rm101

No excuses worth posting for the delay in update---(if you look at a calendar you'll note spring break was in the middle of all this quiet time).

Back to the door issue and the campus response:

The 25th of Feb was the next meeting for the Phoenix. We had two guests from the University who came to speak with us about the defacement and discuss how we wanted to proceed and what we needed from them and the offices they represented. This was an amazing and incredibly supportive event for us, primarily because their presence had not been solicited. (I am avoiding posting names and office specifics simply because we open every Phoenix meeting with a safety statement that indicates names and specifics discussed will not be made public.) The upshot of that meeting was an assurance of University support and some very proactive solutions to addressing hate as a whole rather than focusing on just lgbt issues. the Phoenix is not just about lgbt and allies, it is also about human rights and equality.

The following Tuesday, the 2nd of March, several Phoenix members attended the Student Senate Diversity Council meeting--the results of that meeting are still being finalized, I will update with those as I receive them.

Suffice it to say that this campus, the BSU Student Senate, the University Administration, and Campus Security and Phoenix members have all come together to treat this event as not a catastrophic occurance, but as a significantly teachable moment-one from which all of us have learned not only that we hear one another but that we truly have common concerns.

I do not know how many folks wrote to our University President or to the Director of Student Affairs, but to all those who did, thank-you.
And to those of you who did not but held out hope for a quality resolution, thank-you too.

The rest of the work now begins--the nitty-gritty of actually bringing about the ideas that came out of both the Feb 25th Phoenix meeting and the March 2nd Diversity Council meeting. This is the good stuff, the stuff that makes the changes in societies, that allows folks minds to open and that helps to eradicate fearful, uninformed reactions. This is the stuff that opens doors for those that are still affraid, that empowers the disenfranchised--this is the stuff that builds strong multi-cultural diverse communities of acceptance.

I'll keep you posted on our progress.

siochain,
Hunter

Yes there is some--and in the interest of encouraging others to take proactive steps and find ways to create teachable moments from this event I will share it with you.

Mere moments after encountering the student union personnel's anger a research paper on hate crimes, homophobia and the need to address said issues was presented to them. The response we received regarding the paper and its contents was a heartfelt thank-you. The reader acknowledged that they had heretofore been unaware of the the realities surrounding hate crimes, their perpetration and the damage such crimes do to a community as a whole, as well as to individuals. The paper's author was directly thanked for the information provided.

I am deeply grateful to the author for being willing to immediately present the work in order to educate an invaluable ally to the bemidji state glbt community. And I am profoundly grateful that said ally took the time to read the paper and to get the message.

One more example of why it is paramount that if you object to hateful words and homophobic rhetoric you speak up and speak out.

Please still make your voice heard as previously suggested.
Intolerance and hate can only be eradicated through education and honesty.

siochain,
Hunter

The plot thickens...
the words which were engraved into our door were: "fag", "homo', "lezbos" and "dumb".
The artist did not have a very good sense of spatial relations, the letters for"dumb" had to be stacked with the "du" on top pf the "mb", and "lezbos" sort of drooped down along the window frame on the door.

The plot thickening aspect to this whole issue centers around the "let's not make a big deal out of this" attitude encountered by our organization's representatives from staff at the student union. More problematic than not wanting to make a big deal out of this was the direct anger expressed over our public relations officer making a proper report to campus security and campus police about the vandalism to school property and the specific nature of the vandalism. Our office is located in the student union and the student union help desk personnel/management folk are our first line of recourse for any issues or problems that arise. This fact made the reaction we encountered that much more troubling, particularily when additional anger was directed against actually calling this act of vandalism a hate crime.

For the record, this particualr graffitti falls under the federal definition of hate crime activity due to both the word choice and the location of the graffitti. The nature of the words chosen coupled with the location of their display constitute intimidation of persons who frequent the office as well as the members of the organization.

The FBI defines hate crime as follows:
Hate crime is the violence of intolerance and bigotry, intended to hurt and intimidate someone because of their race, ethnicity, national origin, religious, sexual orientation, or disability.

The power to name--to call an action exactly what it is and thereby bring it out of the shadows and into the open drastically improves the chances of honest discourse and makes real the possibility of resolution. To cover up inappropriate actions, to quietly handle the situation and not make it known, is to send the message that this campus condones and allows such activities. Persons who specifically engage in this type of hate driven action are almost always operating with the belief that they have the tacit support of their respective communities. The only way to make that not be true is to speak up, speak out and let it be known that you will not tolerate this kind of derisive actvity on your campus.

You don't have to attend or work at bemidji state to make your view known or for your voice to count. If you find this kind of behavior deplorable (the graffitti job) write a letter condeming the vandal's actions to the editor of the school newspaper, The Northern Student, or send a letter to the director of student affairs, Jon Blessing or to the college president, Dr. Jon Quistgaard. Let them know what you think about hate, bigotry and intolerance on this campus--point out that by FBI defintion this little occurance is a hate crime--and this is real.


