HRC shifts gears for the new semester
Aimee Sobhani
Issue date: 1/27/10 Section: News/Features
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Campaign (HRC) plans on making several changes in the upcoming year but will still adhere to its progressive goal of furthering equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals.
The group, which was started in 2007 by former Vanderbilt student Nick Wells (class of 2008) after he interned with the national chapter of HRC, is currently undergoing a transitional period. HRC originally focused on gay politics on campus and led a successful campaign that resulted in the inclusion of transgendered individuals in Vanderbilt's non-discrimination policy.
Now, the group hopes to bring more attention
to gender issues. Liz Scofield and Ben Grimwood, president and vice president of Vanderbilt's HRC, anticipate that the group's change in focus will result in a name change and altered mission statement, as the group's new focus differs from the more politically oriented national HRC organization.
"We're a little bit like Madonna- constantly reinventing," said Grimwood, a senior.
HRC's shift away from politics on campus reflects what both Grimwood and Scofield observe to be a change in attitude about students with alternative lifestyles.
"Vanderbilt has changed drastically," said Scofield, a senior, who feels that being out at a young age is more common for students now than it was a few years ago. Students and faculty have also become more accepting. "Most [students] are open-minded now," said Scofield. "It's a strike against you [to be homophobic]." She added that the trend towards openness is "not unique to Vanderbilt."
Grimwood cites the expansion of the Office of LGBTQI Life in 2008 as another positive modification. The office gives students a "physical space to develop community," and makes Vanderbilt more appealing to prospective students, he said.
The creation of a new chapter of Delta Lambda Phi, a fraternity for gay, bisexual and progressive men, shows just how welcoming the Vanderbilt community has become, Grimwood said. "It's one thing in a series of progressive changes."
Additionally, both Grimwood and Scofield agreed the administration has made constructive changes and provides support for the LGBTQI community on campus. HRC, which has just been accepted into the Advocacy Council (an organization that allocates AcFee funds to student groups with political affiliations), has several events planned this semester to help them increase awareness of gender issues on campus.
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