By Jill Goetz
In a town meeting on April 11 with members of Cornell's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities, President Hunter Rawlings echoed the sentiment of one student by saying he was "tentatively optimistic" that all Cornellians will continue growing more sensitive to and accepting of these communities.
After listening to a performance of the gay, lesbian and bisexual chorus at a pre-meeting reception in the David L. Call Alumni Auditorium of Kennedy Hall, Rawlings heard speakers at the meeting give two-minute prepared statements on their hopes and concerns for fellow lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) students, faculty and staff.
Many of the statements addressed the president's decision to hold a moratorium on building additional program houses at Cornell for the next five years, a provision of the campus residential housing policy that he recommended earlier this semester. (Rawlings will present the housing policy to the Board of Trustees next month.) That provision had disappointed individuals advocating for an LGB program house.
The speakers stated their belief that program houses are essential in providing a safe and welcoming environment for LGB students, particularly those who are freshmen. Rawlings said he sympathized with their statements but said he believes campus diversity is best served not only by recognizing and respecting differences, but by fostering a sense of commonality and familiarity among all students, particularly freshmen. For this reason, he said, he supports limiting the number of freshmen living in program houses, another provision of the housing policy.
While facilitating constructive dialogue and disagreement, the forum, attended by approximately 150 people, was also an opportunity to recognize recent accomplishments. These included the establishment of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Resource Office, now headed by full-time staff member Carlisle Douglas; revision of Cornell health insurance policies to provide benefits to same-sex partners of eligible employees; establishment of undergraduate and graduate concentrations in lesbian, gay and bisexual studies; and Cornell Library's renowned collection in human sexuality.
The town meeting was Rawlings' second since becoming Cornell president last summer and was presented as part of "Gaypril."