Out in the Mountains I UVM's NoDIsmination Clause: Four Years Later by Miki Thomas ~ On March 9, 1987, after nearly three years of work by two University of Ver- mont students, UVM President Lattie Coor signed into policy a measure to protect gays, lesbians, and bisexuals from dis- crimination. At that time, UVM was the twenty-eighth school in the nation to enact such a policy. Four years later it appears that, although there have been few cases so far concerning gay and lesbian issues, opin- ions about the measure are mixed among students, employees, and administration. The idea for the change in the non- discrimination policy came in 1984 when the Gay and Lesbian Student Association (GLSA) made a resurgence on the UVM campus. One woman from the group began to meet with then Dean of Students Keith Miser to discuss how the non-discrimina- tion (ND) clause could be changed. Mimi Desouza later met with Miser to continue the process. However, when divestiture from South Africa became a top priority in 1986, the ND clause was pushed to the back burner. By the fall of 1986, Desouza was elected to the Student Association Senate and began once again to push for the policy change. That fall, Miser sent surveys to the schools that had sexual orientation in- cluded in their ND clauses. The survey in- tended to find out how those schools had made the changes to their policy. At the same time, the Student Senate conducted a student opinion poll which revealed that 60% of the students at UVM favored the change. In February 1987, the Faculty Senate and Staff Senate made pol- icy changes. Given this support, Lattie Coor made non-discrimination a matter of policy. At a recent meeting of the UVM Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Alliance, students gave their opinions on the effectiveness of the ND clause. The overall opinion appeared to be that the clause is for the most part “window dressing.” It had a “yes and no” worth for them, meaning it is empowering in the sense that in case something did come up that was discriminatory, they could jus- tify bringing it to the administration. This did not mean, however, that the students would have put on their UVM applications that they were gay. Many were a bit dismayed about the treatment of those who did harass and discriminate in the past, 10 citing certain fraternity incidents in recent years that resulted in what the students termed a “hand slap.” But despite these misgivings, the ND clause for them is a starting point. The campus needs to go a long way in educating the students to prevent further incidents from happening. Employees also maintain similar atti- tudes. Those interviewed were hired after the policy was passed. Despite the policy, they were not comfortable coming out right off. One mentioned that although she is not a “closet person,” she did not trust the environment. Coming out would have meant having to deal with people’s atti- tudes. The employees interviewed liked the fact that UVM had the clause and would invoke it if confronted with discrimination. One person said that the clause is some- thing she actively searches out when seek- ing employment. The administration, meanwhile, sees the ND clause as a means of education. Rosalind Andreas, Vice President for Stu- dent Affairs, related several stories involv- ing gays and lesbians. For example, a les- bian, upon visiting the Student Health Gynecological Clinic, felt uncomfortable filling out forms that were for the most part directed toward heterosexuals. She felt further stress during the examination as she was asked questions concerning her health. On her next visit, she noticed some changes. There were pamphlets on lesbians and AIDS in the waiting room. After the exam, she noticed a book by Brian McNaught and information on relevant resources in the room. All of these made her feel more comfortable about using student resources at UVM. Andreas believes that each individual case demonstrates shop helped address policies and myths concerning gays and lesbians and assisted staff members at the Student Health Center in better helping their gay and lesbian clients. “We begin to see a payoff and a reward,” said Andreas. “We look at the incidents where we’ve been creating pain, and then we’d have ripples and an increase of sensitivity and welcomeness.” Andreas cited other ways in which the campus has addressed gay and lesbian is- sues. Emina McCormick drew up a bro- chure on sexual assault and harassment which stressed that sexual assault can hap- pen to anybody, including gays and lesbi- ans. One job search last spring included a lesbian who identified herself as such. Her openness was well received by the search committee and she was later hired. A Com- munity Safety andRespect Coalition began to train student leaders on sexuality, sexual , harassment, and discrimination. GLBA has been making presentations to sexuality classes and resident assistant workshops. The Director of the Office of Affirma- tive Action, Equal Opportunity and Diver- sity feels that education is essential for all oppressed peoples and those who are per- ceived to be different, saying that “People fear what they don’t understand." Andreas reiterated that point: “An educated person values human dignity and human differences. These are values we can learn.” The non-discrimination clause could serve as the springboard from which educa- tion and awareness lead to overall changes in people’s attitudes towards lesbians and gays, with the cooperation of all involved: the students, employees, and the admini- stration of an institution. the importance of policies that ad- dress non-dis- crimination based on religion, gen- der, age, ethnic origin, and sexual orientation. Each case provides a “teaching mo- ment." Brian McNaught’s visit Susan Franz, M.A. Kate O'Brien, M.S. Psychotherapists Individual Couples Family Group to the campus last spring for a work- 15 Pinecrest Drive Essex Junction, VT 05452 802/878-4399