FUND FOR REUNION/PRINCETON BTGALA
A Non-profit Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Princeton Alumni, Students, Faculty and Staff
P.O. Box 1481, Princeton, New Jersey 08542
| NEWS FROM THE FUND FOR REUNION/PRINCETON BTGALA A Non-profit Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Princeton Alumni, Students, Faculty and Staff P.O. Box 1481, Princeton, New Jersey 08542 |
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| Volume XIX, No. 2 | April, 2006 |
The Fund for Reunion was formally created in 1986, growing out of increasing dissatisfaction about how the university related to its gay alumni (or didn't). Dick Limoges '60 had just returned from his 25th Reunion, and in the spirit that overtakes one after such a Reunion, offered to give the University a sum of money "to be used to fund gay and lesbian student activities." The University refused the gift.
He then sought out Shawn Cowls '87 who was President of the Gay Alliance of Princeton, who was very active in increasing University recognition of gay and lesbian students. At that time there were two groups, the Gay Alliance of Princeton, as well as a women's group known as Gay Women of Princeton. Together they began to organize a group of alumni and undergraduates both to support student activities and to make Reunions more attractive to disaffected Alumni, of which there were (and are) many. Limoges and Cowls, along with GWOP president Margaret Miller '86, met with Dean Muriel Whitcomb on December 9, 1985 to discuss the formation of an alumni support group for the gay student groups.
At this juncture the University was aware of us and they proposed that we assume a "Friends of . . ." status, with the University holding our money. It became clear that these restrictions would severely restrict accomplishing our goals, and so after much discussion, it was decided that we should be entirely separate from the University, but completely supportive of it. We incorporated as a 501c(3) organization and established a Board of Trustees.
From the very beginning the aim of the organization was threefold:
The new entity was announced with a bang on Alumni Day 1986 when certain forever unknown persons papered Jadwin Field House by placing flyers on every chair at the luncheon. A reception and the first meeting of alumni were held. The University was not happy, but they got the idea we exist, and gradually realized we are on their side, but independent in order to speak for students and alumni when appropriate.
The next meeting was held at the Princeton Club of New York on April 6th, 1986 in order to structure the organization and effectuate its incorporation. It was officially incorporated on May 28th 1986, and on November 20th 1986, the Honorable William J. Thom, Civil Court Judge of the City of New York hosted a reception at his home officially announcing the formation of The Fund For Reunion.
The choice of a name for the organization was a problem that continues to this day. Originally it was felt that we needed a name that would not be "in your face," so as not to discourage less open alumni. This requirement has mercifully vanished over the years, an accomplishment in itself. Another reason for the name was that it expressed the aim at the time to draw gay alumni back into the Princeton orbit. Periodically there has been interest in a name change, but never consensus. This issue remains under periodic discussion.
During the first five years or so, we scheduled a lecture or presentation on Alumni Day along with the official program. Over time, the Alumni Council began listing our events in their calendar.
From the beginning, the Board met every two months, as it still does, to plan events, support the student activities, and say things other people cannot say to the University. Past presidents have included Mark Blasius *90, Michael Paley '87, Bucky Bulmash '85, and the present President, Shawn Cowls '87. Shortly after creation, the Board decided that financial stability was paramount; otherwise we would go the way of many evanescent organizations. In addition we knew from the beginning that the thing that would attract the most attention and credibility from the University was the control of funds they do not have but want.
An endowment fund was created, not to be touched for operating expenses, but added to yearly. Thanks to the incredible efforts of Brandon Fradd '83, who invests our endowment, this endowment has grown to over $2 million, and with it our credibility and ability to impact Princeton University. We are now an organization of 1,000 strong, representing classes from 1938 to 2005, with an annual budget of over $100,000.
Our accomplishments have been many, some now invisible. Over the past twenty years we have won a permanent seat on the Alumni Council, been recognized as one of the most successful Alumni associations, supported many undergraduate and graduate research projects, sponsored an annual lecture series, underwritten Lavender Graduation - which the President attends, been instrumental in creating a permanent coordinator (who is now the Center director and has an assistant of her own!) and supporting the existence of the LGBT Student Center in Frist. In addition, the President now attends our annual Reunions Reception and supports our activities.
This past year we were proud to announce the establishment of the first LGBT Post-Doctoral Fellowship offered by a university. FFR promised a gift of $271,000 to establish this Fellowship, payable in annual installments. The fellowship will be located in the Society of Fellows in the Liberal Arts and dedicated to work pursuing research in scholarly areas that will make a positive contribution toward public discourse concerning contemporary LGBT issues. The fellowship is awarded for three years. Over 100 scholars vied for this Fellowship, and it was awarded to Gayle Salamon, Ph.D. We look forward to the product of her work! Much has been done in twenty years; much more needs to be done. Please support us as we are supporting the student and alumni communities.
