewish Bisexuals, Gays and Lesbians.
"In a lot of the communities, when something happens, you know who's going to talk about it," QSA member and College senior Kathy Totoki said. "It would be good to have somebody represent us and know that there is a [gay] community on campus."
The idea of a united coalition was born at a town hall meeting last spring.
Last month, campus groups and interested individuals met to collaborate on a constitution, coining the term "Lambda Alliance."
That name, however, is not yet concrete. At a meeting last night, many suggested a more "descriptive" name and called the "lambda" symbol, representative of an LGBT affiliation, outdated or exclusive to only those involved with Penn's LGBT Center.
Now the young organization must tackle issues such as the involvement of graduate students and those students not affiliated with any gay-interest group.
While graduate students are encouraged to participate in undergraduate activities and organizations, many graduate organizations have a "different focus," Queer Student Alliance co-Chairman Brett Thalmann said. Many may not have the time "to commit to a political coalition."
Students also debated the involvement of the gay-oriented fraternity Delta Lambda Phi, which has members throughout the Philadelphia area.
Those at the meeting argued that as long as DLP has members from Penn, the organization deserve a voice and vote in the Lambda Alliance.
LGBT Center Associate Director Erin Cross -- who moderated last night's meeting -- suggested that the group look at the constitutions of other campus coalitions to address the involvement of Greek organizations.
But the nuts and bolts of the new constitution won't slow the organization's momentum, LGBT Center Director Bob Schoenberg said.
Constitutions are "generally living documents," he said. "They can be changed when real problems arise."
Although the inner workings of the constitution remain unpolished, everyone agreed that both the document and organization show promise.
QSA co-Chairwoman and College senior Alexis Ruby-Howe said that she doesn't see ratification of the constitution as "a roadblock to the process. It's just strengthening it. ... [The alliance], it's going to happen."