To remain silent is to participate.

siochain,
Hunter

Interesting bit of news for yon blogging world...perhaps some of you out there will see this as an over reaction or even humorous...hopefully for any who are familiar with the remoteness and relative urban isolation of our little city of bemidji you will grok the impact of this incident.

First some background:

October 2002 when I stopped to inquire about the student organization known as Delta Phoenix (bemidji state university's gay, lesbain, bisexual and transgender and allies student organization) I was asked to sign my name as the president for the organization in order to kep it afloat. I did--and we changed the name to "the Phoenix@BSU" and began to revamp it into a gay-straight alliance with the goal of creating a safe, inclusive, accepting atmosphere for ALL students on this campus as well as for folks in the larger community.

Laughing? Think it wasn't needed?

Within 24 hours I had two messages on my answering machine with people afraid--note afraid- to say why they were calling or what they were calling about. Neither caller left a call back number or other contact information. Within the first week of my name and number being available I had nearly all anonymous calls, people would not give their names or contact information and I had to repeatedly reassure the callers that it was ok to talk to me and the phone line was safe.
Things got abit better--we have been slowly growing in membership and last year for the first time in the entire history of this campus we were actually permitted a small office space--no more than an old closet, litterally. This semester we were granted a larger office space on a main hallway where folks can drop in if they wish to for information, somewhere safe to chat, stop by and let it be known that they support lgbt issues and are proud to be allies. We are gradually building a library as well as a resource/referal list for community resources that are lgbt friendly.
The only assumption ever made about anyone who comes to our events or meetings is that he or she is an ally to the concerns and people in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered communities.

So who cares, right?
Why am I wasting your time and precious blog space with this mundane and borderline self congratulatory yarn?

Because today the door to the Phoenix office was found with homophobic derogatory words scratched into the wood.

Maybe all those folks who were so damn afraid were right after all.

peace,
Hunter

Interesting--last posting date and this one, oh so very far apart.
What could be causing this silence?

After I noticed this and sat wondering why it might be I began to cruise around to other folks' blogs.
I was cyberstrolling along, behaving myself, observing the scenery complete with dog poo on the green green grass of free form prose writing, when it suddenly sturck me--a thought, not the dog poo.

So many bloggish posts seem oh so vapid, self centered and without redeeming moral quality---no wonder I haven't been stirring up trouble--there's nothing to stir!!
Wierd...this media format is working as a censor..talk about controlled by technology!!!

Damn it! So much for the lofty ideal of bein' the Dennis Leary of blogville....
back to the find-my-fifteen-minutes-of-fame drawing board......

*sigh* an agitator's work is never done

sat·ire: n.
1. A literary work in which human vice or folly is attacked through irony, derision, or wit.
2.The branch of literature constituting such works. See Synonyms at caricature.
3.Irony, sarcasm, or caustic wit used to attack or expose folly, vice, or stupidity.

Ah!
back at the bat cave.....

So while cruising around etherial inner blog-space (read: classroom blogs/classmates bloggishness) I encountered numerous beautified blog pages. Lovely color alterations and contrasting text choices--tasty, kind of like very wierd fruit--you know the kind I mean, the hybrids grown it seems as much for public consumption as for public entertainment. How very bloggish indeed!!!
Ensconced in amongst the kaleidoscopic chameleon offerings were a few offerings of monochromatic tendencies---odd how that these were the ones I found myself reading every scrap of. Perhaps it was a function of the somewhat somber, easier on the eyes color schemes that drew me. Perhaps it was a function of the content driven page--sort of like character driven stories. Ah well, whatever the subliminal reason (if there is one) I found Mary's blog engaging--I really appreciated the link to The Homeless Guy and was intrigued by learning about
Dr.Daphne Sheldrick and Madiba. Nicely readable blog--not too many bells and whistles to distract my wandering attention. I really felt drawn to the human interest side presented here.

Another fine near monochromatic (a good thing when well executed) color-schemed blog is Audrey'sblog. Very striking in background choice. Excellent visual effect to use all drop out type accentuated by the looming moon in the upper left corner. The whole design sets an odd gently ominous yet mysterious tone--hinting at the unpredictability of the velvet night. Your posts echo this same feeling--well designed.

This was a tough assignment--the requirement to select only a few of the blogs for discussion was arduous. (tangent: I wonder if the root for arduous is the same as the root for ardor--wierd. I'll have to investigate.) Frankly, I thought that just about all the class offerings were at least entertaining enough to return to and read more often than once. There were way too many excellent links provided throughout to follow all of 'em. The ones I did traverse were (for the most part) entertaining or otherwise intelleectually stimulating. (yes, I really do speak this way. Though I have been known to revert to more cromagnon communications at times.)

Enough already--I thought I learned the shorter posts are better rule.....

siochain,
Hunter

No you are not blind or insane, there is no part 1 & 2 of Insider blogging available.
Seems the first part of the tri-part insider blog disappeared on me.