Reunions will be held at Princeton University on the weekend of June 2 and 3, 2006. The Fund for Reunion will be hosting events for our members, students, faculty, friends, and family - all are welcome! We hope to see you there! A few weeks ago we were notified that Campus Security is trying to shut our dance down early or have us move off of campus completely. We are doing everything we can to ensure that the dance goes on, but the hours are still a bit in limbo. We expect to shut down by 3AM, and may be closed as early as 2AM, so come early!
GLBT Alumni Welcome Cocktail Reception
Friday, 2 June 2006, 9:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Library, Bendheim Center for Finance (formerly Dial Lodge)
Princeton LGBT Center Open House
Saturday, 3 June 2006, 10:30 a.m.- 12:00 noon
Frist Campus Center 246
Fund for Reunion/Princeton BTGALA Annual Meeting and Reception
Saturday, 3 June 2006, 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Library, Bendheim Center for Finance (formerly Dial Lodge)
GLBT "After the Tents" Reunions Dance Party
Saturday, 3 June 2006, 12:00 midnight - 3:00 a.m.
Senate Chamber, Whig Hall
In March, I had the pleasure of corresponding with Gayle Salamon, the first Cotsen LGBT Postdoctoral Fellow. As we have mentioned in past newsletters, in the Spring of 2004, the Post-Doctoral Fellowship Committee of The Fund for Reunion worked with Leonard Barkan of the Society of Fellows in the Liberal Arts to establish the first LGBT Postdoctoral Fellowship offered by a university. FFR pledged a gift of $271,000 to the University to establish the Fellowship.
Alvarez:
The members of The Fund for Reunion have been very excited about the inception of the LGBT-Cotsen fellowship. What would you like to tell them about yourself?
Salamon:
I am also tremendously excited about the fellowship, which seems to me to be really singular in its support of LGBTQ work. About me: I did my graduate work in the Rhetoric Department at the University of California, Berkeley, and taught for two years in the Gender and Women's Studies program there. I also spent a year as a postdoctoral fellow at the Pembroke Center at Brown University before coming to Princeton.
Alvarez:
What do you hope to accomplish during your tenure as a Cotsen Fellow?
Salamon:
I'm planning to use the time that the fellowship affords to finish up my manuscript, which uses phenomenology and psychoanalysis to look at transgender subjectivity and embodiment. I'm also working on a new project that explores some of the alliances and tensions between feminist theory, gay and lesbian studies, queer theory, and trans issues, and looks at gender-segregated restrooms as a public space where some of these tensions materialize.
Alvarez:
How do you hope to grow awareness around LGBT scholarship on the Princeton campus, and beyond?
Salamon:
I would say that I have two hopes for this: the first is to be able to contribute to a range of courses on LGBTQ themes and issues, and I'm looking forward to expanding the number of LGBTQ courses available to students here at Princeton. Right now I'm teaching a course on Transgender Theory, and next year I'll be teaching an Introduction to Gender and Sexuality course. I also taught a queer film course last year which I'd love to offer again. I think it's important for people to realize that LGBTQ scholarship has its own distinct history at the same time that LGBTQ concerns are always implicated in other disciplines and other fields of study. My second hope is to increase awareness of and concentrate attention on the "T" in LGBTQ, which I think still remains enigmatic or mysterious to many people, even within some lesbian and gay communities. I'm hoping that my work will help to make the point that the issues and concerns of trans folks aren't incidental to LGBT activism and study, but absolutely vital to it, absolutely critical for us all to reckon. To that end, I'm aiming to organize an academic conference on transgender issues to take place here on the Princeton campus sometime in academic year 2007-2008.
For the third year in a row, FFR has partnered with Debbie Bazarsky of Princeton University's LGBT Student Services to create a lecture series on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer topics. This spring, FFR co-sponsored the following three events on campus:
On the afternoon of Tuesday, December 6, 2005 I literally jumped up from my chair in disbelief and excitement.
The elections manager had just emailed the president of the Princeton Justice Project (PJP) Tom Bohnett '07 and me the results of two referendum questions put before Princeton's undergraduate student body. We had won. Not only did the student body overwhelmingly support same sex marriage (70 percent), but they also directed the USG to sign onto an amicus brief the Gay Family Rights Project (GFRP), part of PJP, wrote on behalf of seven same-sex couples suing New Jersey for the right to marry in the case Lewis v. Harris.
