Zack Ford Iowa State University Small Victories Celebration Student of the Year May 1, 2008 If youll indulge,

e, Id like to share a few words. First let me say, Im honored to accept this award. I am also particularly proud to stand tonight among so many committed to a difference. I thank you for your efforts. The reason I want to address you tonight though, is because I dont think I deserve Student of the Year, and I have two reasons why. Let me assure you, this is no exercise in false modesty. My first concern is the standard to which I am being compared. I have seen what students on other campuses are doing, and honestly I think I pale in comparison. In fact, my hunch is that it was not what I have been doing this year, but how visibly I have been doing it that has deemed me worthy of this honor. This speaks to how low the bar is set at Iowa State University. The vast majority of our LGBT community is still hidden away. Statistically, there should be several hundred LGBT students graduating PLUS their allies, but look at how few students are brave enough to participate in tonights ceremony. I look forward to a day when the actions Ive taken are no longer seen as extraordinary, but as commonplace and expected. But were not there yet, and it should be news to no one. I dont know how dusty the 2004 Campus Climate survey is getting on its shelf, but its numbers are no less disheartening four years later. Only 53% of respondents thought people in the offices they frequent were accepting of individuals based on their sexual orientation. Only 35% thought the campus was overall respectful of LGBT persons, a response lower than for any other targeted group. And the one that still keeps me up at night? Two out of three LGBT students at Iowa State University fear for their physical safety specifically because of their LGBT identity. Our campus is absolutely frigid. How many years of small victories do we celebrate before a Large one comes along? When I talk about what Ive seen and done at other institutions, I always hear, Zack, this is a large public school in the Midwest. Its not a private school. Its not Southern California. This is Iowa. And my reaction is, Well, so?! The way I see it, we have three choices when it comes to how we advocate against heterosexism and homophobia and how we support our queer community. Im personally a big proponent of the leadership model: we need to do whats best for our students, and do it now. Most people seem to be fans of the follower model, asking, what are they doing at our peer institutions? before making decisions. What happens on this campus, though, is that third model, the faade: lets just do enough so it looks like a priority without actually dedicating any real resources to it. Many of our peer land-grant institutionssuch as the University of Wisconsin, the University of California Davis, and the University of Minnesota, as examplesalready have full-time LGBT directors on staff as well as resource centers dedicated to providing not only resources for students, but a safe space for LGBT students to congregate and commune. Michigan State University has a director, an assistant director, an administrative assistant, plus two graduate

assistants and other student staff. The Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) established a set of standards for LGBT student services eight years ago, and those standards are a year overdue to be revised and updated. ISU has not yet come close to meeting even the standards set eight years ago. Is any following actually taking place? This reminds me a lot of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.s Letter from a Birmingham Jail. By simply changing the word Negro, I think youll see how relevant his words are here today: We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was well timed in the view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the word Wait! It rings in the ear of every LGBT person with piercing familiarity. This Wait has almost always meant Never. We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that justice too long delayed is justice denied." With turnover every four years but no substantial budget increases, how many LGBT students have been denied justice at Iowa State University? So the question becomes: what would a financially supported full-time staff on this campus do? How would they support the community? First, they could repair relations with the Alliance. I think members of the Alliance know that they can get more money as a club than the LGBTSS office currently gets, and are afraid that partnering with the office will either limit what they can do and/or weaken what they currently do. As a result, the Alliance has admirably shouldered almost all LGBT-related outreach efforts, which unfortunately has painted them as somewhat extreme advocates and alienated potential members. A full-time staff, with money to work with, could implement a variety of educational events and workshops so that the Alliance has more time and energy to socially engage the community. A synergistic win-win. Now what would that look like, you say? How about an orientation in September for new students interested in getting involved with the community? How about an online peer support chat, like the one I helped set up at UC Riverside, where students can talk to a supportive buddy without identifying themselves? How about a mentoring program to support them as they come out and get involved on campus? There could be a leadership retreat later in the year to help them really make a difference! Then, we can support them as they represent us at conferences across the Midwest and across the country! How about a Whos Out On Campus newsletter? A Pride Prom? A student performance of the newly penned Coming Out Monologues? How about a film series with monthly films on different educational themes? Regular discussion groups on a variety of topics, intergroup dialogues, an LGBT book club! Why arent we working to recruit prospective LGBT students with Admissions? Why dont we have more scholarships available to LGBT students through Financial Aid? Where are emergency funds for students who have lost their familys support after coming out? Why havent we set up a network to reach out to our LGBT alumni? How can we partner with the health center to encourage safer sexual behavior for our students? Wheres our LGBT learning community, or gender-neutral housing for that matter? Where is our major or even minor in LGBT studies? Why dont we have a faculty-in-residence program? How about a guest speaker on the impacts of homophobia in athletics with workshops for all of our teams? What could the office be doing for LGBT History Month and National Coming Out Day in October, Transgender Day of Remembrance in November, World AIDS Day in December? What health policies do we have to support our

transgender students? How do we respond as an institution when there are incidents of LGBT bias on our campus to make sure our students feel supported? As a graduate assistant myself, I know that we are capable of amazing things, but it is ridiculous to think that a single GA could make the kind of change we need on this campus. And this brings me to my second reason for not feeling that I deserve this award. Besides feeling disconcertingly humbled, I think there is a student who deserves it more. The only problem is: shes not eligible. The entire burden for institutional LGBT outreach and support has fallen upon that single graduate assistant. While her job description outlines only a few specific expectations, we all know that the position holds an enormous amount of symbolic weight for our entire community. I would expect that any of the individuals who have stepped up to hold that position did so because they saw the importance of a strong campus voice for queer students, faculty, and staff. Unfortunately, heterosexist and homophobic oppression is not only found in the small-town minds of many of our students but also entrenched in the institutional culture. It is as much her responsibility to administratively maintain the status quo as it is to advocate for change. Any individual who can survive that rock-and-a-hard-place kind of role while balancing academic work and other campus commitments deserves to be standing in my place, especially if she is willing to endure another year of it. Kristen Wentworth, in addition to being a fantastic friend, you are my Student Of The Year. I appreciate that youve all allowed me some time to speak with you this evening. Before I leave the podium, I am going to offer every one of you in the room a challenge, and Dr. Hill, Im going to borrow from you here a little. A month ago, at the LAS Multicultural Recognition Banquet, Dr. Hill stood before the achieving students over in the Great Hall, and told them to reach out and encourage their peers. He told them to do what they could so that next year, wed have to open up the South Ball Room to accommodate everyone. Tonight, I offer the same challenge, and given the context, it seems a bit more poignant. What power do each of you as individuals have to really effect change on this campus? How can we all work together to recruit allies and create a culture where more students feel comfortable coming out? Dr. Hill, I hope you will call upon Provost Hoffman and President Geoffroy to lead us all in a new initiative to raise that bar at Iowa State! Lets work towards some large victories. Lets aim for a lavender graduation big enough to require Hilton Coliseum. If we all work together, I know well prevail. Thank You.