Lucky for you, the non-existant reading audience, and not so lucky for me, the intrepid college retread trying to fulfill professorial directives.

Since the great and nebulous ether was apparently one blog entry short of full yesternight, I shall doggedly try yet again to deliver two, count them two entries on classmates' blogs.

Here we go....

I'm back--late, as usual, but back.
(I'm living a theory here; I figure if I keep practicing the art of not being on time,
I'll have it perfected by the time I'm s'pposed to die.
Hell by then I oughta be a master procastinator!
I'm figuring it'll buy me a few extra years on the planet-alive!)

Back to the bloggin':

Classquip #3: In The Life
Ok-maybe I am just wired to read. I gotta hand it to you Simon,
I was drawn into the writing--content, quality and imagery.
Regarding the post where you're feeling compelled to represent people you've never met:
do all of us you've never met a favor--don't represent what you are not familiar with.
It's kind of like taxation without representation, only in this dynamic it's representation without familiarity--doesn't sound like a good plan to me.
And about that underlying gay mindset--what underlying gay mindset?
Far as I can figure out--and I've been figuring a few years (read:since about 1975)--
there is no one gay mindset about any damn thing.
There are stereotypes and numerous myths,
but so far I have not encountered a unifying gay mindset.

I dig the ringing pants bit--sweet economy of words, excellent image (and it was mom!)
Very engaging writing--keep it flowing.

siochain,
Hunter

I've been reading class blogs and neglected the clock!
Well, that and I 've been tryin' to figure out what I wanted to say about which blog.

Ya know I can't recall a class asignment that felt more like a loaded pistol than this!
Perhaps the time our speech class was required to do persuasive oral presentations---no, no, this is definitely far more hazardous. Piss somebody off with what ya say here and you're gonna be paying for it all semester long.

Idle musing: wonder how that affected what people actually said and who they chose to write about?

OK OK--on to the blogging of blogs.

I know one thing I've been doing wrong--too damn many words per entry!
Lordy lordy the fast food, fasttrack, immediate gratification generation strikes again.

Very well, only a few words per entry--got it.

Second observation: personally anecdotal entries.
No way. To quote one of my kids--NunYa.

Well that does pose a problem doesn't it--a more-or less public venue for writing and a writer who doesn't want to "share" about the writer's day to day shenanigans. I'll be sticking to things at least
two degrees removed (probably more like 5 or 10 degrees to be completely truthful).

Next observation: different coloring makes for more interesting reading---yeah, that's why I picked the already other than white background template.
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." green is good, o.d. green I am used to--the template stays(for now).

And of course, the next observed lesson: cool links, pics and "doo-dads" always help improve readership.
Hmm...sounds like marketing. Very reminiscent of Package Designers or Advertising Design. I s'ppose a really great blog has such items all of which have some real, significant substance to 'em. Of course, "real" and "significant" are highly subjective....

Yesterday's multi-hour cyber tour turned up a couple of interesting blogs worth meandering through, if nothing else for the opportunity to view things from another side. The request punched into google was for blogs related to social activism. Scrolling down the replete listings I stumbled across
Am ha-Aretz a blog detailed as being Judaism for the masses.

How does this relate you may ask, and I will tell you, Tradition! O.k., I really like the Fiddler on the Roof--Tevye was a childhood hero of mine--but it is really the truth. Go have a look and check out the bit refering to Jewish values and debunking some of the myths about what Jews believe.

I swam back across the Mediterannean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean to wash-up on the summery ,thirdcoast of Austin, TX. Social activism is alive and kicking in central tejas! I skimmed this site, 'cause nowhere did it claim bloggizenship. On I surfed...

I paused to rest in the armchair of activism, and there discovered a blog replete with numerous shorty articles, some of urgent societal relevance some not so, er, critical to the nation's social health. Very readable blog with a laundry list of bloggy links well worth clickitty-clacking through. Embedded in said laundry list I quarried out two gems of connection.

In the first, A Mixed Blog, I found a well worded, considered eloquent series of discourses that neatly describe and depict some of the key issues facing our society today--the need for new langauge to describe the social scaffold of our nation, the regretably everpresent spectre of racism and hating, and the call for a termination of racial referencing/typing/identifying of persons as a cornerstone in our society. The thematic thread woven through the postings I read centered on language--the power of language through defining groups, othering people and silencing multitudes of voices. Kindred voices at last!!

The second, The Mahablog, is conversational in structure and offers an insightful yet highly critical view of this nation under the bush administration. It is replete with links to more dissenting voices, and offers writing and reporting of a very high caliber on current political events. The insightful chronicling of the current administrations stumbling and fumbling is a delightful read.

After breathlessly diving through the full length of both these deep wells of information, I surfaced back in toe freezing discomfort of my subterranean retreat--wishing for a mug of something hot and frothy.

I'll get back to the inside classspace blogs after decompression.

Hunter