The idea of writing an amicus brief for Lewis v. Harris came after GFRP founder Kjerstin Elmen Gruyes '04 and I attended a town hall meeting in early 2003 at the War Memorial in Trenton to hear the plaintiffs speak about their reasons for joining the lawsuit. With the help of PJP advisors Bill Potter '68 and Politics preceptor Linda Colligan, we immediately got to work. Colligan authored the brief while students in the project helped her conduct research for it. Tragically, not long after Colligan completed the brief in the spring of 2005 she committed suicide. At her memorial service in the University Chapel, PJP students pledged to submit the brief in her honor.
In November of 2005, Tom Bohnett and I approached the USG to sign onto the brief because we believed the outcome directly affected Princeton students and faculty, and that it was imperative Princeton students take a stand on one of the fundamental discrimination issues of our time. After a couple of lengthy and contentious meetings, the USG voted to let students vote by referendum if they both supported same-sex marriage and wanted the USG to sign onto the brief.
During the next week, Tom and I organized a vigorous campaign. Our email list grew to over 200 volunteers and supporters; we plastered the campus with posters, and wrote columns in numerous campus publications. The campus debate became extremely lively and many were divided over the issue. When the votes were counted the amicus brief question passed by 82 votes. USG President Leslie-Bernard Joseph signed the brief and the NJ Supreme Court accepted it.
On Wednesday, February 15, 2006, I attended the oral arguments for Lewis v. Harris with Bill Potter before the NJ Supreme Court in Trenton. Although the state did not make the case that heterosexual marriage would be harmed by allowing same-sex marriage, a few of the justices pressed the state regarding what harm would come from allowing same-sex couples to marry. To this, the state repeatedly said that it would change the definition of marriage that has been in existence for thousands of years. After hearing that response, some of the justices referenced the numerous ways in which marriage has changed over time, which is what our brief focused on. A couple of the plaintiffs in the case also later told me that had read the PJP brief and were impressed by it.
Having Princeton students take a stand on such a fundamental issue really impressed and inspired me. It can be a difficult task sometimes to get us to burst out of the orange bubble and take a stand on important issues. When undergraduates stood up to support marriage equality for the University's LGBT population, it made me proud to be an openly gay Princeton student.
While there are many facets to LGBTA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and allies) life on campus, The Princeton University Firehazards have been providing a performance outlet for LGBTA students at Princeton since the spring of 1998. The group's performance repertoire includes, traditional arch sings, an annual performance of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," as well as the group's annual "Blaze." This annual event celebrates the founding purpose of the group; to create a safe place and performance opportunity for LGBTA people. There is no better way to build this understanding, than through the arts.
At the time, my own heart-wrenching struggle with an un-accepting family, motivated me to create a family of my own. This group could provide a place for me and others to perform - and simply "be". In the end, it was my fellow "Hazards" that not only backed me up vocally, but emotionally as well.
As people come to terms with their own sexuality, it is important that there are non-threatening places for people to come into their own. But not all Firehazards are LGBT. In fact, through the years allies have become the life force behind the group.
But times have changed in the last ten years. Being LGBTA today is less taboo, but it doesn't make the mission of the group any less important. Sexuality is often scary. While we still live in a world that limits the possibilities of LGBT relationships, there is still so much work to be done. Rest assured, The Firehazards will continue to provide Princeton with a loving space and stage for LGBTA people. Our theme song "True Colors" says it all! If you would like to get in touch with us or offer support, visit our website at http://www.princeton.edu/~hazards
We look forward to keeping you up to date on our work in upcoming newsletters.
FFR is a non-profit 501c3 corporation, incorporated independently of Princeton University. We have an operating fund that we use for our day-to-day operations, and an endowment that is earmarked for special endeavors. We are run by a talented and devoted Board of volunteers: Christina Alvarez '03, Allison Badgett '01, Anne-Marie Barrett '02, David Beaty '50, Mark Blasius *90, Shawn Cowls '87, Gordon Harrison '68 *70, Robert Hotes '85, Jonathan Hsu '04, Lex Kelso '71, Kris Kersey '04, Karen Krahulik '91, Dick Limoges '60, Philip Mahin '85, Marcus Tye '90, and Emily Wood '03.
Board membership is a privilege available to all dues-paying members of FFR. We are actively looking for alumni interested in serving on our board, in particular women and recent alumni. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved, and we'll work with you to come up with a project that fits your interests. Whether it be contributing to regional alumni events and fundraisers, strategizing with the Endowment Committee or writing articles for the newsletters - we really do want your involvement!
Contacting Us: We can be reached at:
Fund for Reunion/Princeton BTGALA, P. O. Box 1481, Princeton, NJ 08542
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Fund for Reunion
You can sign up for FFR/Princeton BTGALA using our mail form.
This document was last modified on May 6, 2006..