The Spectrum

Issue date: 9/28/06 Section: Features

This student driven organazation promotes acceptance among the student body.

An onslaught of students and faculty pass through the halls everyday, among them, the once hushed faces of an oppressed community

Being different in a fairly monotone setting makes it easy to noticeably stand out. A private Catholic institution such as Sacred Heart University has proven no different to the average member of the GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender) community.

"The feedback I get from students is that Sacred Heart can be a difficult place to navigate socially as a gay man or woman," said Dr. Michael Ventimiglia, current advisor of the Sacred Heart Gay/Straight Alliance.

"My sense is that most [of the] faculty at SHU is sensitive to the challenges that gay students face, and [the faculty] supports H.U.G.S. as an instrument for increased understanding within the community," said Ventimigila.

H.U.G.S., otherwise known as the organization "Helping Unite Gays and Straights" is the campus GSA.

The goal of the H.U.G.S organization is GLBT acceptance that reaches beyond tolerance within the SHU community.

"I think that I would like the [SHU] community to be more accepting of people that don't exactly go with the status quo," said Meghan Strecker, senior, Danbury, and president of the H.U.G.S. organization.

"There should be more people coming out because there are people on campus who are gay but are afraid to come out because they are on a team or they're part of an organization," said Chris Williams, senior, New Rochelle N.Y.

"In the H.U.G.S. meeting we have a blend of both homosexuals and heterosexual and both can be themselves without fear of judgment or harassment," said Willams.

"Our school is so right-winged catholic-conservative, sometimes it is difficult to get people to understand what we are trying to do," said Strecker.

"Last year when we had our transgendered speaker come to SHU we had to meet with the people in the higher faculty positions for many weeks before they actually were able to allow her to come and give the talk"

"We have some great connections with campus ministry which makes us more accessible to students who normally wouldn't feel comfortable approaching such a group as H.U.G.S.," said Strecker.

"I feel that H.U.G.S. allows for an atmosphere in which students can open up and be themselves, and in turn it allows them to become more comfortable with who they are in our school's community as well as work towards becoming more comfortable with who they are in the gay community," said Justin Timberlake before a hometown crowd in Memphis, Tenn. as part of a live broadcast for "Good Morning America" on Friday, Sept. 15, 2006.

Continued...

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